The Silver Peak Story

When the world shut down in March of 2020 due to COVID-19, Jen, a full-time jewelry artist, saw her 32 art shows, and over $100,000 of potential revenue, vanish within two weeks. After doing the dance with unemployment and EIDL loans, things started to reopen that summer.  Knowing that she had to earn income, she started teaching 1-on-1 jewelry lessons to those who wanted to learn metalsmithing. Once she realized she was able to blend her love of metalsmithing and teaching (she taught health and fitness for 18 years in her former career), she decided to put more energy into teaching.  

She applied for the Martha Kate Thomas grant through Boulder County Arts Alliance to have the funding to get 3 jeweler's benches, flexshafts, and handtools, and was awarded the grant in June 2020. This is when Silver Peak Studio was born. It was in July 2020 that the first class, Cold Connections, was held in her 500 sq foot studio in North Boulder.  As demand grew for her classes, she moved their studio to Louisville, CO to a bigger space and added two more benches, and started to hire other instructors beside herself, her then-studio-mate, and her long-time friend and fellow instructor, Michele Throne.  

In April 2024, Silver Peak Studio found its home in Lafayette, CO, where Jen and her husband Shawn have lived for 28 years.  A sixth bench was added, and they opened a retail store where they could sell the work of their instructors and students.  As 2024 came and went, they quickly saw the potential to grow the school even more and added a formal second classroom in the gallery building with six more benches. In 2025, Silver Peak Studio & Gallery was rebranded to Silver Peak Jewelry Arts.

The goal of Silver Peak Jewelry Arts is to give our students an unparalleled experience of learning the jewelry arts that is joyful, educational, and fulfilling.