poor jewelry design .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................



poor jewelry

the struggle of precious with non-precious materials is typical of recent years
and has prepared a new way for 'young contemporary jewelry'.
neither preciousness nor eternal preservation seems to be important to this new
breed of arty accessories - with its value lying in its communicative potential.
within the young international jewelry scene, the new arrangement of everyday
materials is a sovereign one and provides pieces with a lively expression.
in the middle of the 20th century, a large part of society consisted of middle class
people, conservative in their taste and whose ideals were very strong and
deeply-rooted, a society little inclined to change its lifestyle or its symbols.
jewelry was often viewed as an emblematic gesture, a sound investment that
could be passed down through generations.
there was, however, another part of society ready for renovation. industry and
fashion have changed the approach to jewelry by removing its symbolic and
ancestral value. in a society, where great importance is given to superficiality,
jewelry has been deprived of any cultural value thus limiting its understanding
and consequently its distribution. in this context, the pioneers of the contemporary
scene, albeit with some difficulty, had a fertile ground to work on.

does it represent what it did in the recent past?
when economy is stagnant, it is obvious that contemporary jewelry is faced with
a very difficult challenge. it seems to be a restricted matter, among a rather small
group of people and moves in a limited market, for many reasons including the fact
that it does not shift a large sums of money. however, it seems the role of
jewelry nowadays is not determined by whether the field is restricted, but whether
the designers will be able to maintain and develop this specific sector.
often people do not understand why something so minimal and simple, made from
materials such as used material, silicone, plastic, glass, and paper should be so
'expensive'. for most people, 'contemporary' and 'the use of poor materials' is
equivalent to economic.

so what makes some things valuable and others not?
these contemporary accessories are made of innovation and artistic research.
a piece of jewelry is not merely a decorative ornament; it usually has a meaning,
which might be a celebration of something, or a loss, it might be very personal,
but these meanings can also be universal, recognizable in today's society.
the rigorous monumentality of 'poor jewelry' comes alive when it is worn, when the
tactile pleasure of the alternative materials comes into play. in the research of
innovative materials, the here featured artists' work is characterized by an
empirical approach – solutions are found by direct experimentation.

---
in addition to the loosely categorized works featured in this article you can also
find information on the best international creators of jewelry art at following websites:
klimt02 | thecarrotbox | deuxpoissons | chihapaura | velvetdavinci | alternatives


glass, ceramics & stone





jiro kamata
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lenses for jewelry by jiro kamata (born in japan, lives and works in munich, germany)



carolina vallejo
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glass rings by carolina vallejo (born in greece, lives and works in copenhagen, denmark)




kaste helmi
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glass bracelet and rings by kaste helmi (lives and works in helsinki, finland)





sarah chilton
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rings by by sarah chilton (lives and works in london, uk)





donald friedrich
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magnification glass brooches by donald friedrich (lives and works in madison, usa)





christa lühtje
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glass necklaces by christa lühtje (lives and works in stockdorf, germany)





helen britton
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brooches by helen britton (born in australia, lives and works in munich, germany)





yoko izawa
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glass and fiber necklace and earrings by yoko izawa (born in japan, lives and works in london, uk)





manon van kouswijk
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necklace and pendant by manon van kouswijk (lives and works in amsterdam, netherlands)





peter bauhuis
---



foam / goald and stone brooch by peter bauhuis (lives and works in germany





djurdjica kesic
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pebble rings by djurdjica kesic (lives and works in melbourne , australia)





warwick freeman
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vulcanic larva ring and brooch by warwick freeman (lives and works in auckland, new zealand)





22 design studio
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concrete rings by 22 design studio (live and work in taiwan)
you can buy these rings at the designboom shop
see the making of them here




peter hoogeboom
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necklaces in porcelain by peter hoogeboom (lives and works in amsterdam, netherlands)




gabriela feldentrager
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porcelain rings by gabriela feldentrager (lives and works in frankfurt, germany)





gésine hackenberg
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necklaces by gésine hackenberg (born in germany, lives and works in amsterdam, netherlands)





katharina mischer and thomas traxler
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ceramic badges by the design team katharina mischer and thomas traxler (live and work in austria).
you can buy these badges from the designboom shop




edith bellod
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magnetic brooch and porcelain necklace by edith bellod (born in france, lives and works in berlin, germany)





susan pietzsch
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cast sugar pendants and brooch by susan pietzsch (born in germany lives and works in tokyo, japan)









FOUR PAGES (loosely categorized)
____________________________________________________________________________________________


page 1
glass, ceramics & stones
page 2
paper, wood & plants
page 3
metal, plastic & soap
page 4
textiles, rubber & fur









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