Por Margie M. Palmer

Jewelry artist hosts awards to inspire students like he was

Terry Whyte never thought he’d grow up to be a Master Goldsmith.

His career path was an accidental one, he said, adding that it wasn’t until he took a crafts class during his last semester at Grossmont College that he realized he had an interest in jewelry design.

“I was finishing up my AA degree. I was going to be a math major,” he said. “When I took that class the teacher pulled us aside and taught us how to silver solder. That sparked something in me and I started doing it at home and turning it into projects.”

Nearly three years later, he was accepted into an apprenticeship situation with an English Goldsmith and in 1984 he opened Golden Artistry Jewelry Design located at 8346 La Mesa Blvd.

The rest, you could say, is history.

Whyte believes there are other students who are, like he was, pursuing a career path that they aren’t necessarily passionate about because they’re unaware that other opportunities exist.

In 2009, he sponsored a jewelry design competition in conjunction with Golden Artistry’s 25th Anniversary celebration. It was so well received, he said, that he decided to make it an annual event.

The competition is open to all students enrolled in Grossmont Union high schools.

First, second and third place finalists receive gift certificates and merchandise he said, adding that the Grand Prize winner is presented with cash, an internship opportunity and also receives their design as a finished piece of jewelry.

Whyte said he’s received more than 300 entries each year the competition has been running.

“There are always a couple of schools that deliver the bulk of the entries because the art teachers make it an assignment,” he said. “We rarely get submissions from non-art students.”

The theme for the 2016 Golden Artistry Competition was “wind” and students drew abstract designs related to the category that evoked images of wind chimes, spiral tornadoes, falling leaves and the like.

Grand Prize-winner Rose Ewdish attends Steele Canyon High School. She’s among the students who submitted an entry as part of a class assignment.

“My teacher made it a requirement. Everyone had to turn in their artwork and it was part of a separate grade,” she said, adding that the designs were submitted to Golden Artistry once the grading was complete.

Her teacher gave her a C-minus for her submission.

“When I asked why I got the grade I got, he said he felt it could have been better and that it could have been shaded better.”

Ewdish said her grade was raised from a C-minus to a B after her teacher found out she’d been named as a finalist.

“When I first found out I was a finalist I thought ‘whatever, I’m not going to win.’ Then I realized everyone wins something,” she said. “[The night of the awards ceremony], after I heard everyone else’s name get called, I thought I didn’t win anything but then they called my name as the Grand Prize winner. I was very happy.”

Ewdish said she’s not yet sure if she’ll take advantage of the internship.

“I’m still thinking about it, I’m not a hundred percent,” she said.

Whyte said regardless as to whether finalists decide to pursue a career in art, or jewelry design, he simply wanted to find a way to give back to the community.

“I never expected any notoriety for this, it’s not for that,” he said. “This is something good to do for the students.”

—Margie M. Palmer is a San Diego-based freelance writer who has been racking up bylines in a myriad of publications for over a decade. Reach her at [email protected].