Ashley Nettye Pollack was completing a BA in Studio Art and English Literature at Bates College when she was introduced to jewelry fabrication while studying abroad at UNSW in Sydney, Australia. After completing her BA, she continued to pursue jewelry and metalsmithing at various institutions including Alchimia: Contemporary Jewellery School in Italy and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, RI. Ashley also worked as a bench jeweler in New York City, bolstering her fine jewelry fabrication skills, while studying at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) before pursuing her MFA at SUNY New Paltz and graduating in the spring of 2021.