For the past eight years, Kesslers Diamonds has partnered with PSOA’s Jewelry & Metalsmithing program to provide students with opportunities to create industry-grade work.
What began as a collaboration has grown into a sustained investment in student success, offering real-world job experience, internship opportunities, and significant scholarship support.
The partnership began through a collaboration between Jewelry & Metalsmithing alum and Kesslers employee Cory O’Brien Borkowski (BFA 2017) and the program.
Faculty members Erica A. Meier and Yevgeniya Kaganovich (Area Head, Jewelry & Metalsmithing) were instrumental in establishing the partnership and continue to lead it eight years later, with Meier overseeing the project annually and integrating it into the Jewelry & Metalsmithing community at UWM.
Over the years, Kesslers has contributed tools and funding to support student work. Each year, the company donates ethically sourced, high-quality diamonds and three ounces of silver for every participating student.
Each fall, Meier develops the curriculum for the project and integrates it into her course. This year’s project was completed through her course The Multiple, with a focus on casting.
“For our students, this has become part of their curricular work,” Meier said. “This is stuff they’re already doing in classes, and now they get to compete with each other for scholarships and internships.”
Sam Reimer, a senior Jewelry & Metalsmithing student with a dual focus in Ceramics, earned first place and a $1,500 scholarship. Her piece explored how insects can be preserved in metal. Responding to the theme of repetition and multiples, she created a bangle that casts different bugs into metal.
“I was like, how can I memorialize these insects forever?” Reimer explained. “I’ve been studying taxidermy, and I wanted to figure out how I could create something precious from something people didn’t see as precious.”
For Reimer, the gala hosted by Kesslers was the most impactful part of the experience. Friends and family gathered to view the exhibition, enjoy refreshments, and take guided tours behind the scenes at the facility.
Staff members voted on their favorite pieces, and artists were recognized at the awards ceremony that followed.
“It’s such a great opportunity to support your peers and meet future employers,” Reimer said. “Being able to see everyone’s work in such a professional setting is really rewarding. It really motivates you to keep working hard.”
Sophie Rickert, a junior in the program, received the second-place $1,000 scholarship. She first learned about the Kesslers partnership during her first metalsmithing class and devoted weeks to planning her project.
“My creative flow very much starts with my planning process. I’ll sit for a few weeks working with my notebook and in my head to create my models,” Rickert explained. “I very much did this for my project.”
Experiences like Rickert’s highlight how the partnership supports both creative exploration and the development of career readiness skills.
“Over the last eight years, about 150 students have experienced what it’s like to make a living with their creative and technical skills through this partnership,” Meier said. “And the students give back, too, by stimulating the industry with their fresh perspectives and raw talent.”
Through sustained faculty leadership, material support, and direct engagement with students, Kesslers continues to connect classroom learning with professional outcomes, reinforcing the impact of industry collaborations for years to come.
Story by Payton Murphy ’27 (BFA Film)