Carmichael jewelry school teaches all the facets
By Darrell Smith – dvsmith@sacbee.com
Sacramento Bee, USAÂ
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, April 4, 2008
Story appeared in BUSINESS section, Page D1
Local jewelers struggled to fill their employment ranks with new talent in the late 1970s, and Dee Rouse Huth spotted an opportunity in their frustration.
“I’d ask, ‘How do you find jewelers when you need them?’ ” Huth recalled. “They said, ‘You don’t.’ “
Huth decided to link her passion for jewelry design with a career in teaching, founding the California Institute of Jewelry Training in Carmichael.
“Truly encouraging people to ‘Do something you love and success will follow,’ and encouraging those who think a trade or career is not enough to get by in this world of ours is truly an opportunity.”
In the Sacramento area, she said, apprentice jewelers start at about $12 an hour, while experienced jewelers can earn upwards of $60,000 a year.
Fernando León, a 2002 graduate, has worked as a jeweler for Nan-Den Gems in Fairfield for six years. The 41-year-old Winters resident had worked in trash disposal for Davis until suffering a back injury in 2001.
León started from the ground up at the institute, learning the basics of soldering, stone setting and sizing, and the hard work paid off almost instantly. Nan-Den scooped León up a week after graduation day.
“For me, it was one week. I finished school one week and got the job the next week,” León said.
The school provides a pipeline of jewelry talent here and abroad. They’re a mix of high school graduates looking for a creative career track; stay-at-home parents; and individuals embarking on a second career.
Veteran paramedic David Newton enrolled just six weeks ago and aspires to be a custom jeweler and gemologist. The 50-year-old Carmichael resident sustained injuries in a 2002 on-duty collision that ended his career.
“It’s a hobby, but it’s also a profession. You can do this until you die. I didn’t think I’d find something as fun as being a paramedic,” he said. Huth discussed the California Institute of Jewelry Training in an interview.
Q: What type of student are you looking for?
A: The student who loves to work with their hands, who doesn’t want to work with theory all day. (The training) is 95 percent hands-on. We love to teach young people and older people who’ve worked their entire careers at something they didn’t love. They say, ‘I’m done with this corporate thing.’
Q: Why do students select California Institute of Jewelry Training?
A: Some people want a career change. For young people, this is something they can come out of high school and do as a career. They’re 18, 19 or 20 years old, and they can develop a career. What is exciting about CIJT is that it is buzzing with creativity from so many different individuals, all (with) a purpose to let all their creativity out and know they can make a living at it.
Q: This is a family affair. Your daughter Robyn is a student and a part-time instructor? Your grandchildren are also aspiring jewelers.
A: After she (Robyn) started working at the school with me, it just got into her heart, and the rest of her vocational history will definitely be made making or teaching jewelry.
Q: There are a number of careers that stem from training here. What are they?
A: Custom jewelry designer; retail sales associate. In our retail sales program, students work in gem identification, design, polishing. Then they can understand and appreciate what goes into it. It makes them better sales professionals.
Gemology. They study appraisal. You can’t be an appraiser unless you’re a gemologist and the integrity of being certified makes you very accountable for what a gem is worth.
Q: What’s the demand for jewelers?
A: There’s always a job. So many jobs are replaced by technology, but you can’t set a stone with a robot or interact with a customer. A machine doesn’t do that. We place almost all of our students.
Q: Why did you choose Carmichael?
A: I live here. I had kids in junior high, so I opened up a school near the junior high. Also, since it’s a little bedroom community, parents feel comfortable (sending their children to the school). It gives them peace of mind. We have a lot of the ambience and privacy of a campus without it being huge.
