The Contemporary Jewelry Exchange is an art project where 370 artists from all over the world, were paired and asked to create a unique contemporary piece of jewelry for each other and this is what happened...

What is contemporary jewelry? What makes it unique? What distinguishes these objects and practices from other visual arts? Contemporary Jewelry in Perspective provides clear definitions, concise history, and cultural context for the form, along with abundant illustrations of an amazing range of work. Featuring notable contributors from around the world, it offers fascinating discussions on creating, collecting, exhibiting, selling, and wearing these pieces, as well as individual essays that present a global perspective on the art over the past 30 to 40 years. Jewelers, designers, students, collectors, and historians will find this essential reading. The book is a joint venture between the Art Jewelry Forum (artjewelryforum.org) and Lark Jewelry & Beading.

This book unpacks the creative jewellery paradigm into its widest context. Five international writers draw a fascinating and comprehensive picture of contemporary jewellery in the twenty-first century. Through a rich palette of themes, works, reports and concepts from current art practices, they illuminate the conditions and interconnections of education, making, presentation, marketing and networking in design and art using the example of the New Zealand Handshake project. This book will enrich and bring pleasure to all who are interested in the visual arts in their broadest sense! The Handshake project supports emerging New Zealand jewellery artists, allowing them to develop ideas and artworks for a succession of exhibitions with the assistance of a chosen mentor. The Handshake recipients are presented with opportunities to develop work for a number of exciting challenges, including collaborations and national and international exhibitions. The progressive nature of the programme aims to develop independent makers with an innovative and energetic practice.

Poring through the beautiful images in this exquisite gallery of earrings is like stepping inside a jewelry store filled with remarkable pieces from the finest contemporary jewelers. The earrings range from the classic to the avant-garde and come from an international array of artists.

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.

Make your own stunning jewelry and meet new friends in the process! Welcome to A Charming Exchange, a place where inspired minds meet to combine and swap ideas and techniques to create unique charm bracelets, earrings, talismans and more. Your hosts, authors Ruth Rae and Kelly Snelling, have joined forces with a diverse group of talented contributing artists to bring you 55 step-by-step techniques in 25 inspiring jewelry projects. Combine the techniques in your own way, learn how to collaborate with other artists, create pieces for yourself or trade what you make with others. Whether you are new to jewelry making or a seasoned pro, you'll find plenty to inspire you to take your creations to a new level. In addition to basic jewelry techniques, you'll learn to: • Connect with other jewelry enthusiasts online or in your own community and work together to merge styles and share ideas and methods. • Discover how easy it is to incorporate unusual elements (from gold leaf to animal crackers tins) into your wearable pieces. • Make your own decorative chain links, add rivets to metal, create your own jump rings and much more! Let A Charming Exchange show you how to connect with like-minded souls and start making your own gorgeous jewelry pieces today.