On Jewels: An Appreciation of the Art

Jewels from the blogisphere

Here are some interesting jewels from around the jewelry blogging world:

From zero925 is Sarah Hood who makes a wide range of jewelry, the strongest of which is definitly her work with seeds, leaves, moss and other natural objects.  Her artist's statement says:

"I know that my almost 30-year relationship with Buddhism has influenced not only the way I work, but the forms and materials to which I am continually drawn. So much of Tibetan iconography is based on natural forms, and perhaps it just makes sense that these are the archetypes I find most familiar. My work has explored many Buddhist concepts over the years, from the ideas of impermanence and transience to the concept of the preciousness and sacredness of the everyday. Still, I want to create pieces that are accessible to a wide audience, and I hope the forms and materials I use will appeal to people on many different levels."

                                 

From 18K is Namu Cho, who makes rich jewels from a combination of stainless steel, gold, silver and platinum. His work has a glow and warmth that is unexpected when you think about an artist working in steel.

                                 

From Australian jeweller Kyo Hashimoto are these lovely silver and acrylic jewels

                              

Lastly, found on notcouture is jeweler Arielle De Pinto who works in crocheted silver and gold:

                              

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Kristin Beeler at Velvet da Vinci

Currently on at Velvet da Vinci is the exhibition 'Kristin Beeler: Beauty and other Monsters'. Kristin's work is beautiful and nostalgic.  Apart from elegant compositions and seemingly excellent craftsmanship what it most striking about Kristin's work is the wide range of styles in which she works.

The three images here show her sumptuous naturalistic designs

                          

The next set of images depicts a study in the classic ideals of beauty

                        

Lastly in the following works Beeler explores the jux-ta-position of the sublime and the grotesque

                     

All seemingly unrelated, it makes sense once you read the artist's statement attached to this exhibition:

"Beauty, as the perception of effortless perfection, is both protective and exclusionist. Its nature is unapproachable, our need for it unrealistic.

We experience beauty as an internal sigh of relief when our senses connect sympathetically with the external. In those moments, beauty feels less like a discovery and more like a remembering. In the sublime, it makes us feel closer to god. In the extreme, it separates us from ourselves.

If I could, I would make pieces that were so beautiful, they made people uncomfortable, touching off an itch of vague desire. Beauty, it seems, is the heat generated by friction between that longing and relief."

As found in Wikipedia Schumann defined, "two kinds of beauty, natural and poetic. The former is found in the contemplation of nature, whereas the latter lies in the man's conscious creative intervention into nature.  Schumann indicated that in music, or other art, both kinds of beauty appear, but natural beauty is merely sensual delight.  Poetic beauty begins where the natural beauty leaves off."

If this thought is to be applied to Beeler's work, she explores the exquisite pain of beholding natural beauty and creates her own poetic beauty by developing human and organic elements into works which draw attention to the 'longing and relief' of striving for perfection.

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UMass Dartmouth

I recently took a look at the UMass Dartmouth Website for the College of Preforming and Visual Arts, where I studied under Alan Burton Thompson and Susan Hamlet, and found the following two artists:

                                               

Pictured above, from the 2007 MFA Thesis Exhibition is a work by Renée Monteiro-Bernard titled 'Sympetrum vicinum' - This neckpiece is made of yellow brass, red brass, copper wire, silver casting grain, alcohol ink, aluminum powder, pastel, varnish and metallic wax.  It is a beautiful seemingly living and growing sculptural piece made even more beautiful by the photograph.

                               

From the 2006 MFA Thesis exhibition is Tricia Lachowiec is also trained at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and under Jean Huffenus of Jean Designs.  The work represented on her website is varied in design from organic to geometric and shows excellent craftsmanship and creativity.

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Evert Nijland

Thanks to 18k I have found Evert Nijland a jewelry artist from the Netherlands. I had seen a few of his pieces here and there in my research, but the author of 18K provided just the right combination of images to catch my attention.

Have a look at Nijland's website which is currently designed to celebrate 10 years of his work.  Not only are there many interesting pieces, but the virtual retrospective design is a very interesting concept.  I like that there are plenty of images spanning 10 years of work and extensive descriptions of each period in his designs.  It really makes you understand the artist's style, interests and most importantly his developments. To illustrate this growth I have chosen the following images, but have a look for yourself, it is definitely worthwhile.

From the section titled, 'Gold' (1997) - this pendant is made of cast iron, silk, glass and textile. It looks like a living creature or caviar like substance oozing out of an ancient fossilized shell which is in fitting with its actual design. Nijland's website explains that the inspiration for this collection came directly from Renaissance paintings from which he copied the forms of jewels and then painted and created a more modern representation.

From Nijland's 'Fragments' collection (2000) this choker is made from linen, velvet and brass.  This collection was inspired by paintings from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.  Nijland describes that his interest here was in nature and the transience of light.  This collection is fascinating as he has manged to use specially fabricated fibers and new materials to evoke the attention to and importance of textiles in the paintings which inspire him but also to illustrate the corrosion of the material over time and instability of fibers.

From Nijland's 'Garlands' collection (2004), this necklace represents his interest in the depictions of flowers, plants and nature in the arts.  As with the previous collections he has taken a theme from art and let it grow (excuse the pun) into his own modern and creative design.  This gold and porcelain necklace is simultaneously sweet and menacing,  and so much more than a simple posy or cheerful daisy chain.

Lastly, from the 'Venezia' collection (2006), there are three images which best illustrate the concept.  Nijland was inspired by a visit to Venice, its traditional arts, architecture and history. He has worked in large 'beads' which conjure up the elaborate plaster work, traditional glass work in very Venetian crimson recalling the shape of the doge's hat, and the mercury of mirror making.  In this final collection he has shown amazing development of a concept throughout a decade and inspirational gains in skill and creativity.

                 

please visit Nijland's website to see many more examples from each collection as well as the few collections which have not been commented on here.

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Tuesday Jewels

Just some fun jewels to get you through the week:

Anthony Nak from the design duo Nak Armstrong and Anthony Camargo.  This duo have been recognized with awards such as the Fashion Guild International 'Rising Star' award and the Couture Jewelry Conference's Editors' Choice award.

                      

Cathy Wasserman who's designs are often gothic and architectuaral.  However, she also designs jewels using natural motifs.

                      

Armenian jeweler Arman Sarkisyan's jewels can be found at Ylang23

              

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Butterfly Wings

Butterfly wings have often been used in jewelry, as have beetles, bird heads, hair and fur.  Today I have chosen two jewelers who use butterfly wings in a contemporary way.

Jennifer Trask, a metalsmith from the New Paltz area, makes striking jewels with butterfly wings and other natural materials.  She has a lovely sense of color, texture and composition.  The way that she uses the veining of the wing or a wing set off center is painterly in fashion and so much more than merely a Victorian interest in displaying nature.

Trask's Modular series (not pictured here) is an interesting way to mix colors, metals and 'stones' in a way that is most appealing to the wearer.  Her website illustrates many lovely examples of how this can be done.

On Etsy you can find Neile Cooper's butterfly jewelry, or on her website. Neile is and was originally a stain glass artist.  This is evident in her jewelry.  She treats the wings like a piece of colored glass and sets them in silver alloy and glass. Her website says, "Butterflies symbolically and literally signify rebirth. Neile helps butterflies achieve and additional transformation."

This monarch cluster necklace was inspired by a trip to Santa Cruz where the artist saw wintering butterflies clustered in the trees.  Her pieces have a nice casual and wearable feel but with a splash of unusual natural beauty.  She also does large panels which are a combination of stained glass and butterflies.

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