School Bulletin: Hometown jeweler designs ring contest for art students

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Cedarburg High School students could be designing their own family heirlooms through a multi-faceted competition.

"I don't think has ever been done before," Patty Gallun Hansen, a gemologist and CEO of Dorothy Gallun Jewelry.

Gallun Hansen has spearheaded a ring design contest for the high school jewelry class, and the theme is "Loving Planet Earth." The students were asked to first draw their designs and then carve and sculpt blue wax into model rings. The focal points are lab-grown diamonds, which Gallun Hansen says are gaining popularity.

"They're just a little bit more Earth-friendly and love does have many facets, so these students will be showing their love for Mother Earth," Gallun Hansen says.

The Cedarburg jeweler has a lot of love for her community as well. She says this is just one way she can support local students.

"The sports department has the boosters club, and the band has the band parents. But what does the art department have?" Gallun Hansen says.

The art students now have Gallun Hansen cheering them on, along with their teacher Deb Mortl. But Jack Henke is also investing in the next generation of artists. He has co-sponsored the ring design contest and says it's a chance to expose students to new mediums and careers.

"Book learning, as we all know, is need but it's not all there is. It's not the only way people learn and excel," Henke, president of the marketing agency Henke & Associates, says.

The contest organizers say the eight finalists have had their ring designs on display at the Cedarburg Public Library, and the public has been invited to vote for their favorite. The student with the winning design, which will be announced Tuesday, March 28, will get $500 and the first ring off the production line.

Henke says, "to see it actually made is the coolest thing," but he adds that the students learning new skills are all winners.

Gallun Hansen will be selling the winning ring at her store, and she says part of the proceeds will go back to the art department.