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Meet our Instructors

Our instructors possess a rich collection of talents.  They are the lifeblood of our studio.  Through them, our student’s learning experiences are truly enriched. Take this opportunity to get to know our instructors.

Wendy Tonsits

Contemporary jewelry artisan, Wendy Tonsits, creates striking jewelry that displays uncompromising quality and style but above all, an artistic statement that stands out in a crowd.

  

“I have always considered myself to be a fierce individualist” says Tonsits. Its no accident then that the art jewelry crafted in her personal studio is a reflection of her natural self expression to be distinctive.   A mesmerizing synthesis of bold clean lines and dynamic relationships of form and colored gemstones is her trademark.  Showcasing her developed sense of style Tonsits also uses her training as a GIA Graduate Gemologist to hand select an innovative array of unique gemstones in her pieces.

 

Tonsits received her BA in Metalsmithing and Jewelry from the Philadelphia College of Art, now the University of the Arts.   Tonsits also spent time in Japan, learning traditional Japanese metalsmithing techniques first hand through Parsons School of Design.

 

Atlanta, GA is where she currently maintains her personal jewelry studio, “Wendy Tonsits ” . She also owns “Amalgam Arts Atlanta”, a metalsmithing and jewelry teaching studio and gallery space, where she offers classes and workshops in metal techniques to inspire others in their journey as up and coming jewelry artists.

 

>>Check out Wendy’s Photo Gallery

 

Sara Castro

 

Sara M. Castro~Castro is an instructor at Amalgam Arts Atlanta in Scottdale, GA. She studied metal work and jewelry design at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA and Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA, and in 2005  receiving her Bachelors of Fine Arts concentrating in Metals and Jewelry Design from the University of Georgia.  Sara also did a study abroad in Havana, Cuba and studied various forms of art and dance.  During these studies Sara discovered her love for painting along with jewelry and metal work.  She then started to incorporate passions of fluidity, movement and dance with her various designs.   Her designs have an organic flow and consist of sterling silver, Swarovski crystals, and semi precious stones.  

 

 

Helen Blythe-Hart

Helen Blythe-Hart, inventor of the acclaimed Heat Zone Soldering Method, has been practicing her metal artistry for over 30 years and teaching students for 19 years both at University and Community levels. She has won numerous awards in this country and her work has been collected internationally by the Deutsches Goldschmeidehaus, a metalsmithing museum in Germany, and Orphan Pharmaceuticals in Paris, France. Other corporate collections include the Hyatt Regency, Johnson and Johnson, and AOC Corporations. She specializes in sterling silver and glass sculptures with a futuristic edge, and loves to combine natural stones with patterned gold and silver to create lushly extravagant jewels that sparkle with brilliance and articulated movement. Degrees include a BFA in metals from Indiana University, and an MFA in Sculpture and Metals from Georgia State University. Graduate Gemologist (GIA) and member of the Society of North American Goldsmiths. Her work is shown in art galleries across the US.

>>Check out Helen’s Photo Gallery

 

 

Erin Marie Holstein

 

Erin Marie Holstein is a contemporary jewelry and metal artist based in Atlanta, GA. She attended the University of Georgia as an undergraduate, where she earned her BFA with honors in Jewelry and Metalworking from the Lamar Dodd School of Art.

Since graduating, Erin has completed an internship with award-winning jeweler Dawn Muscio at D.Muscio Designs in Atlanta, GA. She is currently an Instructor at Amalgam Arts Atlanta, a community school and studio in Scottdale, GA, an independent contractor for several Atlanta-based jewelers, and recently started her own jewelry design company.

Erin is now working on a production line for her jewelry design company, Plumwood Studio, LLC. Her new line features earrings, necklaces, and rings that include a mixture of vintage glass stones and vibrant precious and semiprecious gemstones. Her love for vintage-modern style grew from trends in contemporary decor that takes something old and, with slight alterations, it is "up-cycled" into something sleek and modern. Erin's new production line tweaks traditional designs and up-cycles them by combining decades old glass from costume jewelry with vibrant colors, modern cuts, and clean edges. Her new line will be available for purchase beginning February 1st, 2011.

 

If you would like to request a custom order or information about wholesale/consignment from Erin, please see the contact section of her website for further information.

 

>>Check out Erin’s Photo Gallery