As one of the very few schools in the country where a goldsmith can go from design stage to completed project in one location, Flathead Valley Community College has an advantage when it comes to creating jewelry.

This was made clear when Stacey Whitmire, an FVCC goldsmithing and jewelry arts student, won the 2014 Gemvision Design Contest student category.

The winning design, a silver ring with curling arms around a rotating ornate sphere — inlaid with blue gemstones — was so popular that Whitmire was commissioned to make it almost immediately.

“I built it on the Matrix program from Gemvision,” the 21-year-old said. “You make a layout and send in the blueprint.”

For winning, Whitmire got not only $500 but also a valuable portfolio piece as she moves forward in her studies.

It was the second year in a row an FVCC student won the student portion of the international contest. Last year’s winner, Deanna Smith, is still a student in the program.

In the goldsmithing program, students purchase their own metals and gems. Whitmire said that’s probably where her cash prize will go. Gold and emeralds are her “school supplies.”

“I always cringe at the price when I order new supplies,” she said. “We buy all our gold, silver and gemstones, but some metals are given to us.”

Whitmire’s winning design was simply the product of something she thought she might wear.

“I love the look of it,” she said. “I love spinning things and it gives me something on my hand to play with. But I don’t think it’s practical for everyday use.”

The program has three main instructors. Karen Kolar is an adjunct art professor who oversees much of the computer modeling the goldsmiths use.

“It’s a really steep learning curve,” she said of the Gemvision program on which Whitmire created her winning design. “But she wanted to grasp it right away. She’s very detail-oriented and has really good computer skills.”

From the design stage on the computer, jewelry pieces can be 3D-printed, cast, embellished and inlaid with gemstones in the Arts and Technology building of the college. Kolar said it is one of the most comprehensive programs in the country.

Whitmire’s path to FVCC came in a roundabout way. The Bozeman native originally went to Montana State University for a degree in business management.

“I wasn’t all that happy in it,” she said. “So I scrapped my bachelor’s and came here. I love my classes here.”

Whitmire’s favorite gemstones are the rare alexandrites that can appear either greenish or reddish depending on the light in which they are viewed. She also never leaves the house without a necklace, and after she left Bozeman, Whitmire knew she wanted to work with her hands.

This summer, she plans to return to her hometown and has secured an apprenticeship with a goldsmith there.

And next year? She might just try to win the 2015 Gemvision.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.