Terry Whyte never thought he\u2019d grow up to be a Master Goldsmith.<\/p>\n
His career path was an accidental one, he said, adding that it wasn\u2019t until he took a crafts class during his last semester at Grossmont College that he realized he had an interest in jewelry design.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was finishing up my AA degree. I was going to be a math major,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The rest, you could say, is history.<\/p>\n Whyte believes there are other students who are, like he was, pursuing a career path that they aren\u2019t necessarily passionate about because they\u2019re unaware that other opportunities exist.<\/p>\n In 2009, he sponsored a jewelry design competition in conjunction with Golden Artistry\u2019s 25th Anniversary celebration. It was so well received, he said, that he decided to make it an annual event.<\/p>\n The competition is open to all students enrolled in Grossmont Union high schools.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Whyte said he\u2019s received more than 300 entries each year the competition has been running.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are always a couple of schools that deliver the bulk of the entries because the art teachers make it an assignment,\u201d he said. \u201cWe rarely get submissions from non-art students.\u201d<\/p>\n The theme for the 2016 Golden Artistry Competition was \u201cwind\u201d and students drew abstract designs related to the category that evoked images of wind chimes, spiral tornadoes, falling leaves and the like.<\/p>\n Grand Prize-winner Rose Ewdish attends Steele Canyon High School. She\u2019s among the students who submitted an entry as part of a class assignment.<\/p>\n \u201cMy teacher made it a requirement. Everyone had to turn in their artwork and it was part of a separate grade,\u201d she said, adding that the designs were submitted to Golden Artistry once the grading was complete.<\/p>\n Her teacher gave her a C-minus for her submission.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Ewdish said her grade was raised from a C-minus to a B after her teacher found out she\u2019d been named as a finalist.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first found out I was a finalist I thought \u2018whatever, I\u2019m not going to win.\u2019 Then I realized everyone wins something,\u201d she said. \u201c[The night of the awards ceremony], after I heard everyone else\u2019s name get called, I thought I didn\u2019t win anything but then they called my name as the Grand Prize winner. I was very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Ewdish said she\u2019s not yet sure if she\u2019ll take advantage of the internship.<\/p>\n![\"necklaceswebtop\"](\"https:\/\/lamesacourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/necklaceswebtop.jpg\")
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