Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist – September 2019

PH

OT

O:

W

ES

TE

ND

61

;^ G

ET

TY

IM

AG

ES

“I

t’s a perfect storm,”

says jewelry designer,

instructor, and author

Nanz Aalund, about

what the U.S. jewelry industry is

facing today when it comes to avail-

able skilled craftspeople. She should

know. The Washington-based artist

wrote A Jeweler’s Guide to Appren-

ticeships in part as a response to the

looming labor shortage.

She attributes the coming crisis to

three converging phenomena:

• School programs closing.
  Jewelry programs at both the high
  school and college/university level
  are being shut down, and there
  is a paucity of independent trade
  schools dedicated to the myriad
  aspects of jewelry making.


• Aging population. Skilled crafts-
  people are aging, retiring, an taking
  their skills, knowledge, and experi-
  ence with them.


• Recruitment abroad. For many
  years, the jewelry industry has

recruited their skilled labor from

other countries — but many of

those craftspeople are now choos-

ing to stay at home. “They’re fi nding

their livelihood is rewarded better

there, so they are staying put,” says

Aalund.

“As a result, we’re looking at a

huge loss of skilled labor. We’re get-

ting to the point where for every 10

skilled master craftsmen aging out,

only one young person is coming in.”

As far back as the Middle Ages

State of the

Art’s Industry

Could jewelry apprenticeship be an answer to the growing

shortage of skilled craftspeople? by Sharon Elaine Thompson

72 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST