A Career Set in Gemstones: Claudia Arbelaez's Journey into Jewelry

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GROWING UP IN Colombia, young Claudia Arbelaez saw a future in fashion. She studied design, showed a small collection during Fashion Week 2004 in her native country, and designed uniforms and the wardrobe for an opera.

Then — poof: Her mother died, Arbelaez met her future husband, and she spent 2006 in Milan to delve into her field. The next year her new husband won a Fulbright, and they moved to a third continent so he could study at the University of Maryland.

Arbelaez looked for a fashion-related job, but nothing around Washington paid well or — after all these changes — had much appeal anymore.

Jewelry did, though. Her mom had loved jewelry, and skills in that area could transfer to Colombia when the couple moved back after two years. "Jewelry is more rewarding because people see more meaning in it than in clothes," she says. "Also, it lasts longer."

Arbelaez enrolled in the jewelry-design certificate program at the Corcoran College of Art + Design (1801 35th St. NW; 202-298-2542; Corcoran.edu/ce). To pay for school and gain experience, she took a low-level jewelry job at Lund Trading in Columbia, Md.

The certificate comprises 10 courses, which most students complete in 1 1/2 to two years. Classes cost $1,343 (noncredit students pay about half that), and most have an $80 lab fee. The Corcoran's next open house is 2 p.m. on Oct. 24 at 500 17th St. NW.

The certificate focuses on "creating wearable works of art with an eye toward the history of jewelry," says continuing-education director Doris Ostrander. Besides an artistic milieu, the Corcoran offers respected instructors' help with getting students' work into shows and galleries. A new class this fall will cover organizing a portfolio for better access to jobs and showplaces.

Graduates can become jewelry designers, jewelry artists, entrepreneurs or bench jewelers (who do technical work), adds Anya Pinchuk, who has taught jewelry arts since the program began five years ago. "You can make $40,000 to $50,000 to start as a designer," she says.

Arbelaez was on her way at Lund when, after three months, founder Morten Petersen promoted her to main designer. By year's end, he says, a new line of fashion jewelry she created should be available.

Arbelaez was thrilled to be "using the Corcorcan [training] at my job and my job at the Corcoran," but traveling between them was daunting. Being what both her boss and her instructors call "a go-getter," though, she added more: applying to display her work at art and trade shows.

Some of her work was chosen for a student show in Philadelphia. She spoke on green art at the Swedish Embassy. Her first professional sale was to a man at Studio 4903 in Tenleytown. A piece of hers was named best among Corcoran exhibitors' at the latest Smithsonian Craft Show.

At work, Arbelaez has also designed a travel case; Lund's sold 25,000 of them. On her own, she creates ironic collages of plastic bottles and trash, and is experimenting with cement. Nonprecious materials make her work affordable.

"I make fun of the way we live now," she explains. "Like food — it's frozen and organic, fresh and synthetic." One brooch she made — and sold — spells out DIET FAT.

Arbelaez will miss the U.S. when she leaves next month, but she wants to elevate jewelry making in Colombia. "People immediately think of drugs and kidnapping," she notes, "and I want to do something good for my country."

And she'll bring a bit of America with her: a freelance contract from Lund. "Most students wouldn't have as many ideas and be as inventive as Claudia," her boss says. "No doubt she'll be a success."

Written for Express by contributor Ellen Ryan
Photo by Jason Hornick for Express