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The Jewelry Symposium Announces 2025 Scholarship Winners
Ahead of its trade show in May, TJS awarded free registration and accommodations to five up-and-coming jewelry industry professionals.
The five recipients of The Jewelry Symposium’s inaugural scholarship are, from top left, Alan Worley, Tivonya Stephenson, and Lucas Shoffner, and, from bottom left, Christopher Liu and Alexa Edwards.
Troy, Mich.— The Jewelry Symposium (TJS), an annual industry event dedicated to the advancement of jewelry manufacturing technology, has awarded five scholarships—two emerging designers, two fine jewelry apprentices, and one young jewelry professional.
The winners, pictured at the top of the article, are Alan Worley, an apprentice and caster at Parlé Gems; emerging designer Tivonya Stephenson; Lucas Shoffner, emerging goldsmith and apprentice at Studio D Jewelers; emerging designer Christopher Liu; and Alexa Edwards, a young jewelry professional and consultant.
TJS, formerly known as the Santa Fe Symposium, will hold its third annual event at the Detroit Marriott Troy in Detroit, Michigan, from May 17-20.
Each winner will receive the symposium registration fee, three nights of lodging at the venue, meals catered by TJS, a book, a thumb drive of all presentations, and a formal certificate of attendance.
“I would like to thank the TJS Board for the opportunity to attend this year’s Symposium. The jewelry industry is still very new to me, so I am looking forward to gaining a greater understanding of its scope and scale and to meet more industry professionals and experts. My hope is that I’ll be able to take what I learn and apply it to the daily process of producing high-quality jewelry pieces,” said Worley.
Stephenson, who is based in Oregon and focuses on ethical sourcing for her jewelry brand, T&L Fine Jewelry, said she has yet to experience the educational resources and community the fair has to offer and is grateful to for the opportunity to learn.
She continued, “I'm passionate about fine jewelry, it's my beloved art form. This opportunity to attend The Jewelry Symposium is exciting for me because it gives me the chance to learn well beyond ‘making pretty things’ into the vast unknown of technologies that will continue to carry this art form forward. I'm looking forward to meeting other people that are interested in the science behind the jewelry and learning from the community!”
Shoffner, a 19-year-old aspiring goldsmith, started in 2021 and shares his work on social media.
"I am more than excited to be given the opportunity to attend this year's TJS show,” he said.
“I can't wait to meet more like-minded people and make some networking connections within the industry. With the support of the scholarship, I am sure that I will be able to expand my network and learn lots of new information to further my career in the field."
Related stories will be right here …
The winners, pictured at the top of the article, are Alan Worley, an apprentice and caster at Parlé Gems; emerging designer Tivonya Stephenson; Lucas Shoffner, emerging goldsmith and apprentice at Studio D Jewelers; emerging designer Christopher Liu; and Alexa Edwards, a young jewelry professional and consultant.
TJS, formerly known as the Santa Fe Symposium, will hold its third annual event at the Detroit Marriott Troy in Detroit, Michigan, from May 17-20.
Each winner will receive the symposium registration fee, three nights of lodging at the venue, meals catered by TJS, a book, a thumb drive of all presentations, and a formal certificate of attendance.
“I would like to thank the TJS Board for the opportunity to attend this year’s Symposium. The jewelry industry is still very new to me, so I am looking forward to gaining a greater understanding of its scope and scale and to meet more industry professionals and experts. My hope is that I’ll be able to take what I learn and apply it to the daily process of producing high-quality jewelry pieces,” said Worley.
Stephenson, who is based in Oregon and focuses on ethical sourcing for her jewelry brand, T&L Fine Jewelry, said she has yet to experience the educational resources and community the fair has to offer and is grateful to for the opportunity to learn.
She continued, “I'm passionate about fine jewelry, it's my beloved art form. This opportunity to attend The Jewelry Symposium is exciting for me because it gives me the chance to learn well beyond ‘making pretty things’ into the vast unknown of technologies that will continue to carry this art form forward. I'm looking forward to meeting other people that are interested in the science behind the jewelry and learning from the community!”
Shoffner, a 19-year-old aspiring goldsmith, started in 2021 and shares his work on social media.
"I am more than excited to be given the opportunity to attend this year's TJS show,” he said.
“I can't wait to meet more like-minded people and make some networking connections within the industry. With the support of the scholarship, I am sure that I will be able to expand my network and learn lots of new information to further my career in the field."
Liu is eager to further his career with the opportunity to attend TJS.
He is a graduate of Kent State’s Jewelry/Metals/Enameling program and in 2019, he received a Saul Bell Design Award—a contest for emerging jewelry designers by jewelry supply company Rio Grande—and he also shares his work online.
"I'm looking forward to exploring the immense range of the jewelry industry, face-to-face with industry professionals, craft experts, and educators. I have no doubt that the collective passion and the generosity that is representative of this scholarship and of the community in attendance will inform the next steps of my career, as the Santa Fe Symposium did for me in 2019," he said.
Edwards, who currently works at David Fairclough Fine Jewelers in Toledo, Ohio, is also looking forward to the event.
She said, “Jewelry has been a passion of mine for years, and I can’t wait to learn from industry experts and connect with others who share that same enthusiasm. This symposium is an invaluable chance to gain new insights, explore different techniques, and take the next step in my journey in the field. I’m excited to be part of such an inspiring community!”
Linus Drogs, Chairman of the board at TJS, said the organization had “a noticeable increase in the number of high-quality scholarship applications” this year.
He added, “Given the attrition of skilled workers happening in our industry, we could not be happier to welcome these talented artisans. We hope that they will gain new skill sets and make connections that will launch their careers, just as so many of us TJS attendees have over the years.”
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