By Rachele Terranova
Inside the cubic style building on Fahm Street lives a little-known major. SCAD Jewelry Department is one of the smallest majors with only sixteen graduating seniors, but it is arguably one of the liveliest. Carolina Rodriguez, Donahlia Scott, and Rachel Maclean are three of those sixteen seniors who spent their time at SCAD developing immensely idiosyncratic collections, as well as brands through style and form.
Jewelry B.F.A. Senior Donahlia Scott wearing pieces of her own jewelry. [Rachele Terranova/scaddistrict.com] 
Carolina Rodriguez, a Jewelfr B.F.A. Senior wearing earrings she designed and hand made. [Rachele Terranova/scaddistrict.com]
Rodriguez’s collection, “Oasis,” is one of the few selected to appear in the SCAD Runway show and not only once, but twice. The collection is “about opposites finding a balance and contrasting elements finding their Oasis” said Rodriguez. By using red and green jewels, contrasting colors, her elegant and wearable designs lend perfectly to their name.
Scott’s collection takes a different approach than “Oasis,” but is also filled with unique designs. It is meant to “celebrate here from the African Diaspora,” said Scott. The collection includes head jewelry which is a not so commonly known area to many. One item she created is an awe-inspiring bantu knot inspired headpiece that was intentionally synonymous with her own hairstyle.
Former illustration major Maclean’s collection, “Symbiont,” is centered around the relationship the body has with jewelry itself and is formed through soft, organic shapes. She says she fell in love with the tactile aspect of truly making the art you design and eventually made the switch from illustration to jewelry.
The group of jewelry majors pride themselves on their major’s ability to collaborate, feed off of one another, and conjure up endless support for one another even if personal stresses are high. The three say there really isn’t any competition among students in the major, rather creative propelling of one another. “We all want to different things. There are so many different outlets you can do with jewelry. I prefer fabricating whereas Carolina prefers designing. We have another friend who enjoys the tech side,” said Maclean.
Post-graduation, Rodriguez says over the next year she will move back home to South Florida to work with a local company so she can begin to learn to develop her own brand for the purpose of launching her personal jewelry company within five years. Scott is taking an educational approach to the summer to teach children to make jewelry and eventually search for a job on the design side. In the future, she hopes to launch her own business in a niche market. Soon beginning an apprenticeship, Maclean wants to learn the ropes, experiment within the industry, and find the right footing to get there.
There is a freedom in the jewelry department that is not only helpful to the students but shows their immense versatility and ability to potential employers. From start to end, students are in every aspect of the industry including digital design, 3D printing, casting, forming, hammering, and buffing, but it is not always as glamorous as we may assume. “You have to have safety glasses. It is very dangers working with hot materials and sharp things” said Maclean. But, companies like David Yurman recognize SCAD students and donate stones and beads particularly for the couture class.
“We call it our Fahm-ily, cause that what we are (in Fahm hall), a family,” said Maclean.
