Introduction to Jewelry

Artspan Jewelry Jewelry is art disguised as attire. As with art, a piece of jewelry is an amalgamation of an artist's vision and the material from which it was made that is activated by its placement in a given context. In many ways, a work of art is only brought to life when it is finally exhibited in some way. Once there, it is further colored by that setting and every subsequent setting in which it is placed. Bearing that in mind, jewelry can be understood as a kind of installation art that is only fully realized once incorporated into the aesthetic of its wearer. Through its harmonies and discords with the wearer's appearance and other stylistic choices, the piece is able to speak to both the wearer's and the artist's individual points of view. Every time that the overall aesthetic context is altered, whether through different garments or a different wearer, a new aspect of that perspective is articulated.

Jewelry dates back as far as the Cro-Magnon era and was used then, as now, to enhance beauty, to suggest emotion, to indicate wealth and power, or as a symbol of spirituality. In the early stages of the medium, choice materials were bones, teeth, and stones. As technology advanced, they were joined by a wide array of metals, precious and semi-precious stones, and eventually plastics, composite, and synthetic materials. While jewelry was once an adornment reserved for the upper classes, greater accessibility to and variety of materials have now made fine jewelry available to a much wider range of consumers. For contemporary jewelry designers, this combination of new materials and more diverse wearers allows for infinite possibilities regarding the ways a piece of jewelry can be conceived and presented.
Artspan Jewelry Directory

Go to the Artspan Jewelry Directory.

There are also 8 different Glass Art category Directories.

Some examples are:

Fantasy Jewelry Directory
Figurative Jewelry Directory
Rings and Bracelets Directory
Semi-Precious Stones Directory

A complete list of Jewelry and other Directories is found here.

Jewelry Calendarsee all events

Resources

Associationssee all

Las Vegas, NV
Association dedicated to setting and maintaining the highest possible...
Dallas, TX
An association of United States and Canadian natural colored gemstone and...
San Fransisco, CA
Non-profit educational corporation that recognizes and promotes the...
New Rochelle, NY
Dedicated to the study of jewelry history and the dissemination of...
Birmingham, England
Promotes and protects the growth and prosperity of UK jewellery and...
USA
A one stop info site for research about contemporary jewelry designers, metal artists...
New York, NY
Serves to promote and protect consumer confidence in diamonds and diamond...
Mumbai, India
Creates a pool of artisans and designers trained to international standards...
Carlsbad, CA
Nonprofit authority in gemology that ensure the public trust in gems and jewelry.
Norwalk, CT
Organization with the highest ethical standards and superior professional...

Educationsee all

Glenside, PA
BFA in Art, concentration in Metals and Jewelry
Providence, RI
MFA in Jewelry and Light Metals
Rochester, NY
Program in Metal Crafts and Jewelry
Savannah, GA
MFA in Metals and Jewelry

Education - Cont.see all

http://www.cca.edu/

Galleriessee all

London, England
Specializes in contemporary jewellery design, but work for domestic interiors...
New York, Ny
Celebrates the artistry of jewelry and watch design through its extensive...
Rome, Italy
Specialises in contemporary jewellery and is dedicated to the promotion of both...
Ashville, Nc
Showcases an exquisite collection of Art to Wear in an opulent boutique setting.
Glasgow, Scotland
Specialises in exhibiting the best of Scottish contemporary and 20th century...
New York, Ny
Established in New York City in 1993, in order to promote exciting jewelry from...
Lincoln, Ma
Represents over 30 artists, including many national and international artists in...
Atlanta, Ga
Displays works of Contemporary clay, fiber, glass, jewelry, wood, painting and...
Los Angeles, Ca
Committed to present to collectors, museums, educators and the general public,...
Toyoko, Japan
Specializes in Jewelry, website mostly in Japanese.

Publicationssee all

Mission is to teach the beginning jewelry maker, broaden the skills of those at the intermediate...
Publishes innovative and imaginative projects that challenge and inspire readers to learn, grow...
The country's leading magazine for bead enthusiasts, a bi-monthly magazine from the publishers of...
includes easy-to-follow step-by-step photos and well-written instructions, as well as an...
Includes projects and information for all levels of bead work jewelry.
Contains articles and current events about watches.
Premier source for New Jewelry Designs from Hong Kong.
Contains timely articles about the jewelry industry, jewelry trends and more.
Features a dazzling array of how-to-make-it projects from beading, to lampworking; silversmithing...
A national magazine for gem cutters, collectors, and jewelry craftsmen.

Jewelry Portal - Jewelry Resources for Collectors & Jewelry Painters