Mastering Contemporary Jewelry Design

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.

The Phenomenon of Studio Goldsmithing When the history of art in the 1980s is written, much of it will be etched in gold. This is the time of the contemporary goldsmith, an artist who chooses to work in precious metals rather than oils or marble. The contemporary jeweler-as-artist has only recently become a re cognized force. With rare exceptions, the whole field is little more than thirty years old. But it is only within the past fifteen years that these jewelers have entered the jewelry mainstream. The phenomenon of contemporary goldsmithing embraces an eclectic group of artists, each with a unique vision, each taking a per sonal path to jewelry producing. They have as little relationship to the typical, mass-produced jewelry as a champagne maker has to a bottler of orange soda. They approach a piece of art, not a piece of metal. The work is personal and a perfect expression of the "back to the land" movement that spawned it. Many of these goldsmiths were looking not merely for a way to make a living but for a way to make a life that was worthy of living. Running a business while trying to remain a creative metalsmith at the same time is the ongoing challenge. The jeweler-artists have solved or resolved these often conflicting needs in slightly different ways and in a beautiful variety of techniques and styles. Their meth ods, their growth, and their work are discussed here.

This sensational design book showcases America’s most gorgeous and inventive art jewelry! For over a decade, the elite invitation-only American Jewelry Design Council (AJDC) has sponsored an annual project: every member creates an original piece based on a given theme. With imagination and skill, jewelers have tackled such concepts as the Mona Lisa, Wheel, Key, Puzzle, Water, Flight, Peekaboo, Sphere, Pyramid, and Secret Treasure. Each of these topics now becomes a dramatically photographed chapter, complete with illuminating introductions by renowned jewelry writers Cindy Edelstein and Frank Stankus. In addition to background information on the AJDC, and the story of the annual design event, artists’ commentaries enhance specific images. A final members’ section includes a biography, headshot, and additional jewelry images for each talented individual.

Contemporary Jewelry Design showcases over 40 designers from around the world, from established names in jewelry design to less-known rising stars, whose work embodies the diverse production techniques and design concepts that define modern jewelry. The projects go beyond the everyday expectations of jewelry to the realm of wearable art, used not just as adornment but as pieces that interpret feelings or ideas, tell stories, or express emotions. The book features interviews with designers as well as stunning photography of their pieces, and traces the projects through the design, research, and experimental stages all the way to the realization of the finished product. The projects in Contemporary Jewelry Design will encourage readers to approach design from new perspectives, and expand their creative horizons with inspiration from the very best of contemporary jewelry.

The ultimate guide for the experimental jeweler, this complete how-to offers detailed instructions and clear photographs for working with all kinds of materials. From rubber, resin, glass, leather, and paper to plastics, ceramics, textiles, and natural and found objects, these options, along with precious and nonprecious metals, can all be used individually or combined in a mixed-media piece. Preceded by a helpful introduction offering guidance on essential tools and inspirational advice for self-designed projects, the main section is organized by material or media, providing details on the properties and possibilities for each as well as some inspiring examples of jewelry made using the techniques described. For the finishing touch, information on various surface textures that can be achieved for each media as well as ideas for various clasps and closures are shared.

Utilizing stringing and wireworking techniques accessible to beginners, this mixed metal jewelry guide also offers boutique-style designs that will captivate the more experienced beader. With no metalworking required, detailed instructions are provided for 30 unique projects incorporating various metals such as silver, gold, copper, brass, PMC, and more. Techniques for distressing metal--such as using liver of sulfur, other patinas, and hammering--are included, as well as ideas for mixing metals and using faux metals. Background information is given on each type of metal, from common properties to shopping tips, care, and cleaning.

"This comprehensive lavishly illustrated book offers all the information needed to create handmade jewelry and other metal objects. More than 65 metalworking techniques are clearly and concisely explained, supported by detailed step-by-step photographs. Special features are detailed sections on anodizing aluminum, wire overlay -- inlay, coloration of titanium, lightweight thin-walled castings, twisted wire lamination and much more. --P. [4] of cover.

Through a series of interviews with internationally acclaimed jewellery designers, Jewellery Design and Development examines in detail how jewellers progress their initial ideas and develop them, from concept to finished piece.