From An American In Paris, Custom-made Jewelry in The New York Times

From An American In Paris, Custom-made Jewelry by Bernadine Morris, Published in the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/05/style/from-an-american-in-paris-custom-made-jewelry.html

JAR, which stands for Joel Arthur Rosenthal, is a name which continually pops up when one is reading about jewellery design in the late 20 century and so I felt compelled to pull up a few articles on him, which wasn’t easy as he seems to be very reclusive.

This article, in fact, is 30 years old, dating back to when JAR was still gaining a certain kind of momentum across the globe. Rosenthal seems to be considered one of the greatest jewellers that was active in the 80s. His pieces are inspired heavily by historicism and the modern styles such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco. In this article he explains that his designs are based on the stones and the gems that he uses and not the other way around. This might be the reason why all his pieces, save one, are one of a kind.

Morris explains that JAR does not believe that earrings should match each other and are just as beautiful, if not more, when they are asymmetrical. The jeweller also tells Morris that, when designing, earrings have to be seen on a woman’s face otherwise they “can be a disaster” as JAR says.

This article helped me get a glimpse into who JAR is and why he is considered so important. Reading up on Rosenthal, I get the distinct impression that he was as important to 80s and 90s jewellery as Lalique was in the 1900s and 1910s. Although I have sourced enough books for this particular essay, I feel that it would not be wasted to get a book dedicated to this designer.

References

Morris, B., 1985. From an American in Paris, Custom-Made Jewelry. The New York Times [Online] 5 October
Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/1985/10/05/style/from-an-american-in-paris-custom-made-jewelry.html
[Accessed 13 April 2015].

20th Century Jewelry: The Complete Sourcebook by John Peacock

20^th Century Jewelry: The Complete Sourcebook by John Peacock, published by Thames & Hudson.

There isn’t a lot to say about this book as the majority of the content is illustrations. That being said, however, it was helpful to me as each illustration (which are hand-drawn and not simple photos) has a description allocated to it which lists the materials of the piece. Furthermore, each page shows particular pieces during a particular time (Necklaces 1910-1919) which provides recognition of the predominant style at the listed time. This is also true of the descriptions which provide knowledge of materials and therefore one can easily see what the most dominant materials in a particular era were.

References

Peacock, J., 2002. 20th Century Jewelry: The Complete Sourcebook. London: Thames & Hudson.

Jewelry International: Volume III by Caroline Childers.

Jewelry International: Volume III by Caroline Childers, published by Tourbillon International. 

When I first saw this book I was a bit sceptical as to how useful it would actually be to my research. However when I started reading I did find it very useful indeed. The book is split into three sections. In the first section, Childers discusses a huge inspiration point for jewellers around the world and throughout history... Animals. She looks at how the ancient civilizations such as the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Etruscans, Mayans and Aztecs among others, used animal motifs in their jewellery and why they used to use particular animals over others. She moves through history charting particular animals and countries and discussing what differentiates their jewellery from that of all the others. Six chapters allow a more detailed look at specific species including those mythical. (Reptiles, Mammals, Birds, Insects, Creatures of the Sea, Fantastical Animals.)

The second section of the book deals with gemstones. Each of the 24 short chapters in this section deal with a gemstone that is either precious or semi-precious, mineral or organic and discusses their properties, uses, origins and, in certain cases, which one of the many designers was responsible for popularising them. Wherever possible the author also discusses ancient legends which might have promoted the use of these stones in ancient civilizations or stories of popular version of stones such as those of the Hope, Koh-I-Noor and The Great Star of Africa diamonds. (Agate, Amber, Amethyst, Aquamarine, Chrysoberyl, Citrine, Coral, Diamond, Emerald, Garnet, Jade, Lapis Lazuli, Moonstone, Opal, Pearl, Peridot, Quartz, Ruby, Sapphire, Spinel, Tanzanite, Topaz, Tourmaline, Turquoise.)

The final section consists of 18 chapters which covers 18 different ‘Houses of Prestige’. Each chapter discusses the trademark of the company it covers and how this changed or remained throughout the history of the house and, in cases where the founder has retired or died, what the current designers are looking to achieve now and how they are trying to keep their legacy alive. This, along with certain key pieces and customers that are eternally linked to the houses. (Andreoli, Arunashi, ASSAEL, AUTORE, Bayco, Bulgari, Cartier, Chopard, Cora, Daniella Kronfle, David Morris, DAVID WEBB, de GRISOGONO, Jacob & Co., Olivia, Robert Wan, Yossi Harari, ZORAB.)

References

Childers, C., 2011. Jewelry International: Volume III. Annual ed. New York : Tourbillon International .

Art Nouveau Jewelry by Vivienne Becker.

Art Nouveau Jewelry by Vivienne Becker, published by Thames & Hudson.

The reason I chose to read this book was because, apart from being my personal favourite era, Art Nouveau serves as a starting point to my research. It was during this era that a lot of advances were made in the world of jewellery.

In her book Vivienne Becker charts the development of jewellery design from right before to right after the Art Nouveau style, making a connection with creators who inspired the jewellers in the dawn of the 20^th century and how these, in turn, inspired those who came after or how they themselves adapted their designs to fit the new style of Art Deco.

Each chapter is split into a country where the style was very dominant and took on an independence to what was being done in other countries, namely: France, Germany & Austria, Great Britain and the United States. The final chapter collects all the minimal information on Art Nouveau jewellery in other countries, information that on its own would not merit a chapter but collected together shows the diversity of the style as it travelled across the globe, while identifying key motifs and inspirational points to Art Nouveau (such as insects, reptiles, and Japonisme) in her introduction.

Becker not only comments on the style in general but also on what particular designers such as Lalique, Fouquet, Vever, and Tiffany were doing in particular. She identifies how one designer’s pieces varied from those of another even within the same country. This was particularly interesting to my research as in this manner she mentions three of the four particular designers I am currently researching (Lalique, Tiffany, and Cartier)

Throughout the course of the book, Becker also identifies world events that would have affected design, such as the opening of Japan’s art borders to the rest of the world and America, having played an instrumental role, would be the country to take the most advantage of this situation.

Helping the reader to get a clearer picture of the style are photos of the jewellery itself, some in colour, the majority in grey-scale, although this does not affect the detail which one can see in the photos of the pieces.

All in all this book is a great starting point to my research even though it does not provide all of the historical development I need for my essay. 

References

Becker, V., 1998. Art Nouveau Jewelry. 1st ed. London: Thames & Hudson.

Books and Articles: Post 2

Although I found a virtual goldmine of articles with my last link I kept on looking for other sources, particularly any magazines dedicated to jewellery design, or with sections dedicated to the same topic.

I came across Jewels du Jour (http://www.jewelsdujour.com/) which is, according to the editor 'a website dedicated to important historical and contemporary jewelry' which is my essay's overall topic. The site has various articles, both relevant and not to my essay, however all interesting.

While searching the site I found a section of the webpage entitled (aptly so) 'Library' and clicked hoping that it would lead me to some note-worthy books on the subject (http://www.jewelsdujour.com/library). I must say that a visit to this library was ten times more worthwhile than a visit to the school library and while I can't check out any of the books listed here, it has certainly given me a brilliant starting point towards which books I should and shouldn't buy. Knowing that the books listed here are not just pictures will help me in my research.

Books and Articles

http://www.ganoksin.com/index.htm

I was recommended this website by a Maltese jeweller - Andrew Vella Montague while I was conducting an interview with him for another unit. At the time I only had a quick look around but during my research into jewellery design this site keeps popping up in a number of online searches and so I felt compelled to take a proper look at the site. 

The site is a collection of information, ranging from book reviews to links to articles as well as a forum for creators where they can share techniques and tips with everyone. 

I haven't had enough time to read any of the articles or reviews on the website however I am definitely bookmarking this website for future referencing. 

In the meantime I've had a look around the library to check what books and magazines they have available and, I have to say that they are woefully under-stocked on jewellery books and magazines that have nothing to do with the technical side of the industry. Indeed I only found four books which can be considered critical or historical. 

I am honestly not that surprised considering I constantly visit the library and browse their shelves just to see what they have and don't have - I feel this saves time in the long run. I considered placing the orders for the books with them however I thought that it would be more beneficial to me and my research methods if I were to buy the books myself.