"Studio jewelry dissolves the modern distinction between decorative and fine arts. The 60 pieces in this lively volume, collected by Donna Schneier and donated to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, were created primarily from the early 1960s to the present day and show a fluid engagement with various traditions in jewelry-making--from old masterworks to contemporary pieces--as well as various 20th-century art movements such as Conceptual art, Arte Povera, and Surrealism. Unique by Design draws attention to these dazzling small works of art, most of which have never before been published. Although these pieces incorporate a variety of materials, ranging from the precious to the ordinary, they share some common traits that reflect the collector's tastes: wit, elegance, fantasy, imagination, social observation, and technical virtuosity. Above all, these works were made to be worn and to create a dynamic engagement with a body." -- Publisher's website.

A notable collection of 20th-century studio jewelry in various media and styles is the subject of this dazzling catalogue, which reframes these works within the context of contemporary art.

This book highlights pieces of jewellery from ancient and modern cultures in every part of the globe. Of special interest are the objects that appear in paintings and other works of art: jewel-studded gowns, glittering Renaissance brooches and an Egyptian beaded collar are among the featured works from the "Metropolitan Museum"'s collection. Necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets fill this book and also included are objects of religious significance, military honours and other kinds of personal decoration. The captions relate anecdotes concerning the artists and wearers and describe the history and style of the jewellery pictured.

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.

A survey of contemporary artist-made jewellery, illustrated by over 200 pieces from the Museum of Arts & Design's collection.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Verdana} As an art form, jewelry is defined primarily through its connection to and interaction with the body—extending it, amplifying it, accentuating it, distorting it, concealing it, or transforming it. Addressing six different modes of the body—Adorned, Divine, Regal, Transcendent, Alluring, and Resplendent—this artfully designed catalogue illustrates how these various definitions of the body give meaning to the jewelry that adorns and enhances it. Essays on topics spanning a wide range of times and cultures establish how jewelry was used as a symbol of power, status, and identity, from earflares of warrior heroes in Pre-Colombian Peru to bowknot earrings designed by Yves Saint-Laurent. These most intimate works of art provide insight into the wearers, but also into the cultures that produced them. More than 200 jewels and ornaments, alongside paintings and sculptures of bejeweled bodies, demonstrate the social, political, and aesthetic role of jewelry from ancient times to the present. Gorgeous new illustrations of Bronze Age spirals, Egyptian broad collars, Hellenistic gold armbands, Japanese courtesan hair adornments, jewels from Mughal India, and many, many more explore the various facets of jewelry and its relationship to the human body over 5,000 years of world history.

The Swiss Otto Künzli (born in 1948) revolutionised modern jewellery design and is regarded as ‘one of the most intelligent and at the same time most critical artists in the world of jewelry’ (Ralph Turner: The New Jewelry, 1985/1994). Over the course of his involvement with jewellery, spanning around 45 years, Otto Künzli achieved a unique status as an artist and pioneer, and also as an author and teacher, with widespread international influence. Renowned artists such as Karen Pontoppidan (Konstfack, Stockholm), Karl Fritsch (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology), David Bielander and Lisa Walker are amongst the graduates of the jewellery class at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, which Künzli has been directing since 1991 as successor to Hermann Jünger. This publication presents his complete multifaceted oeuvre to a wide readership for the first time. The monograph comprises not only his jewellery, but also multidisciplinary conceptual works in the fields of photography and installations. It is at the same time a review of a current definition of and a future perspective on his work. The striking and unusual graphic design was created by Frederik Linke, as was the previous successful title "The Fat Booty of Madness." Otto Künzli’s works are based on complex reflections and the visual power of the imagination. This has resulted in works characterised by minimalistic clarity and impressive technical perfection, full of wit and sensual intensity. With contributions by Jacqueline Burckhardt | Walter Grasskamp | Florian Hufnagl | Ellen Maurer Zilioli | Pravu Mazumdar | Chantal Prod’Hom and Carole Guinard | Akio Seki | Otto Künzli. -- Publisher's description.