Thesis (M.F.A.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1993. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaf [30]).

This manuscript records an adventure in exploring the inherent possibilities of organic forms for use in the designing of jewelry.

This study was designed to provide information concerning polyester resin as a material for jewelry making. The secondary purpose was to develop processes which create an artistic form for jewelry sustained by a poetic tone based on the fluid and translucent qualities of the material.

I head to the ocean for inspiration. Diving deep, the diverse organic shapes and fluidity of the flora and fauna inspire me to create modular pieces that incorporate intricate line work. This repetitive line and patterning gives me peace and helps me meditate. This self-exploration has opened up a stimulating world that pushes me to produce prints and silver jewelry that are individual and introspective. I have learned that the journey has become the aspiration and the production, a gift.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston University

The work I create attempts to explore the vast precipice between adolescence and adulthood. Our whole lives we are essentially labeled one or the other yet we are often striving to be the one we are not. Childhood is fleeting, gone the moment we realize how truly special it is. Adulthood is elusive, ever looming yet continually out of reach. I choose to work with materials and imagery that is commonly known to us as children and attempt to make it a more "grown-up" version of itself. This allows for several layers of meaning. It can be a simple reminder of days past and an encouragement to not take ourselves too seriously. It is also an attempt to find the fine line between children acting like adults and adults being children. Often we dress ourselves up and pretend to be something we're not. Maybe we're fooling everyone. Maybe we're only fooling ourselves.

The purpose of this study is to find out the spiritual meanings behind traditional West African jewelry, more specifically from The Gambia and Casamance in south of Senegal, and how children and youth learn about jewelry production. I want to find out if teaching about jewelry production lies in school’s responsibility—as it does in Sweden where we have our hand-craft education—or if it is learned in another way. I also want to know whether the youth of West Africa value their jewelry traditions, and if it is something they want to pass on to future generations.           This study has a pedagogical perspective with an emphasis on “practical” and “silent” knowledge. Furthermore, this study discusses forms of communication other than verbal, such as visual languages. I have chosen to make a few qualitative interviews with a young woman, a jewelry smith, and a teacher, and to hand out a small questionnaire in a school class. I have chosen these methods of research to discover more about West African traditional jewelry and its meanings. I also seek to know about young people’s views on their ornament traditions.           The result of my study is that traditional West African jewelry often has spiritual meanings and aims to provide divine protection from sickness and other ailments. The jewelry traditions in West Africa are still very popular, even among teenagers. Western African youth is very proud of this tradition and plans to pass it on to future generations, including their own children. I also found out that there is a severe lack of resources in schools, and the handicraft profession, therefore, must be learned from older family members and relatives rather than from school.

There is no abstract available for this thesis.

The primary objective of this creative project was the exploration of the traditional metalsmithing technique referred to as forging in relation to the primary goal of jewelry, which is body ornamentation. Forging is the hammering of metal with a highly polished hammer upon an anvil with varying blows to create thick and thin sections in the metal. The secondary objective was to implement these forging techniques within nine pieces of jewelry designed to accent various parts of the female body. These jewelry pieces include a wrist cuff, foot and hand pieces, a hip piece, a back piece, a neckpiece, and a pair of earrings. In addition to the production of these forged jewelry pieces, this creative project also included the creation of a number of large human figure fragments based on the female body in which to display the jewelry. This body of work also required the use of lost-wax casting, soldering, patination, and complex construction. / Department of Art

Thesis (MEd)--University of South Australia, 1999