Radical developments in jewelry from across the world, from
traditional metalsmithing to computer-aided design
The Jewelry of Ideas is published in conjunction with Cooper Hewitt,
Smithsonian Design Museum's exhibition celebrating gifts from the Susan
Grant Lewin Collection of Contemporary Jewelry. This renowned
collection, built by the New York-based Lewin over several decades and
recently donated to Cooper Hewitt, captures the diversity and
achievements of art, or studio, jewelry with nearly 150 significant
works by designers from the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.
The brooches, necklaces and rings--the majority of which were made in
the last 15 years--reveal how these contemporary jewelers have
revolutionized the medium. Many take their cues from age-old jewelry
conventions but transform them into expressions of our time. Others
confront social, political or highly personal concerns using
unconventional materials and techniques that range from traditional
metalsmithing to computer-aided design.
Among the more than 100 featured designers are Giampaolo Babetto, Gijs
Bakker, Friedrich Becker, David Bielander, Iris Eichenberg, Eva Eisler,
Sandra Enterline, Arline Fisch, Thomas Gentille, Herman Hermsen, John
Iversen, Daniel Jocz, Herman Jünger, Jiro Kamata, Otto Künzli, Bruno
Martinazzi, Bruce Metcalf, Dorothea Prühl, Wendy Ramshaw, Joyce Scott,
Kiff Slemmons and Art Smith.
Descriptions of specific works demonstrate that while the mastery of
materials and techniques is critical to the creative process, it is not
an end in itself, but only the means to accomplish an aesthetic vision.
Process statements from each designer and a full gallery of the jewelry
accompany the narrative sequence of extraordinary, stirring, uncommon
pieces from this consummate collection.
