Bachelor of Fine Arts - Studio Art - Jewellery and Metals

AUArts Jewellery and Metals serves as a launchpad for bold creative expression. Materials are shaped into wearable art, striking sculpture, and conceptual objects that spark conversation. An artistic voice develops as meticulous technical skill is balanced with daring experimentation, inventive problem-solving, and entrepreneurial thinking.

Program Overview From the very first course, jewellery and metalsmithing practices are explored, revealing how meaning emerges through materials, craftsmanship, and innovative techniques. Guided by passionate faculty who are active makers and recognized artists, the program focuses on skills and techniques from fabrication, casting, stone setting, and enameling to create complex personal projects that reflect an evolving artistic identity.

Concepts are translated into objects that move between the body, gallery, and public space. The curriculum explores both ancient and cutting-edge techniques while building a portfolio of original, expressive works. At AUArts, Jewellery and Metals is more than technique—it communicates a powerful narrative embodied by each piece.

Program Highlights • Hands-On from Day One: Students begin making contemporary jewellery and small metal objects in the first semester, exploring a wide range of materials and techniques. • Techniques That Shine: Students explore ancient crafts and cutting-edge approaches such as sawing, casting, enameling, etching, filigree, stone setting, and more. • Make It Move: Students design functional objects with moving parts and clever mechanisms, or experiment with hollowware and found objects for wearable and sculptural art. • Colour Your World: Metals are transformed with vivid enameling, industrial coatings, anodizing, and surface design methods. • Go Digital: Students learn CAD and 3D modeling software for digital prototyping, rapid production, and innovative designs. • Business-Ready: Students gain practical skills in packaging, marketing, and sales; participate in pop-up shops and craft fairs—learning how to launch a brand.

Learning Outcomes Graduates of the jewellery and metals program will:

• Demonstrate proficiency in a variety of metalsmithing and jewellery-making techniques, including casting, enamelling, stone setting, and advanced fabrication methods. • Demonstrate creative ingenuity in solving design challenges, articulating clear concepts from ideation to final execution. • Demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate jewellery and metalwork within contemporary cultural, historical, and theoretical frameworks. • Possess professional skills to present work through exhibitions, documentation, and marketing strategies.

New! The Bachelor of Fine Arts program now offers emerging secondary concentrations in Comic Studies and Game Design, available as additional areas of focus alongside the primary concentration.