Take a gaze at the sky with this pair of platinum diamond-set star earrings with blue lace agate drops.
MJSA Education Foundation Awards $12.5K in Scholarships
Given to five students, the scholarships included one provided by the Providence Jewelers Club Foundation for the first time.
Attleboro, Mass.--The MJSA Education Foundation has awarded scholarships to five students totaling $12,500.
This includes a $2,500 scholarship provided by the Providence Jewelers Club Foundation for the first time, which benefits students enrolled in an eligible Rhode Island program.
The following five students received scholarships.
Rebecca Richards ($5,000) is studying for a bachelor of fine arts degree in jewelry/metalsmithing at Maine College of Art in Portland. She makes her jewelry from a variety of materials like yarn, brass and mother-of-pearl, drawing inspiration from historical styles to various flora and fauna. Richards expects to graduate in spring 2020.
Emily Fout ($2,000) is pursuing a Graduate Gemologist diploma at the Gemological Institute of America campus in Carlsbad, California. Fout also currently runs her own company, Fizzy Love Jewelry, which includes designs that showcase gemstones and beads. Fout hopes to enhance her artistic expression further through her GIA classes, where she expects to graduate in May 2018. After that she wants to begin the institute’s Graduate Jeweler program.
Jaclyn Bush ($1,500) also is working toward a Graduate Gemologist diploma at the Gemological Institute of America campus in Carlsbad, California. Bush has experience working full time in the repair shop at Jared the Galleria of Jewelry in Houston, assisting Designer Jewelers, an independent retailer also in Houston, and doing custom jewelry work for her own small business. She is scheduled to graduate in April 2019.
Katelyn Butler ($1,500) is working toward her Masters of Fine Arts degree at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, which she entered after completing undergraduate studies emphasizing technical mastery of materials. Over the past six years, she has appeared in more than 24 curated or juried exhibitions and has won six juror’s awards. Butler is scheduled to graduate in 2020, after which she plans to pursue careers as both a jewelry maker and a teacher.
Valerie James ($2,500 through the PJCF) is pursuing a Graduate Jeweler diploma in jewelry and metalsmithing at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence. After receiving a bachelor’s degree at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, she entered the program at RISD to refine her knowledge of traditional jewelry-making techniques and 3-D modeling. A 2017 Saul Bell Design Award finalist in the Emerging Jewelry Artist category, James expects to graduate in May 2019.
The MJSA Education Foundation develops and supports programs that help ensure the jewelry industry maintains a qualified, competitive workforce. To date,
Any student enrolled in a jewelry program, whether through a university or trade school, who intends to pursue a career in the jewelry industry, and who can demonstrate financial need, is eligible to apply for an MJSA Education Foundation scholarship.
Applicants are assessed on the basis of course of study, academics, career plans, recommendations, and industry experience. Students must be U.S. citizens.
The Latest

In 2026, the jewelry retailer will celebrate a milestone only a small percentage of family-owned businesses survive to see.

Jeffrey Zimmer's decades of leadership at Reeds Jewelers are defined by integrity, a love of sourcing gemstones, and a heart for community.

You deserve to know what you are selling–to protect your customers as well as your business and your reputation.

The new high jewelry design and production process takes 30 days or less from concept to completion, the auction house said.


The holiday catalog for 2025 features never-before-seen images of more than 100 one-of-a-kind masterpieces.

The brand has released a second installment of its collection of traditional and non-traditional commitment heirlooms.

The upcoming show provides savvy retailers with the opportunity to stock their cases with best sellers in advance of the holiday season.

Corey rescued New England chain Day’s Jewelers, preserving its legacy with strong people skills, pragmatism, and a “get-it-done” attitude.

Charles Robinson Shay was sentenced to life in prison plus 120 years while his accomplice, Michael James McCormack, got 75 years.

Timepieces at Luxury will take place at The Venetian and, like Luxury, will be invitation-only for the first two days.

The auction house named a new global head of jewelry, as well as a new head of the jewelry department for the Americas.

As chairman of Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers, Tom Dixon has been tasked with honoring the past and shaping the future of the family-run store.

Katty Villapando Lyte and Mica Rencher received a $10,000 grant for their business, Shimmer Culture LLC.

The parents of the Dallas Mavericks rookie bought their engagement ring at a Day’s store in Bangor, Maine, in 1997.

The UK-based brand sourced the gemstones, which are fully traceable, from an artisanal mining community in Tanzania.

The trio of Advent calendars include a version with 18-karat gold and lab-grown diamond jewelry in a red lacquer jewelry box.

Created in collaboration with Nymphenburg Porcelain, the lock is part of a four-piece collection that took two years to bring to fruition.

Jewelry industry veteran Alisa Bunger has taken on the role.

The company and industry leader’s two-decade tenure with De Beers will come to a close at the end of the month.

“The Winter Egg” set the world auction record for a Fabergé piece twice at previous Christie’s sales.

The company will pay 1.5x silver’s current spot price for each pound of silver oxide batteries submitted.

The line includes a “Shadow” series crafted exclusively for the new men’s offering and reimagined styles from the brand’s core collections.

The rough on offer was recovered from a newer area at the Montepuez mine.

The retailer’s new collection of engagement rings and fashion jewelry is set with natural diamonds that are traceable via blockchain.

The champagne colorway in her newest “Ombré” collection combines white and trendy brown diamonds, a departure from her usual vibrant hues.

Kosann partnered with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, to create a set of necklaces inspired by the artwork on samurai sword handguards.