By Monica Garske | SDUN Reporter

Hillcrest’s Whaley Studios is not a standard jewelry store; it’s far more unique. Instead of housing display cases filled with pre-made merchandise, Whaley Studios offers clients the opportunity to make their own jewelry in a state-of-art workshop dedicated to pure creativity.

Lifelong jewelry aficionado Jay Whaley, who’s been running his business in Hillcrest for the past eight years, operates this hidden gem, located at 3848 Fifth Ave., on the second floor.

Whaley, who has specialized in the art of lost-wax castings since the late 1960s and taught jewelry-making classes at UCSD for 24 years, hosts weekly classes at his studio where clients learn the basics of metalsmithing and make original jewelry completely from scratch.

“Students come in with sketches or ideas of whatever they want to make and I teach them to make that piece, step by step. Whether it’s rolling metal, carving a lost-wax model or using a torch, they do everything themselves, from the ground up,” Whaley said.

Whaley also explained how a lost-wax model works, “The exact image of the jewelry piece you want to make gets cast into a mold and is surrounded by plaster. After firing it up, the wax melts away [and is] ‘lost’ in the process, leaving a hollow cavity that you can then pour your molten metal into to make the piece of jewelry.”

Whaley said he offers two different types of classes at his studio, group classes and private classes. The group classes are part of a nine-week session and students have the option to take them on Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Each class lasts two-and-a-half hours and accommodates up to 10 students.

The private-style classes also take place once a week, but are four hours long and have a maximum of four students per class.

In a typical year, Whaley said he teaches five of these nine-week group and private sessions. He also hosts several specialty workshops featuring jewelry-making experts from around the country.

For each session, Whaley lets students make whatever they want. He said he believes not having a predetermined project allows for more creative freedom in his workshop and considers this flexibility part of his signature teaching style.

“I don’t want all of my students to make the same thing because I figure everybody has their own ideas. I’m pushing my students to really be creative and do their own thing. They like it that way. My students are at different skill levels and bounce ideas off each other so it makes for a very creative environment,” Whaley said.

During classes, Whaley said his main job is to observe and answer any questions students have.

One longtime student who said she appreciates Whaley’s teaching style is Rika Malone. She’s been taking classes at Whaley Studios for the past six years.

Over time, Malone said she’s made more than 10 custom pieces of jewelry including bracelets, earrings, rings and necklaces.

Most recently, she made a ring at Whaley Studios with her mother who was visiting from Japan. Malone has also made multiple custom pendant necklaces for her husband – who co-owns the Empire House restaurant on University Avenue – and his staff.

“[Whaley’s] classes are so relaxed, they almost feel therapeutic. We all get to share our ideas while working and socializing. One of my favorite things I’ve made is a chunky ring out of a piece of glass I brought back from a trip to Ireland,” Malone said.

In addition to teaching classes, Whaley also offers a Wedding Ring Workshop where couples can make their own custom wedding rings. He also personally makes original jewelry at the request of clients who prefer ordering unique pieces rather than making the jewelry themselves.

Currently, Whaley said he’s working on diversifying his business by developing functional tools to make his craft easier. He’s in the process of patenting several new jewelry-making tools that he hopes to debut in May at the annual Society of North American Goldsmiths conference.

He also said he’s working to offer more mass-production options to his clients so they can make larger quantities of their own custom creations. Whaley said several of his clients have turned their jewelry-making hobby into small businesses, selling the items they make at his studio.

For more information on classes and workshops, visit WhaleyStudios.com