JEWELRY ARTS INC Online.
Same mission, same dedication.
New platform.
ABOUT /
Jeanette K Caines
Director, Owner } Jewelry Arts Inc
Jeanette K. Caines is a master goldsmith, author, and educator with over 30 years of experience at the bench. She is the Director and Owner of Jewelry Arts Inc, the only school in the world dedicated exclusively to handmade ancient jewelry making techniques — including Etruscan granulation, Byzantine enameling, die forming, and high-karat goldwork.
She began her career as a student at Jewelry Arts in the 1990s, became its Director in 2009, and took ownership in 2017. She is now in her fourth decade of teaching, having trained thousands of jewelers in ancient techniques — first from her studio bench, and now through digital education.
She is the author of Soldering Demystified, a technical manual that has helped thousands of jewelers develop a deeper understanding of torch control and soldering. She has published multiple research papers, contributed articles to the MJSA Journal and Metalsmith Magazine, and given public talks and live demonstrations on ancient jewelry making techniques at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters, and the Bard Graduate Center. Her Bird earrings were featured in the PBS NOVA special Treasures of the Earth: Metals, highlighting her mastery of historical goldsmithing techniques.
Her research includes:
- Recreating the ancient die-forming methods behind the goldwork of Queen Puabi, drawn from the Mesopotamian Royal Tombs of Ur.
- A collaborative effort with Beijing University of Technology to document and preserve
traditional Chinese filigree. - Investigating Etruscan granulation and construction techniques through direct analysis of pieces in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s permanent collection.
She is also the creator of Dr. Goldsmith, a monthly membership program where she helps jewelers diagnose and correct the kinds of bench problems that rarely get addressed in traditional instruction.
Through her book, published research, decades of hands-on teaching, and a library of over 480 free tutorial videos on YouTube, Jeanette has made it her mission to preserve ancient goldsmithing techniques and make expert training accessible to jewelers everywhere.
The techniques that created the most beautiful jewelry in human history have something profound to teach for anyone serious about mastering the craft today.
ABOUT /Â
JEWELRY ARTS INC
{ Est. 1974, New York City }
Jewelry Arts Inc is the only school in the world dedicated exclusively to handmade ancient jewelry making techniques — including Etruscan granulation, Byzantine chain making, cloisonné enameling, and high-karat goldwork.
The school began as the Kulicke–Stark Academy of Jewelry Arts, founded in 1974 by Robert Kulicke, a painter and frame maker, and his goldsmithing partner Jean Stark. Kulicke, frustrated by the secrecy that often surrounds the jewelry world, made it his mission to teach — not guard — the nearly lost techniques of ancient jewelry. His motto was simple and revolutionary:
“Never keep a secret.”
Together with their apprentices, including Fredrika Kulicke, Joe English, Susan Reinstein, Claire Besani, Bessie Jamieson, Louise Parrish, Myron Bikakis, and Nanci Modica, Kulicke and Stark reverse-engineered the alloys, chains, and stone settings of classical goldsmiths. They created a community where ancient processes were re-learned, practiced, and openly taught to thousands of students from around the world.
In 1987, Kulicke turned his focus back to painting and handed the school over to Bessie Jamieson, who reincorporated it as Jewelry Arts Institute. She directed and taught at the school for over 20 years — faithfully carrying forward Kulicke and Stark’s founding vision while growing the studio community and keeping ancient techniques alive at the bench.
In 1992, a new student, Jeanette K. Caines, began studying ancient techniques at Jewelry Arts under the same “never keep a secret” ethos. After completing her apprenticeship and teaching for many years, she became Director in 2009 and owner in 2017. Under her leadership, Jewelry Arts Inc has expanded its reach through digital education, ongoing research that has broadened the scope of ancient techniques now taught at the school, and the creation of the Dr. Goldsmith membership program — all while preserving the hands-on, bench-based instruction that has defined the school since its founding.
Interested in coming to our New York studio for in-person classes? Check our current class listings.
" You will be doing yourself a massive favor if you heed Jeanette Caines' advice.
Look under “no nonsense”, “cut to the chase” and add lots of swearing, and Jeanette’s picture is there. She’s a terrific source of a multitude of information in jewelry fabrication.She explains the why of everything and she hates wasting time or energy, so it’s all straightforward. I’ve studied with Jeanette for many years at Jewelry Arts and I’m still not bored and still learning new tricks of the trade. Run, do not walk."
~ JP
" I’ve been a student at Jewelry Arts since 1998 so I’ve seen a few things. Though Jeanette has always been an excellent teacher, over the decades she has figured out how to do things the easiest and most efficient ways,
and her methods always achieve the best results. Any issue? Any questions I have? They’ve seen it all before! And they can help you create jewelry that will WOW everyone, including yourself! What would I do without Jewelry Arts? "
~ Beth S
" Jeanette is an amazing teacher. Whatever problem I’m trying to solve at the bench, she cuts through the ideas swirling in my mind with clear logical steps. She uses logic and her deep understanding of technique to explain why, not just how to do the work.
Her explaining the WHY is what makes the HOW stick in your mind for the next time you are having the same dilemma at the bench."
~ Eve
"I bought the book Soldering Demystified and realized that while I thought I knew what I was doing, there was a better, easier, and more common-sense way to practice goldsmithing: it was time to take my skills to a new level. I started taking classes with Jeanette at Jewelry Arts about a year ago. In addition to being a delightful person, Jeanette has taught me so much more than I was expecting and my confidence and ability has really soared. There have been so many “Ah-ha” moments with her at the bench, and things that I thought were beyond my skill set became part of my tool kit. She really is a wonderful and patient teacher and if you have any interest in learning the art of goldsmithing, she is your woman!
Once you know the right way to do something, it opens a world of design and creative possibilities, and Jeanette instructs you every step of the way. I’m thrilled I took this step as it has turned my frustrations and lack of confidence and allowed me to love my jewelry practice again."
~ Sara
"I’ve been very fortunate to study jewelry making with Jeanette Caines. She’s an extraordinarily talented teacher… patient and knowledgeable. Jeanette literally knows how to do everything and fix anything!
Jeanette’s always calm as she teaches how to solder, alloy gold, set stones, make bezels, the list goes on. Her favorite expression is, “This is how I do it”, as she untangles and solves your problems… and we all precisely follow her instructions. I’m very excited to have Jeanette’s expertise available online when I’m working at home and “mess up”! Also, I’m sure I will learn a lot from watching Jeanette help others. Lucky Us!"
~ Michelle L
"Jeanette knows everything!
There isn't a situation she can't solve. I love working with Jeanette. She has the experience, knowledge, and patience to help me realize my creations."
 ~ Sally
"Jeanette has an uncanny ability to zero in on exactly what’s going wrong at the bench — and explain the fix in a way that actually sticks. Her teaching is clear, grounded, and brutally effective. You can learn more from Jeanette in 10 minutes than you can from entire semesters with lesser instructors.
While she's best known as a master goldsmith, her skills in working with silver are equally strong. What really sets her apart is her relentless curiosity — she dives deep into ancient techniques and pays that knowledge forward to her present-day students with generosity and enthusiasm.
If something’s not working, she’s the one you want in your corner to help diagnose the issue and cure it with precision and wit. And if she happens to solve your problem while making you laugh a little too hard at your own mistakes? Even better.
