Jewellery art is a small but easily discernible voice amid the great choir that is the art scene. It has been the impetus for innovation and a seismograph for current discourse within the applied arts for several decades. Now, for the first time, the GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts is presenting its holdings of modern jewellery, ranging from the mid-twentieth century to the present day. Analysed and assembled, it provides insights into the multifaceted oeuvres of around 180 jewellery artists from around the world. The collection is broadly representative of the international developments in jewellery art and as such it especially grants a special view of the approaches from GDR before the unification. Images by 11 photographers from Leipzig show just how varied and versatile the perception of jewellery on a person can be. Text in English and German.

In "The Art of the Japanese Sword," master swordsmith Yoshindo Yoshihara offers a comprehensive view on the making, finishing and appreciation of Japanese blades.
The Japanese sword, a unique work of art in steel, can be appreciated from a number of viewpoints. Its functionality as a weapon, the sophisticated metallurgy and scientific thinking utilized by the swordsmith, the shape of the blade itself, and the different crystalline forms in the steel all contribute to the beauty of these remarkable weapons. "The Art of the Japanese Sword" conveys to the reader a basic background regarding the Japanese sword, as well as an explanation of how to view and appreciate a blade. It also illustrates the details of how a sword is made and finished today.
Modern craftsmen use completely traditional methods from the past to prepare their steel, forge the sword and create the unique hardened edge. By gaining a good understanding of how a sword is actually made, the reader will be able to appreciate the Japanese sword more fully.

An accessible and easy-to-use guide to the principles and elements of jewelry design, this resource helps jewelry makers of all skill levels take their designs from good to great. Instructor and expert Loretta Lam offers guidance on working with a wide array of materials, along with exercises to help you explore new design concepts before applying them to your work directly. Dozens of stunning examples from designers around the world help inspire anyone looking for a new source of creativity. Learn how to discover your personal inspiration and process, master the use of the design elements and principles, establish a design hierarchy and find your voice, draw on the inestimable value of critique, and more. You will keep this book close at hand and pick it up time and again for inspiration and as an essential reference.

This third volume in the Frick Diptych series offers fresh insight into a pair of candelabra that represent the pinnacle of luxury and taste in the years prior to the French Revolution. Vignon tells the fascinating story of these objects that are made of two small white vases with extraordinary gilt-bronze mounts by Pierre Gouthiere, the celebrated eighteenth-century French chaser and gilder. Vignon's essay is paired with a text by De Waal in which he examines what it is to make, own, and desire such complex objects

In this book, Cristina Filipe offers a critical examination, from a social and art historical perspective, of some of the artists and contexts that contributed to the transformations in Portuguese jewellery from the vanguard of the 1960s to the early twenty-first century - a decisive period in which the term 'jewellery' itself was redefined. In addition, Contemporary Jewellery in Portugal contextualises the international scene, reflecting on how Portuguese artists responded to these external influences. What jewellery was made? Who made it? What were the underlying trends and creative references? These are some of the questions that this book seeks to answer through the analysis of artist interviews and exhaustive factual research, accompanied by a visual narrative mirroring the changes in contemporary jewellery in Portugal.

Doris Betz (b. 1960) is devoted to exploring linear form in her work. In her drawings she fathoms the depths of the potential of the line and the possibilities of the material silver, which she then contorts, turns, rolls and turns again, finally lacquering, oxidising or patinating with a flame to create the final jewel. Unforeseen fragile-looking and poetic formations emerge as Betz overlaps, knots and layers her material, rendering visible her jewellery's relationship to the vegetal language of natural forms - a source of inspiration for the artist. This book presents a selection of her jewellery works together with drawings from 2009 to 2016 for the very first time.With essays by: Monika Fahn, Pravu Mazumdar, Ira Mazzoni and Olga Zobel.

A stunning new volume which presents 120 pieces by 50 leading jewellery designers from the 1960s and '70s, including works by John Donald, Arthur King, Andrew Grima and Gilbert Albert. Simply Brilliant presents 120 pieces by 50 leading makers of jewellery in the 1960s and '70s, drawn from the Klosterman collection in Cincinnati. Most, if not all, of the individual makers of this era thought of themselves as artists first, jewellers second, and this magnificent new volume is full of stunning one of a kind pieces which reflect the inventive, ground-breaking attitudes of the era. The book explores the 1961 Goldsmiths Hall exhibition in London and its influence on contemporary jewellery designers such as John Donald, Arthur King, Andrew Grima and Gilbert Albert. The 1961 exhibition brought a new direction in jewellery design to the fore, influencing others - including the major jewellery houses such as Cartier, Bulgari, Chopard and Van Cleef and Arpels - paving the way for an international movement in fashion and design. These jewellery designers created unique pieces, often for individual clients, using non-traditional materials and unusual forms. AUTHOR: Cynthia Amneus is chief curator and curator of Fashion Arts and Textiles at Cincinnati Art Museum. 207 colour illustrations

Reprint of this bestselling title on contemporary jewelry. An introduction into art jewelry in light of current trends in contemporary fine art and society On Jewellery offers a comprehensive overview of the trends and role of contemporary international jewelry art from the 1960s to today, shown within the context of corresponding trends in art and society. This publication is dedicated to themes such as interdisciplinary collaboration, new means of presentation and contextualization. It also incorporates photography and the relationships between jewelry and the body, jewelry and ornament and new interpretations of traditional technical skills. Furthermore it considers aspects such as terminology and strategies, positioning, prejudices and the significance of content with regard to jewelry. On this basis this publication offers a synopsis of what jewelry art is and what it can be. Its aim is to reveal the characteristics, language and potential of jewelry. A bibliography of the most important works of jewelry art, a directory of jewelry galleries, museums and educational institutions make On Jewellery a compact handbook of contemporary jewelry art. Artists featured include Pia Aleborg, Gijs Bakker, Melanie Bielenker, Manfred Bischoff, Helen Britton, Paul Derrez, Iris Eichenberg, Warwick Freeman, Otto Kunzli, Daniel Kruger, Yuka Oyama, Robert Smit, Annamaria Zanella and Christoph Zellweger. Contents: Beyond the Showcase; Conceptual Jewellery; Jewellery and Photography; Reading Jewellery; Borderline Jewellery; Jewellery and the Body; Jewellery and Ornament; Jewellery and the Goldsmith's Skill; The Language of Jewellery; Documentation: Manifests. Since 1985, Liesbeth den Besten has worked free lance as a writer for newspapers, art and design magazines and exhibition catalogues. She is active as an advisor and jury member for Dutch and international governmental institutions, exhibitions and competitions, and lectures about contemporary jewelry and crafts at international conferences and art academies. She is chairwoman of the Francoise van den Bosch Foundation for contemporary jewelry and one of the founding members of Think Tank, a European Initiative for the Applied Arts.

This marvellously illustrated book is a blend of the avant-garde, the unconventional and the delightful. It showcases nearly 600 contemporary rings by some 300 international designers who stimulate the imagination by challenging traditional practices and standard definitions. The finished products are sculpture for the hands, and range from the simple to the abstract, from everyday rings to those that are more challenging. Here are rings made of gold, platinum and precious stones, of wood, bones, fibre and shells... Without exception, they are all beautifully made and intriguing in their own way.