CBS 58 - MKE
Natalie's Everyday Heroes: Design competition gives students golden opportunity
Natalie Shepherd | May 11, 2026
If you asked a group of high schoolers what they want to be when they grow up, there may not be too many who said goldsmith. But a fine jeweler in Cedarburg says it's an in-demand job. So, she took it on as a mission to introduce kids to the craft and a potential career option.
Watch Natalie's story on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qCUYiG3NdA (2m45s)
Photo taken from a clip of the video on YouTube.
JCK Online
H.S. Design Contest Targets the Next Generation of Bench Jewelers
By Karen Dybis | March 12, 2026
A Wisconsin high school jewelry design competition, which has enlisted industry supplier Rio Grande as a sponsor in its fifth year, has the potential to influence young people to go into the jewelry business and could be replicated by schools nationwide, according to its cofounder.
Patty Gallun Hansen, the second-generation owner of Gallun Fine Jewelry in Cedarburg, Wis., founded the Love Has Many Facets design competition with Jack Henke, head of a local ad agency. Rio Grande’s sponsorship will elevate the program’s production capabilities, she says.
Working with their art teacher, students at Cedarburg High create original jewelry designs. A panel of three judges selects finalists among the designs, and local residents vote online for the winner. The winning piece is professionally manufactured and offered for sale, with proceeds going to the school’s art department.
“The response has been far beyond anything we imagined,” says Gallun Hansen. “People stop us all the time to thank us for creating this opportunity for students. Almost without fail they say the same thing: ‘I wish something like this had existed when I was in high school.’”
Initiatives like Love Has Many Facets could address the industry’s shortage of skilled bench jewelers, says Gallun Hansen. She developed the program as both a workforce development tool and as a tribute to how she learned the business, as she has fond memories of watching bench jewelers at Gallun Fine Jewelry, which her mother founded in 1950.
“High school students are full of creativity, energy, and imagination,” says Henke. “Adults sometimes become more cautious or even a little jaded, but students approach design with enthusiasm and boldness. They want to prove they can create something meaningful. When they see their ideas taken seriously—and when the community celebrates their work—it builds tremendous confidence and self-esteem.”
Gallun Hansen describes the origins of Love Has Many Facets: “I began by asking parents and high school students a simple question: ‘Did you know this was even a career option?’ The answer was always no.
“One morning, the idea hit me in the shower. And in one of those moments that feels like pure fate, that very same morning I ran into the Cedarburg High School principal at Costco. I cornered him and told him about the idea. He looked at me and said, ‘I love it. Make it happen.’”
The principal, Casey Bowe, connected Gallun Hansen and Henke with Cedarburg’s art teacher, Deb Mortl. Her enthusiasm allowed the program to grow to what it is today—six completed cycles and room for more, Gallun Hansen says.
“When you have a passionate educator like Deb guiding students, opportunities like this can really flourish,” she says. “High school is the moment when students are beginning to think seriously about their future. That future can be daunting if creativity is in your blood and you have no idea how to turn it into a career.”
Today’s youth are searching for new professional possibilities, according to Henke. “Many young people do not fit into the traditional molds of college or traditional trades like electrical work, plumbing, and mechanics,” he says.
“Jewelry manufacturing is rarely discussed,” he notes. “It combines creativity, craftsmanship, and technology. For students who love art and design, this industry offers a real opportunity to build a meaningful and sustainable career.”
Image: In art class, Cedarburg High School students design and make jewelry for the Love Has Many Facets program that is entered into a fundraising competition. (Photos courtesy of Patty Gallun Hansen)
https://www.jckonline.com/editorial-article/program-bench-jeweler-shortage/ JCK connects retailers, manufacturers, designers and other industry influencers who create the jewelry business and drive it forward.
Photo courtesy of Patty Gallun Hansen
instoremag.com
Grassroots Jewelry Initiative Celebrates High School Design Winner
Competition to build the jewelry industry’s next generation marked its fifth year in style in Wisconsin town.
By Chris Burslem | April 22, 2026
A WISCONSIN JEWELER’S INITIATIVE to promote jewelry-making as a career had its “big night” on April 18, with the awarding of the top prize to a local high school student — and the unveiling of her finished design for the first time.
The winner was Sophia Seatz, whose ring design “Intertwined” — fabricated by Rio Grande — earned her a $500 award from Port Washington State Bank at Gallun Fine Jewelry’s annual Meet the Artist event.
“It was a very special moment seeing her work realized and shared with everyone who supported her along the way,” said Patricia Gallun Hansen, owner of Gallun Fine Jewelry in Cedarburg, WI, and co-founder of the Love Has Many Facets Jewelry Design Competition (FACETS).
Now in its fifth year, FACETS integrates wax-carving instruction into local high school art curricula, introducing students to bench jewelry as a viable creative career.
https://instoremag.com/best-stores/best-of-the-best/
Photo courtesy of Patty Gallun Hansen
instoremag.com
Planting Seeds
Inside one Wisconsin jeweler's grassroots fix for the bench talent shortage.
Chris Burslem Instore May 2026 Issue | April 17, 2026
THE JEWELRY INDUSTRY has a pipeline problem. Bench jewelers — the skilled craftspeople who design, fabricate and repair fine jewelry — are retiring faster than they’re being replaced, and almost no one outside the trade knows the job exists. A Wisconsin retailer decided to stop waiting for someone else to fix it.
Patty Gallun Hansen, owner of Gallun Fine Jewelry in Cedarburg, WI, co-founded the Love Has Many Facets Jewelry Design Competition and Fundraiser (FACETS) five years ago with a simple premise: if young people don’t know bench jewelry is a career, they’ll never choose it. So she made it her mission to show them — before they decide.
The program integrates jewelry design into local high school art curricula. Students carve original ring designs in wax, simulating the first steps of professional jewelry production. The competition culminates in a community-wide vote to select the winning design, which is then professionally manufactured and sold — generating real engagement as the public becomes invested in the student artist’s success. Winning artists are celebrated at a “Meet the Artist” event. It’s part workforce development, part marketing engine, part civic celebration.
“This isn’t simply a competition,” says Hansen. “It’s about helping students understand that their artistic ability has real, sustainable career potential. Our industry needs to show young people that bench jewelry is not only creative — it’s viable.”
The Visibility Problem
When Hansen began her outreach, she asked parents and students a simple question: did they know jewelry manufacturing was a professional option? The answer was almost universally no. That’s the core of the problem — and the core of her solution.
“The jewelry industry can’t just wait for the next generation of jewelers to appear,” says Jack Henke, CEO of Henke and Associates, who co-founded the initiative with Hansen. “We have to show them the path.”
Industry veterans agree. Terry Chandler, former president and CEO of the Diamond Council of America, has praised the program for shining a spotlight on goldsmithing at a time when the industry urgently needs fresh talent — validation that the visibility problem is real, and that FACETS is addressing it in the right place.
Built to Scale
What makes FACETS replicable is what makes it smart. Hansen and Henke have spent six competition cycles building a framework other jewelers can adopt without reinventing the wheel. The participating jeweler doesn’t teach the class — the school’s art teacher handles wax carving instruction. The jeweler shows up as mentor and industry liaison, answering questions and making the profession feel real and accessible.
The team provides adopters with website templates, competition timelines, press release templates, social media materials and access to a monthly peer Zoom.
The barrier to entry is low. And the payoff is real: a more recognizable brand, deeper community ties and, hopefully, a future talent pipeline that didn’t exist before.
Hansen is clear-eyed about the timeline. “Programs like this are really about planting seeds for the future,” she says. “The goal is to inspire young people today so that our industry has skilled craftspeople tomorrow.”
The shade from those trees may take years to arrive. But Hansen is planting anyway.
Read their full article https://instoremag.com/wisconsin-jeweler-has-a-plan-to-fix-the-bench-talent-shortage-and-it-starts-in-high-school-art-class/
Photo courtesy of Patty Gallun Hansen
TJC - The Jewelers Collective
Inspiring the Next Generation of Goldsmiths
Dec 16, 2025
“Love Has Many Facets” Secures Rio Grande as Manufacturing Sponsor
As the jewelry industry faces an ongoing shortage of skilled bench jewelers and goldsmiths, LOVE HAS MANY FACETS Jewelry Design Competition and Fundraiser (FACETS) is emerging as an innovative, community-driven effort to inspire the next generation of makers.
Co-founded by Patty Gallun Hansen, Graduate Gemologist and second-generation jeweler, and Jack Henke, CEO of Henke and Associates, the FACETS initiative connects retail jewelers with local high-school art departments. Students design and carve wax models, while jewelers serve as the local hosts, offering students a unique opportunity to explore the creative and technical foundations of the jewelry trade.
After students complete their models, a panel selects several finalists, and the broader community is invited to cast their votes for the winning design. The winning piece is then professionally manufactured and made available for purchase. A percentage of the profits from each sale is donated back to the participating high-school art department, strengthening and expanding school jewelry programs for future students.
This year, Rio Grande, one of the industry’s most respected suppliers, has chosen to support the mission of FACETS. Their manufacturing sponsorship reinforces the value of early exposure to jewelry-making skills and the role of jewelers as community connectors.
“FACETS gives young people a glimpse into career possibilities they might never have considered,” said Mark Nelson, Education Coordinator at Rio Grande. “Programs like this help strengthen ties between jewelers, educators, and the community while sparking interest in the craft."
Joshua Baca, Senior Business Customization Specialist at Rio Grande, also expressed enthusiasm for the program’s impact. “Jewelers do so much more than create beautiful pieces—they often become trusted guides in their communities,” Baca said. “FACETS provides a meaningful way for jewelers to inspire students, encourage creativity, and help young people discover their own potential.”
FACETS has already demonstrated success in its founding community, where four cycles of student designs have progressed from classroom concepts to professionally crafted sterling silver pieces. Funds raised have helped support and expand high-school jewelry programs by providing tools, equipment, and resources that might not otherwise be available.
Licensed jewelers are provided with suggested practices, timelines, and educational materials they may use at their discretion to support their local program. While the heart of FACETS is philanthropic, jewelers often appreciate the meaningful connections it helps them build within their communities. With Rio Grande’s support this year, the program is now preparing to expand into additional markets across the United States, one school and one jeweler at a time.
For information about becoming a licensed FACETS jeweler, please contact:
Patty Gallun Hansen – 414-378-5449, Jack Henke – 414-588-9497
Read their announcement in The Jewelers Collective 12/16/2025 article.
Photo courtesy of Patty Gallun Hansen
