Missing jewelry returned to owner

E-mail, phone calls and trips to old neighbors' houses culminated in a bag of jewelry left at the Sea-Tac Airport in Seattle being returned to its owners.

Sharyn Evans, a customer service agent for Alaska Airline in Seattle, said she tried for months to reunite the jewelry -- and an album of family photos -- with their owners. She held onto the items beyond the normal 90-day limit because of the sentimental value, the Anchorage, Alaska, Daily News reported Tuesday.

Evans made one last reunion effort: She ran a description of the items in the Anchorage newspaper, hoping someone would recognize them.

Someone did. Mercedes Angerman called her father in Wrangell, a small community where Angerman grew up. He visited the father of Lois Anne Ballard, Angerman's childhood friend, who called his daughter and read the story to her over the phone. The daughter, who lives in Seattle, called Evans and described the contents of the bag that had been missing for about a year.

"It's been an amazing 24 hours," Ballard said.

Evans said she hope someone will recognize a photo of a one-of-a-kind tattoo to return the photo album.
Source: upi

Celebrating Navajo Jewelry Artists

Having always loved the earthy dramatic beauty of Native American jewelry, it is an honor to share these wonderful works of wearable art by Navajo artists such as Jimmy Emerson, Calvin Peterson, and others. Each of the following pieces when purchased are accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity recognizing their true value as hand crafted Native American art.
Native American Kingman Turquoise Sterling Silver Cuff Bracelet by Navajo artist Emerson.
This gorgeous one-of-a-kind handcrafted work of art features a Sterling Silver cuff bracelet embedded with a large cab of stunning, top of the line, sky blue genuine Turquoise with natural markings and colors designed by the Earth. This turquoise stone looks to be from Kingman, Arizona and has been set in a hand made Sterling Silver bezel sweated to a hand made Sterling Silver cuff. Hand twisted Sterling Silver wire and hand stamped designs circle the Turquoise stones and dress the cuff with a high shine. These bracelets average over 1 3/4" in width at the center and will fit a 5" to a 7" wrist. Stamped Sterling and signed J E. The color and matrix of the Turquoise may vary slightly. The choice of stone in a piece of Turquoise jewelry makes a statement about the unique personality of both the artist who makes the piece and the person who wears it.

There are many legends about Turquoise; The Pima consider it to bring good fortune and strength and that it helped overcome illness. The Zuni believe that blue turquoise was male and of the sky and green turquoise was female and of the earth. Pueblo Indians thought that its color was stolen from the sky. In Hopi legend the lizard who travels between the above and the below, excretes turquoise and that the stone can hold back floods. The Apache felt that turquoise on a gun or bow made it shoot straight. The Navajo consider it as good fortune to wear and believe it could appease the Wind Spirit.

Native American 14k Gold Sterling Silver Overlaid Man in the Maze Pendant by Calvin Peterson
This 14k Gold and Sterling Silver pendant features an overlaid Gold on Silver traditional Native American Man in th Maze design. All the silver and gold was hand cut and hand stamped by the artist. This pendant is 2 1/2" long, 1 3/4" wide, and comes with a complimentary chain. Signed by the artist and stamped Sterling and 14k. This pendant can be custom made with the Man in the Maze overlay made from Jeweler's gold or Sterling silver.

Overlay is created by "sweating" or soldering, two pieces of silver together. The top piece contains a design element which is meticulously cut out of silver. The bottom piece is oxidized and often textured to produce a contrasting background. Then carefully filed, buffed, and polished to produce this fine finish.

Turquoise Sterling Silver Ring
Handcrafted out of gleaming, beautifully patterned Sterling silver this ring holds a deftly-cut cabochon of Turquoise. The Turquoise stones are likely Nevada, Boulder Mountain and Bird's Eye and exhibit exceptional hues of navy blue/black, brown, seagreen and teal, which complement the sheen of the silver.

Turquoise has been, since about 200 B.C., extensively used by southwestern U.S Native Americans and by many of the Indian tribes in Mexico. The Native American Jewelry or "Indian style" jewelry with turquoise mounted in or with silver is relatively new. Some believe this style of Jewelry was unknown prior to about 1880, when a white trader persuaded a Navajo craftsman to make turquoise and silver jewelry using coin silver. Prior to this time, the Native Americans had made solid turquoise beads, carvings, and inlaid mosaics. Recently, turquoise has found wide acceptance among people of all walks of life and from many different ethnic groups.
Source: bellaonline

Online retailers building better Web sites

With shoppers becoming more discriminating about how they shop online, Web retailers are fine-tuning site design, adding customer ratings and reviews and boosting cross-channel integration, finds a new Shop.org study released at the research group's annual summit in Las Vegas.

"Today's online shopper is extremely Web-savvy and expects more than ever, forcing retailers to raise the stakes," said Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org in a press release issued Tuesday. "Companies are investing in new features that will keep customers coming back, and homepages everywhere are getting a major facelift."

Top priorities for online retailers include fixing Web site design and performance issues, improving the efficiency of online marketing, and enhancing cross-channel integration, according to the 150 retailers surveyed for the second part of The State of Retailing Online 2007, the 10th annual Shop.org study conducted by Forrester Research.

Fixing product detail pages is at the top of online retailers' to-do lists for the next 12 months, the survey found. Some 88 percent of retailers plan to focus on improving product detail page content, with 80 percent adding alternative images, 72 percent incorporating lifestyle photography, and 63 percent integrating customer ratings and reviews onto those pages.

Retailers are also focusing on their homepage content, adding such features as top sellers and "what's new" sections as well as dropdown menus and rollover lists in navigational areas. To differentiate themselves from competitors, online retailers are also making customer service a priority, with 33 percent of companies responding saying they plan to invest more in live chat functions and 53 percent planning to streamline the guest checkout process within the next year.

In 2006, online retailers continued to allocate the bulk of their marketing dollars (51 percent) toward acquiring new customers online and an additional 24 percent to online customer retention programs.

Paid search continued to be the most effective marketing tactic for customer acquisition, and e-mail marketing retained its position as the most effective—and economical—tool for customer retention. Seventy-three percent of retailers e-mail customers about new products, and 51 percent rated the method as very effective, the survey says.

Retailers also understand the value of operating in multiple channels, the survey reveals. Respondents said that 43 percent of catalog customers have also purchased from their company's online store while 35 percent of online customers have also purchased from their company's brick-and-mortar store.

Online retailers reported that in 2006, they dedicated on average 18 percent of their marketing spend to cross-channel sales, up from 13 percent in 2005. Typically, such tactics included direct mail initiatives such as sending out catalogs and e-mails to drive customers to local stores. However, more retailers are wielding print mail as a way to increase online sales. According to the study, 66 percent of retailers weight a catalog's success by how well it increases Web sales.

"The perception that catalogs are a dying breed could not be further from the truth," said Silverman. "For online retailers, catalogs are an incredibly important tool for acquiring new customers and providing current customers with their first look at new products. Retailers understand that many consumers get a catalog in the mail, then buy the item online."

The State of Retailing Online 2007 is currently available to Shop.org members and can also be purchased directly at Shop.org.
Source: nationaljewelernetwork

WJA’s West Coast Conference Inspires Women

After four successful years in New York, expectations were high for the Women’s Jewelry Association’s first “Women in the Know” West Coast Conference on Sept. 8 in Anaheim, Calif., at the Anaheim Marriot Hotel.

More than one hundred jewelry professionals from around the country and representing all facets of the industry attended the full-day event. And expectations were met—if not exceeded.

“For an inaugural event, it was phenomenal,” said WJA National President, Ann Arnold. “It was so satisfying to see how inspired and excited the attendees were, and the enthusiasm they had at the conference.”

High-profile, successful businesswomen filled the speaker line-up, which focused on business strategies, entrepreneurship, reinventing your career, networking, taking over the family business, and even the healing properties of gemstones.

But for the women there, the conference wasn’t just about inspirational speakers and motivating breakout sessions – it was also about making connections and building friendships.

“The event was great, and the networking opportunities were fabulous,” said Jayne Schultz, sales assistant for the Las Vegas-based World Jewelry Center and a member of the San Diego chapter. “I really enjoyed spending time with my WJA friends, and meeting new and prospective members.”

The first conference was sponsored by Jewelers Mutual Insurance, Platinum Guild International, and the West Coast Jewelry Show.

Opening keynote speaker Margeaux Cvar, chief executive officer of The Cvar Von Habsburg Group, discussed how to recognize and identify growth opportunities for jewelry businesses by thinking outside of the box. She emphasized the importance of creating a unique and sustainable competitive position in the jewelry industry.

“Differentiation is key,” she explained. “You have to make yourself the niche, not compete the same way the big boys do. Take a different route.”

How can you take a different route? By finding successful strategies implemented by companies that are very different in scope, but similar in structure to your business, said Cvar. “Your performance relative to competitors is irrelevant. It just means that you’re all making the same mistakes. Compare yourself to successful companies similar to your own in other industries, and see how they do business.”

Marie Bodman (pictured), president of Breitling USA, spoke about her rise from an administrative assistant to leader of the third-largest watch brand in the world. She attributed her success to persistence, luck, knowing when to ask for help, and choosing valuable employees.

Bodman also stressed the importance of building a jewelry company to be distinct and unique. “In the beginning, Breitling tried to grab every niche possible—from the product, to the way we did business,” said Bodman, who transformed Breitling from a one-person operation to one of the top brands in the industry in just 15 years. “If you’re an independent business, what can you do that big companies can’t do?” An example Bodman gave is one that she uses herself: sending personal letters to very important customers.

The conference took an introspective turn when Pamela Mitchell, CEO of The Reinvention Institute, took the stage. Mitchell explained that in today’s rapidly changing global economy, the ability to recombine your skill set to move between different job functions—and even different industries—is essential. “Reinventing yourself is the new form of job security,” she explained. “The business landscape turns over every 15 years. You have to see where things are going and be prepared to respond in the moment.”

Breakout sessions offered three speakers:

Amy Swift, co-author of Ladies Who Launch: Embracing Entrepreneurship and Creativity as a Lifestyle, discussed how women entrepreneurs can achieve success by using their intuitive capabilities, rather than following conventional business practices.

Judith Billson, founder and director of Medicine Energy Wheel, spoke about the beneficial health properties of dozens of gems, and offered suggestions about making and marketing jewelry using healing stones.

Elsa Martinez Phillips, president and co-owner of Roberto Martinez, Inc., provided tips on how to successfully transition a family business from one generation to the next.

The Conference continued with a “Women of Excellence” panel, featuring past winners of the WJA Awards for Excellence. Moderated by Bill Boyajian, managing director of the World Jewelry Center, the panel included Nancy Brewer, founder, Nancy B. & Company; Bev Hori, vice president, Ben Bridge Jeweler; Kathryn Kimmel, vice president and chief marketing officer, GIA; Caroline Stanley, president/CEO, Red Jewel, Inc.; and Erica Van Pelt, gem photographer. The group answered pointed questions regarding female stereotypes, gave advice on how to market and “brand” oneself, and offered inspirational stories about rising up in their own careers.

The “Women in the Know” West Coast Conference concluded with recognition of WJA’s Shining Stars, who were announced at its New York Conference last March.
Source: jckonline

Gold Jewelry Production +23% in 1H07

Gold jewelry production grew 23 percent in the first half of 2007 as price volatility dropped during the period, precious metals consultancy GFMS reported in the first update of its Gold Survey 2007.

“The consultancy feels a key driver of jewelry’s increase was greater price stability, particularly in the second quarter when price volatility fell to 12 percent from 31 percent one year prior,” GFMS explained.

The survey noted that jewelry demand in India led the surge, rising by nearly 80 percent in the first six months. “Not all was merely a price response as off-take was further aided by robust economic growth,” the consultancy said of the rise in demand in India.

Elsewhere, strong growth in gold jewelry manufacture was realized in the Middle East having increased 17 percent, while East Asia, and particularly China, were also mentioned as high growth areas.

Conversely, western countries experienced declines in jewelry fabrication as Europe battled to contend with overseas competition and a stronger euro which hurt output.

The United States posted a double-digit fall in first half jewelry consumption, “which was important for many countries as it fed through to a 13 percent slide in jewelry imports,” GFMS reported.

Looking ahead, GFMS predicted that global gold jewelry production would continue to grow through the second half of 2007 and could rise by 6 percent year-on-year in the period.

Philip Klapwijk, GFMS’ executive chairman, cautioned however that “the timing and extent of any rally could alter that forecast for jewelry.”
Source: diamonds

Wanchai jewelry show to offer reward program

Event management company World Trade Fair Ltd. has created a new jewelry show, the September Hong Kong Jewellery Show at Wanchai, to take place from Sept. 23-27 at the Hong Kong Exhibition Centre.

The show aims to introduce innovative exhibition concepts such as a new venue and new ideas, as well as a group of new suppliers such as India's Moon Diamond and Hong Kong's Sky Jewellery Inc.

New product will also be exhibited at the show such as Wisecorp Group (HK) Ltd.'s earrings and pendant set in 18-karat white gold and micro-pavé-set diamonds.

Another highlight of the show will be a buyers' reward program dubbed Frequent Buyer Incentive (F.B.i.). This will offer professional buyers mileage points that can be redeemed for free airfare or hotel accommodations for a future trip to Hong Kong. To earn the mileage, buyers must join the program by visiting the September Hong Kong Jewellery Show at Wanchai, and then visit and source from any of the Hong Kong jewelry exhibitions.

The program was created to further promote Hong Kong jewelry exhibitions to the global jewelry market.
Source: nationaljewelernetwork

Jewelers Are Drawn to an Already Gilded Avenue

Always a mecca for high-end retailers, Madison Avenue is now attracting a dazzling array of jewelers that are opening new boutiques or occupying larger quarters. Most of the recent burst of development is taking place on a short stretch of the avenue, from 61st through 64th Streets.

The neighborhood is becoming a magnet for jewelers in part because it is already home to luxury retailers like Barneys New York, Chanel, Jimmy Choo and Hermès, industry and real estate professionals say. These stores’ customers, many of whom live nearby, will no doubt be attracted to high-end jewelry stores.

Six jewelers are opening shops on this three-block stretch.

Two of them — Ivanka Trump, a venture by and named for the older daughter of Donald Trump, and Kwiat Diamonds, a wholesaler — are opening their first stores anywhere.

Leviev, an Israeli diamond trader that entered the retail business for the first time last year in London, is opening its first United States boutique. Kentshire, a dealer in antique jewelry and furniture, will sublet space from Leviev.

Two other jewelers — Chopard, the Swiss watch and jewelry dealer, and Graff, the British diamond merchant — are already on Madison Avenue, but they have outgrown their existing quarters and are moving to larger spaces.

And Asprey, the British seller of jewelry and other luxury goods, has moved farther north, to a new, albeit smaller, store at 853 Madison Avenue, between 70th and 71st Streets.

These are among about 50 jewelry specialists on Madison Avenue within its Business Improvement District, which runs from 57th Street to 86th Street.

Stephen Russell, a dealer in antique, estate and contemporary jewelry, is moving next month from a 600-square-foot store at 962 Madison Avenue to an 1,100-square-foot shop four doors away at 970 Madison Avenue, on the southwest corner of 76th Street.

Madison Avenue offers many attractions. The stretch has “shop upon shop for affluent luxury shoppers, with international hotels and culture nearby,” said Karen Bellantoni, a senior vice president of Robert K. Futterman & Associates, the brokerage company. The town houses there, she said, “give jewelers the ability to showcase their brand, versus being part of the office landscape” on Fifth Avenue.

The avenue also gives retailers with smaller space requirements “the ability to do the jewel-box effect,” Ms. Bellantoni said. “It’s hard to find 1,000 or 2,000 square feet on Fifth Avenue” — most store spaces there are larger.

Although Fifth Avenue is home to famous jewelry names like Tiffany and Harry Winston, shoppers there differ from those on Madison Avenue, Ms. Bellantoni said. “People come from across the country, stay in Times Square, shop on Fifth Avenue,” she said. “It’s not the same customer who goes over to Madison Avenue.”

Another plus is Madison Avenue’s wealthy local market, said Michele Heary, managing director of Asprey U.S.A. “We’re within walking distance of our customers’ homes, so it is a good opportunity to service all their gift needs,” she said.

Ms. Trump, principal of Ivanka Trump and vice president for real estate development and acquisitions for the Trump Organization, opened her shop on Monday, in partnership with the Dynamic Diamond Corporation, a wholesaler. The store occupies 1,200 square feet at 683 Madison Avenue, between 61st and 62nd Streets.

Leviev is to open a 4,000-square-foot shop at 700 Madison Avenue, between 62nd and 63rd Streets, next month; it is renting a landmark 1920s building and subleasing some space to other tenants, including Kentshire, whose 3,500-square-foot store will open in November. Leviev’s store will have two selling floors, with décor that combines antiques and contemporary furniture.

Currently at 725 Madison Avenue, Chopard will move next month to 709 Madison Avenue, the former Timberland store at the southeast corner of 63rd Street. Its selling space will increase to 3,500 square feet from 950 square feet, said Marc Hruschka, president and chief executive of Chopard Inc., to accommodate a product range and clientele that have expanded considerably since the jeweler opened its first New York boutique 12 years ago. The store will have two floors of selling space, with 42-inch flat screens to show videos of merchandise and events that Chopard sponsors.

Diagonally across the intersection, at 710 Madison Avenue, will be Graff’s new store, once occupied by Givenchy. This will have selling spaces of 1,400 square feet on the ground floor and 700 square feet on the mezzanine. Graff, which now occupies an 800-square-foot shop at 721 Madison Avenue, is to move into its new quarters next summer.

Kwiat, a family-run wholesaler, decided to open a boutique when it celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. It is to move into Chopard’s current boutique, at 725 Madison Avenue, between 63rd and 64th Streets, early next year. It will sell from both the ground floor and a mezzanine.

Asprey moved into its store, once part of Yves St. Laurent’s Madison Avenue boutique, last April. It has about 3,000 square feet of selling space on the ground floor for jewelry, and 4,500 square feet on the second floor for luxury goods like silver and exotic animal skins.

Shortly after Asprey was bought by United States asset management companies in 2006, it vacated its 20,000-square-foot, three-floor store in Trump Tower, where it had been a tenant since 1983. Ms. Heary called the new location “very warm, not so much like a museum.”

All of the jewelers said they were glad to be close to their competitors, a situation that Ralph Destino, chairman of the Gemological Institute of America, also deemed beneficial.

Mr. Destino, who opened a Madison Avenue offshoot of Cartier’s Fifth Avenue store about 15 years ago when he ran the jeweler’s American operation, said: “The best location for a jeweler is right next to a jeweler. Clustering tends to focus consumers on the category; it leads to commercial success for everyone.”
Source: nytimes

Jewelry leaders to form crime-prevention networks

From left, front row: JA Chairman John Green, Jewelers Mutual Chairperson Patti Geolat, JSA Chairman David Cornstein. Back row: JA President Matthew Runci, Jewelers Mutual President and CEO Darin Kath and JSA President John Kennedy.

A team of industry organizations led by the Jewelers' Security Alliance (JSA) and including Jewelers of America (JA) and Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co. will develop local crime-prevention networks of jewelers and police.

Under the initiative, local crime-fighting groups will be organized in towns, cities, counties and states throughout the United States. Members of these networks will share information on crimes, suspects and crime-prevention measures and will work with their local police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to reduce crime against jewelers. The goal is to have 200 networks up within three years.

JA and Jewelers Mutual each pledged $300,000 to the project. JCK/Reed Exhibition Companies provided seed money through a $100,000 JCK Industry Fund grant to the JSA in 2006. The JSA is conducting a fund-raising campaign for the project in conjunction with the celebration of its 125th anniversary in 2008. Partners and contributors will be recognized at JSA's gala anniversary luncheon scheduled for Jan. 12 at the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center. FBI Director Robert S. Mueller is scheduled to speak at the event.

"There are currently a few pioneering examples of local crime-prevention networks in the United States that have made great progress in reducing crime in their areas," JSA President John Kennedy said in a statement. "Local jewelry crime-prevention networks lead to more arrests of jewelry criminals, more awareness of security issues by jewelers, better cooperation by police and a significant reduction in crime. This project will be a giant step in the fight against jewelry crime by helping to involve jewelers and police throughout the United States in the most effective crime-prevention activities."

JA Board Chairman John Green said security is a top concern to all retail jewelers.

"JSA's grassroots effort to feed and nurture local crime-prevention networks is a project that Jewelers of America feels could have a significant impact on each and every one of our 11,000 member stores. We're delighted to support JSA in this worthy endeavor," he said.

Patti Geolat, chairperson of the Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co. board, noted that she's seen first-hand how such groups can work, as she's been involved with such a group in Dallas over the past several years.

"I think that this project with Jewelers of America and Jewelers' Security Alliance will be a major step in reducing crimes against the policyholders of Jewelers Mutual and the entire jewelry industry," she said.
Source: nationaljewelernetwork

Artist returns to lifelong passion of making jewelry

A chain of events and a lot of faith led Melissa Vaughan on her journey into the world of jewelry making.

Vaughan started her journey early in life. As a child, she painted with her mother and worked with wood with her father. These events would create a foundation for her artistic ventures later on.

Approximately 12 years ago, Vaughan, a new mom, and her husband moved to Vail, Colo., so that he could attend culinary school. While in Vail, she discovered a small bead shop.

“I would go and spend time there,” Vaughan said.

After a year in Colorado, the Vaughan family headed back to Yazoo City. Vaughan took a job teaching at a local elementary school. Even after working all day, she would stay up late designing and creating jewelry.

“It just blossomed from there,” Vaughan said.

“It grew until I had to make a choice between the two.”

Vaughan’s first big showing was at the Canton Flea Market. There, she met a sales representative who would market her jewelry in other cities and states.

Suddenly, Vaughan was in business.

“I was no longer a small cottage industry,” Vaughan said. “I was a manufacturer who needed employees. We would ship things out every day. It became something I had to focus on. I had to stay ahead of the game because fashion is always changing.”

Vaughan soon opened her own boutique in Yazoo City. Named after a statement her grandmother would often make her store — What’s Next — showcased jewelry and other art by Vaughan.

Then, four years ago, the Vaughan family made the decision to move to Natchez. The doors to the boutique closed and the Vaughan family started a new journey in a new town. Relying on her faith in God, she trusted him to show her the correct path to follow. Vaughan briefly returned to teaching elementary school at Cathedral before going back to jewelry making.

“Something called me back to jewelry making,” she said.

With the help of her good friend, Betsy Mosby, Vaughan had a trunk show.

“That opened the doors because people already knew about my jewelry,” Vaughan said.

Although she has not opened a store in Natchez, she works out of the studio beside her home.

“I no longer have to worry about creating the amount of jewelry I had to create before,” Vaughan said.

Along with selling jewelry out of her home, she offers a two-week summer bead camp for kids ages 7-14.

“That has been fun because they are so creative,” Vaughan said.

“I try not to influence them in any way. I just show them what to do, give them the beads and let them be creative.”

This past summer her camp hosted 24 kids.

Vaughan relies on her faith in God to show her the way. Her future, she states, is in his hands.

For now, she is content to continue making jewelry from her home.
Source: natchezdemocrat

Houston Museum Presents Avant-Garde Jewelry

Houston Museum will present avant-garde jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection from September 30, 2007 to January 21, 2008.

In 2002, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, acquired the Helen Williams Drutt Collection of contemporary jewelry. Comprised of 720 pieces of jewelry dating from 1963 to the present, the collection provides a global look at the field. Over 175 artists from 18 different countries are represented in the holdings.

Ornament as Art: Avant-Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection fully explores the impact of contemporary jewelry as a global art form. the goal of the exhibition is to broaden the understanding of contemporary jewelry through a multilayered, critical assessment of the history, issues, and most importantly, the jewelry itself. Placed in context with seminal movements in the non-craft art world, the exhibition encourages the appreciation of contemporary jewelry beyond its traditional boundaries without ignoring its roots. Approximately 300 objects, including about 275 pieces of jewelry, 20 drawings and watercolors, and 3 constructions and sculptures are included in the exhibition.

the exhibition begins in the 1960s, when a dramatic shift occurred in how ornament and jewelry were perceived. Breaking with tradition, artists placed their works within larger artistic movements, signaling a period of independence in which concepts and ideas were valued more than precious materials. In Europe, artists such as Claus Bury, Gijs Bakker, Gerd Rothmann, and Emmy van Leersum incorporated alternative materials into their dynamic, often sculptural, pieces. the influence of these avant-garde artists, based in Germany and the Netherlands, on jewelry artists in Europe and particularly America, cannot be overstated. their work in the exhibition includes seminal pieces from this era as well as drawings. American jewelers were exposed to Claus Bury´s jewelry through his Philadelphia lectures in 1973, his teaching at the Rhode island School of Design in 1979, and his visit to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, as well as the Objects to Wear exhibition of Dutch jewelry that toured the United States in 1969.

In America, Stanley Lechtzin´s innovative use of industrial technology made possible the development of organic forms and the fusion of diverse materials, while Albert Paley developed a forged aesthetic that boldly challenged the prevailing traditions. Lechtzin, Paley, and Olaf Skoogfors´s residencies at the Tyler School of Arts and the Philadelphia College of Arts made Philadelphia an early center for progressive jewelry. the jewelry department at RisD also played a vital role by hosting European jewelers for workshops, teaching fellowships, and lectures.

the growing sense of community in the 1970s is captured by examining the importance of university programs, exhibitions such as Objects USA, journals, and the establishment of galleries such as Electrum in London, Galerie am Graben in Vienna, Galerie Ra in Amsterdam and Helen Drutt:Philadelphia. This community accelerated artistic development across geographical lines resulting in a widespread use of plastics, fiber, and other materials throughout the 1980s. it also began to encourage the building of collections by museums and private individuals.

the exhibition continues into the 1980s and 1990s demonstrating the growing maturity of American jewelry, as well as the development of second generation artists abroad. the avant-garde nature of the works, the artist´s sometimes controversial use of scale and form, as well as the reliance on concept and ideas are explored.

the picture shows Peter Chang, Bracelet, 1991, 2002.3684, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Helen Williams Drutt Collection, gift of the Morgan Foundation, Peter Chang. -- http://www.mfah.org/
Source: huliq