Art jewelry is constructed with a variety of materials, not just precious metals and gems. In the late 19th century, René Lalique revolutionized jewelry design through his emphasis on imagination and technical virtuosity over precious materials and the imitation of past designs. Additionally, he experimented with industrial techniques, plastic and glass. Art jewelry should be compared to expressions of art in other medias such as glass, wood, plastics and clay. Art jewelry however has not yet produced a large following and is a reasonably small specialized niche, where jewelry is primarily acquired by collectors and museums.

Even though many consider art jewelry still a part of the crafts as opposed to the real "Arts" (with its appropriate art critics) elements are shifting considerably, in particular in Germany. In the 1960s and 1970s the German Government and the commercial jewelry sector decided to foster and heavily assist contemporary jewelry designers, and thus created a new marketplace. They focused in particular on combining contemporary design with their goldsmithing tradition of jewelry creation. At present art jewelry is no longer a niche market. There has been a notable rise in independent boutique stores stocking and specializing in unique art jewelry pieces. Facere Jewelry and Art, based in Seattle, Washington is one of the more notable examples.

An instance of current trends in art jewelry is the use of synthetic components such as polypropylene, nylon and acrylic. Art jewelers have developed techniques for using these materials to dramatic effect. One example of this is award winning jeweler Gill Forsbrook, a designer working in the UK. Further notable makers and artists include Hermann Jünger, Swiss-born Pierre Degen, Caroline Broadhead, Naomi Filmer, Otto Kuenzli and Florian Ladstaetter. Fashion labels such as Bless, Martin Margiela, Comme des Garcons, etc. have had a strong reference and input in the field of contemporary jewelry.

The recognition of jewelry as art was fostered in the United States rather quickly after World War II by significant museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, each of which held major shows of art jewelry in the 1940s. The Museum of Arts and Design formerly The American Craft Museum, started their collection in 1958 with pieces dating from the 1940s. Other museums whose collections include work by modern day (American) jewelry designers include: the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Corning Museum of Glass, the Mint Museum of Craft & Design in Charlotte, NC, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian museum.

Some renowned artists who created art jewelry in the past were Calder, Picasso, Man Ray, Meret Oppenheim, Dalí and Nevelson. Some of which represented at Sculpture to Wear Gallery in New York City which closed in 1977.

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. You can find the original unmodified version of the complete text article used in the creation of this one here.
Unique Engagement Rings