Valerie Blum

Teaches at Jewelry Arts

Valerie apprenticed at the Jewelry Arts Institute, and has studied jewelry-making at both JAI and FIT for approximately five years. Her primary area of interest is enameling, especially the plique a jour technique. In her work, she combines metalwork, enamel and stones to create original pieces based on traditional methods of craftsmanship and a modern design sensibility.

(6 Reviews)

Walking Tour of the Jewelry District

Anonymous review on 6/20/2019

Excellent course! We traveled from PA to take this walking tour, and it exceeded our expectations. Very valuable information you won’t find anywhere else. A+++
Walking Tour of the Jewelry District

Anonymous review on 6/16/2019

The tour was everything I had expected, we got to tour some of the best places to get your jewelry produced in NYC and we got to see all the behind the scenes.
Walking Tour of the Jewelry District

Anonymous review on 5/3/2019

Valerie was awesome!! I had an amazing tour of the jewelry district and she was full of knowledge.
Kirigami Earrings

Anonymous review on 10/24/2016

Overall the class was good. Valerie as a teacher was very patient especially since I was an absolute beginner. For some reason I thought it was going to be a simple earring project using basic supplies. No way did I envision having to use a torch to anneal the metal, pickle to clean it, a drill to make holes, a jeweler's saw and blade to cut out the design and then solder and flux to attach a jump ring etc. In order to make more of these I would either have to pay for bench time or invest in some costly materials and tools. This is not a simple make at home project but I walked away with a pair of lovely handmade earrings and jewelry-making techniques that I had only seen and read about in books prior to taking this class. I would definitely recommend this school and their classes and workshops if you are serious about learning the fundamentals of jewelry design. Thanks!
Walking Tour of the Jewelry District

Reviewed by Anne Mestitz on 9/11/2014
Stack Rings

Reviewed by Kristine Bueche on 9/7/2014

Fabulous workspace and environment for learning and doing. Great supportive energy. Nice selection of tools and materials if you need them. Definitely a keeper!