Wearable Art
September 17, 2020 - By Joy Reed Belt
One morning last week, after spending too much time at home taking calls and responding to emails, I rushed to the Gallery only to realize that I had forgotten to put on any jewelry. Momentarily flummoxed, I considered going back home to pick up something, but decided instead to grab one of the necklaces in our inventory and model it for the rest of the day. I got several compliments and I felt very put together. But my absolute need to wear that necklace, or any piece of jewelry, surprised me. Why did I feel incomplete without jewelry? Throughout the day I thought about some of the reasons we wear jewelry: it’s a way to express our personality, it can complete an outfit, it make us feel accepted and/or it has personal and emotional significance. For me on that day, I concluded that since I was dressed very simply in all black, I felt I needed jewelry to make the statement to our customers that I valued art and design. So, I was using it as a form of self-expression.
My first memory of jewelry goes back to when I was child and my mother would ask me to help her select the piece of jewelry that looked best with a particular outfit. Sometimes on rainy Saturdays Mother and I would play dress up and I would get to wear her baubles. She did not have a lot of expensive jewelry, but she cherished what she had and took extraordinary care of it. My first piece of jewelry was an “Add-a-Pearl” Necklace which she gave me for my birthday. That first year it had the largest pearl that went in the center of the necklace. Mother continued to give me pearls for special occasions until I had a full string. I wore the necklace for years until it was destroyed when my home burned. Throughout my lifetime, I have been given several other pieces of jewelry that have a great deal of emotional significance. For instance, John had my engagement ring created and would often gift me antique brooches when celebrating our anniversary.
Jewelry has been around since the beginning of recorded time. According to the International Gem Society, the earliest finding of jewelry was about 25,000 years ago and it was a necklace of fishbones. In early societies, jewelry was worn as amulets and to protect against bad luck and illnesses. Sometimes it had a functional purpose. Later, jewelry came to denote human connection. Wedding rings symbolized the commitment two people had for each other. When the royal tombs in the Mediterranean dating back to 3,000 to 4,000 BC were excavated, "they found mummies encrusted with every imaginable type of jewelry worn, headdresses, necklaces, earring, rings, crown, and pins." Each subsequent civilization and culture from the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantine Empire, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance to modern times can be identified by the style and type of jewelry it created and valued. It’s a fascinating history that includes the creation of priceless ornaments that were used for religious and ceremonial purposes and for royalty.
Costume or “Fashion” jewelry had its start in the 18th Century when jewelers would use inexpensive glass to mimic jewels. In the 19th century, semi-precious metals were used as well a form of leaded glass known as “paste” that could be polished to look like diamonds. But in my mind, what fueled the interest and acceptance of costume jewelry was the invention of plastic and other synthetic materials. After Bakelite was invented in 1905, jewelry could be and was more colorful, bigger, bolder and created in any and all forms and shapes, and it was affordable. Bakelite was widely popular in the 1930’s and 40’s. Then it fell from favor, but its characteristic materials and designs totally changed how the public viewed jewelry. It’s a lot of fun. I’ve picked up several pieces on eBay and in antique stores over the years that I enjoy wearing. They bring out the flapper in me.
Twenty or so years ago when I became a Gallery owner, I started meeting artists who made jewelry and I subsequently became interested in them and what they made. Artisan Jewelry is defined “as wearable pieces that are custom made by a skilled crafts person.” It’s a wide-ranging category as the jewelry can be made from a variety of materials including stones, gems, leather, glass, leather, precious or semi-precious metal and it’s usually made by hand. Oklahoma has some wonderful artists who make jewelry. Last year I purchased an incredibly unique and superbly crafted necklace and bracelet from an artist who lives in Norman. Some of my more dramatic necklaces are made from polished water buffalo horn by an artist who was born in Malaysia, trained in Paris and happens to live in Stillwater.
This year I am having a birthday ring made by an exceptionally fine artist who lives in Edmond. She is creating the ring by mounting a diamond that John gave me, as well as, adding two sapphires, which are my birthstones. One of the wonderful things about artisans is sometimes they let you collaborate with them. One of the reasons I am passionate about artisan jewelry because I often get to meet and know the artist. Their jewelry becomes very personal which adds another dimension of pleasure when wearing it. Whether it’s paintings, sculpture, music, dance, drama, or jewelry, living with art is not just interesting, it’s nourishing, it’s necessary and sometimes you can wear it.
Images:
Artisan Jewelry by Elyse Bogart
Artisan Jewelry by Stella Thomas
Artisan Jewelry by Sheridan Conrad
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