27/09/2026
Today I received the very sad news that Edinburgh College of Art, the place where I completed my first degree, is to close its Jewellery Department within the next four years.
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The truth is, I genuinely don’t believe I would be where I am today without the skills, love and encouragement I received from this wonderful department.
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I was incredibly fortunate to study under the legendary Professor Dorothy Hogg MBE, and it was she who encouraged me to continue my studies in Jewellery at the Royal College of Art.
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Yes, you can learn many of the technical skills of jewellery making online. You can watch YouTube tutorials, take short courses, learn from incredible makers and build your skills independently. I know this because I now provide some of those learning experiences myself through Jewellery Moves.
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But for me, that wasn’t the whole point of a degree.
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It was the crits.
The conversations.
The time you had to breathe, think and grow.
The discussions that challenged the meaning behind your work and made you question the kind of creative life you wanted to build.
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It was being surrounded by other people who were experimenting, failing, questioning and discovering alongside you.
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My degree gave me technical skills, of course. But it also gave me confidence. It taught me how to teach, how to listen, how to create, how to question and ultimately, how to back myself.
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Those are things I’m not sure you can learn from a YouTube tutorial.
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I will be forever grateful that, at 18, I chose to study at Edinburgh College of Art. The experience shaped not only the artist I became, but the person I am today.
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So, if you’re a school leaver wondering whether a creative degree is worth it in a world where so much can be learned online, I hope my experience gives you something to think about.
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Because sometimes education isn’t just about learning how to make something.
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It’s about discovering why you want to make it, who you want to become, and having the space and people around you to help you find out.
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And for that, I will always be grateful.
❤️ Fiona
