Silversmithing And Jewellery
Silversmithing and jewellery is one of the most ancient and intimate of the applied arts, sitting at the intersection of craft, design, and meaning-making. Jewellery has been used across cultures and throughout history to mark identity, status, memory, ritual, and relationship, and the objects that silversmiths and jewellery makers produce carry social and personal significance that goes far beyond their physical form. Contemporary practice in this field encompasses both the continuation of traditional metalsmithing techniques, working with silver and precious metals to make objects of extraordinary refinement, and conceptual and experimental approaches that challenge what jewellery can be and do.
The Glasgow School of Art's programme in Silversmithing and Jewellery is a four-year full-time BA (Hons) that combines technical expertise with independent thinking and critical engagement with materials and ideas, as the school's own description puts it. Students develop through studio practice and reflection, investigating identity, memory, ritual, and storytelling while engaging with the cultural and societal roles of objects and adornment. Rooted in material enquiry, the programme encourages experimentation, craftsmanship, and conceptual exploration in equal measure.
The typical entry tariff is 216 points, reflecting the high standards of the institution. You will develop skills in metalsmithing, stone-setting, enamelling, casting, and surface working alongside conceptual and critical skills that situate your practice within the broader history and theory of jewellery and the applied arts.
Graduates work as independent jewellery designers and makers, silversmiths, studio jewellers, and arts and craft practitioners, exhibiting through galleries and selling through specialist retailers. Others move into roles in jewellery manufacturing, retail buying, heritage conservation of metalwork and jewellery, teaching, and arts administration. Postgraduate study in silversmithing, jewellery, or related areas of material culture and craft is a natural further direction for those wishing to develop advanced practice or pursue academic research.