F O U N D A T I O N
F E L L O W S H I P
Of Jewelry and Fencing
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hird-year Ramsey Honors Scholar Melissa Cousins, from Midland, is majoring in jewelry and metals. Watching Melissa at work in the jewelry and metalwork studio in the Lamar Dodd School of Art is fascinating. It is obvious that she is highly dedicated to her craft, and she will spend hours pounding on a cup to give it just the right formation and embellishments. Alternatively, she can sit quietly at her studio desk carefully laying a precious stone in an earlier crafted earring. When you ask Melissa about her underlying academic interest in jewelry, she sums it up as follows: “I’ve started looking into the history of jewelry and craft, as well as the modern and historical differences between art and craft, and where jewelry lies in that dichotomy. The fact that jewelry is traditionally considered very much a craft has led to a lack of scientific inquiry and study on the technical aspects of jewelry. Because of this, I’m working this semester in research on enameling, which is a technique where powdered glass is fused onto metal.” Melissa states that “the way enameling is taught is rife with misconceptions, untruths, and completely made up conjecture, while the things that are actually important
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