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Read about the week Lucas spent at Stuller, immersed in stone-setting!
Studio D’s very own Lucas recently had the opportunity to travel to Stuller Inc. in Lafayette, La., to attend a five-day Introduction to Stone Setting training. Taught by a master jeweler, the students took a deep dive into the many stone setting tools, learning the most effective techniques and best practices for working with settings.
This was Lucas’ first trip to Stuller, and it did not disappoint!
For anyone unfamiliar with Lucas, he began working as a bench jeweler apprentice at Studio D at the age of 15 after working in a blacksmithing forge for a summer. Working with metals was always an interest, and quickly became his passion as he immersed himself in the jewelry creation environment.
Lucas graduated from high school in May this year, so this was not only his first business trip, but also his first time traveling solo!
Lucas said of the opportunity, “Once the trip was approved by Studio D, Tracy (Tracy Gibson, Director of Product Vision and Production for Forged & Formed) met with my parents to reassure them that it would be okay for me to make the trip, that it would be a great educational experience and helpful with my career and skills. They got on board and Tracy booked the flight, hotel, and class."
But the parents were the easy part. Lucas knew the real challenge would be taking on the independence of the trip and any unforeseen challenges, "It was a little odd getting through security at the airport, checking into the hotel, and being the youngest in the class."
Yet, Lucas's confidence never wavered. "The bit of intimidation factor wore off pretty quickly," he asserted. "When I started to meet people, no one seemed to think it was weird that someone as young as me was there. Everyone was there to learn and improve their abilities.”
And improve their abilities they certainly did.
Over five days, Lucas learned six types of stone settings: four-prong, six-prong, shared-prong, pinpoint, three-stone, and split-prong. They learned new techniques for cutting seats, maximizing tool efficiency, and working around minor flaws so they wouldn't have to send a new casting out. And also used new equipment and learned new applications for tools Lucas used at Studio D like the micromotor and the graversmith. A very full five days for any jeweler.
After returning from his trip, Lucas has been able to reflect on the skills he learned and sees how they can help him improve in the day-to-day business at Studio D.
"I now have a better understanding of the basics," he says. "This experience has allowed me to grasp new material more easily and should allow me to learn at a more accelerated pace in the future."
Lucas is already thinking about how he can apply this newfound knowledge to the online stone-setting courses he is taking. But he's also looking a little further into what his future as a goldsmith might look like...
"There were fellow students in the training who owned businesses, founded companies and worked in different processes of manufacturing. It opened my eyes to possibilities within my position as a goldsmith."
He was even able to meet the founder of the company, Matt Stuller (a fellow jeweler who got his start when he was 16 years old), and receive a tour of the Stuller facility.
Seeing behind the scenes of CAD, casting, diamond grading, gem assessment, stone setting, repair, design, and other departments helped Lucas get a grander perspective of the jewelry process. "Understanding the many ways Stuller assesses products based on factors such as scalability, manufacturing efficiency, and the profit margin that come out of each product helped me better understand aspects of product development I had not considered before."
To sum up Lucas's experience in a couple sentences, "I made new friends, ate great food, and learned that there is so much I have yet to learn within this industry. This course gave me a new level of confidence in my skills and made me so excited to learn much more!"
And that was everything we could ever want and more!
Tracy Gibson reflected that same sentiment, saying, "We continue to be proud to assist Lucas in his professional career. Finding people who make the most of these opportunities and bring their new skills to be of more value to the company is rare. That he is 18, with such focus and professional clarity, makes Lucas truly unique."
Team members at Studio D regularly attend educational seminars and trainings. They are continually expanding their knowledge, striving to provide our customers with the very best jewelry as well as a premier shopping experience.
You can see a bit of Stuller’s Bench Jewelers training on their YouTube channel. And be sure to say hello to Lucas and the Studio D team next time you’re on the Woodstock Square!
We are always happy to see you!
Studio D’s very own Lucas recently had the opportunity to travel to Stuller Inc. in Lafayette, La., to attend a five-day Introduction to Stone Setting training. Taught by a master jeweler, the students took a deep dive into the many stone setting tools, learning the most effective techniques and best practices for working with settings.
This was Lucas’ first trip to Stuller, and it did not disappoint!
For anyone unfamiliar with Lucas, he began working as a bench jeweler apprentice at Studio D at the age of 15 after working in a blacksmithing forge for a summer. Working with metals was always an interest, and quickly became his passion as he immersed himself in the jewelry creation environment.
Lucas graduated from high school in May this year, so this was not only his first business trip, but also his first time traveling solo!
Lucas said of the opportunity, “Once the trip was approved by Studio D, Tracy (Tracy Gibson, Director of Product Vision and Production for Forged & Formed) met with my parents to reassure them that it would be okay for me to make the trip, that it would be a great educational experience and helpful with my career and skills. They got on board and Tracy booked the flight, hotel, and class."
But the parents were the easy part. Lucas knew the real challenge would be taking on the independence of the trip and any unforeseen challenges, "It was a little odd getting through security at the airport, checking into the hotel, and being the youngest in the class."
Yet, Lucas's confidence never wavered. "The bit of intimidation factor wore off pretty quickly," he asserted. "When I started to meet people, no one seemed to think it was weird that someone as young as me was there. Everyone was there to learn and improve their abilities.”
And improve their abilities they certainly did.
Over five days, Lucas learned six types of stone settings: four-prong, six-prong, shared-prong, pinpoint, three-stone, and split-prong. They learned new techniques for cutting seats, maximizing tool efficiency, and working around minor flaws so they wouldn't have to send a new casting out. And also used new equipment and learned new applications for tools Lucas used at Studio D like the micromotor and the graversmith. A very full five days for any jeweler.
After returning from his trip, Lucas has been able to reflect on the skills he learned and sees how they can help him improve in the day-to-day business at Studio D.
"I now have a better understanding of the basics," he says. "This experience has allowed me to grasp new material more easily and should allow me to learn at a more accelerated pace in the future."
Lucas is already thinking about how he can apply this newfound knowledge to the online stone-setting courses he is taking. But he's also looking a little further into what his future as a goldsmith might look like...
"There were fellow students in the training who owned businesses, founded companies and worked in different processes of manufacturing. It opened my eyes to possibilities within my position as a goldsmith."
He was even able to meet the founder of the company, Matt Stuller (a fellow jeweler who got his start when he was 16 years old), and receive a tour of the Stuller facility.
Seeing behind the scenes of CAD, casting, diamond grading, gem assessment, stone setting, repair, design, and other departments helped Lucas get a grander perspective of the jewelry process. "Understanding the many ways Stuller assesses products based on factors such as scalability, manufacturing efficiency, and the profit margin that come out of each product helped me better understand aspects of product development I had not considered before."
To sum up Lucas's experience in a couple sentences, "I made new friends, ate great food, and learned that there is so much I have yet to learn within this industry. This course gave me a new level of confidence in my skills and made me so excited to learn much more!"
And that was everything we could ever want and more!
Tracy Gibson reflected that same sentiment, saying, "We continue to be proud to assist Lucas in his professional career. Finding people who make the most of these opportunities and bring their new skills to be of more value to the company is rare. That he is 18, with such focus and professional clarity, makes Lucas truly unique."
Team members at Studio D regularly attend educational seminars and trainings. They are continually expanding their knowledge, striving to provide our customers with the very best jewelry as well as a premier shopping experience.
You can see a bit of Stuller’s Bench Jewelers training on their YouTube channel. And be sure to say hello to Lucas and the Studio D team next time you’re on the Woodstock Square!
We are always happy to see you!