[Jewelry making - Article 01225] - Re: [Orchid] Art & Jewelry

[Lee Einer]

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    It really touches on the roots of why we as individuals make jewelry
    and why people wear jewelry, and the relationship of jewelry to
    other art forms. And the really big question from a practical
    vantage, who is our customer and why do they want our stuff? 

    In our culture, apart from jewelry which identifies life changes or
    affiliations (wedding rings, class rings,) I would guess that the
    majority of people wear jewelry at least in part as a conspicuous
    display of wealth, for the purpose of establishing social status.
    For such people, it is important that the materials composing the
    jewelry be "precious," i.e., expensive, and more importantly,
    immediately recognizeable as such to others. Thus, gold, platinum,
    diamonds, rubies, etc are preferred over silver, copper, agate, etc.
    Lesser-known but still expensive stones are dark horses in this
    race, since although an educated customer may understand their
    value, the stones don't scream "expensive" to  most onlookers, and
    conspicuous display of wealth is all about its effect on onlookers. 

    Particularly for those of us who make jewelry as art or as a mode of
    self-expression, conspicuous display of wealth may not enter into
    the equation. If, for example, I have chosen to express my aesthetic
    by setting beach glass in acrylic, absent some incredible marketing
    trick, my work will probably not go over well with those who wear
    for conspicuous display of wealth. The good news is, in this
    situation all of the makers of "bling" are not my competition, any
    more than a Corvette is competition for a Hummer. We are in this
    case appealing to different audiences buying to satisfy different
    needs. 

    There is a phenomenon related to the conspicuous consumption of
    wealth, which is the conspicuous display of taste, originality,
    cleverness, etc. People in some subcultures, particularly those
    involved in the arts themselves, seek out jewelry specifically to
    identify themselves as being in touch with a particular aesthetic,
    and seek jewelry which is artsy, clever, original, out of the
    mainstream in order to establish their status within the in-group. 

    Some people also actually purchase jewelry simply because it speaks
    to them- something about the design, or the materials, resonates
    with them personally, and they wear their jewelry as a form of
    self-expression. Related to this is the phenomenon of jewelry as
    fetish; jewelry which provides the wearer with a sense of
    connection, perhaps connection to the natural world, or to the
    spirit world, to the earth, to a tribal group, etc. These I think
    are internal motivators, in contrast to the previously mentioned
    motives which tend to be directed towards others. 

    So, the question reduces to, who is your audience and why do they
    desire your work?  Once you know the answer to that question, you
    need to figure out what venues they frequent and how to appeal to
    them. It is not as simple, I think, as "crafts vs fine arts." 

    With regard to the issue of jewelry and art, it is maddening. I
    think that two distinct groups have evolved, those who do art, and
    those who talk about and pronounce judgement upon those who do art.
    Both groups can be limited in perspective and trapped in cliche. For
    example, I still hear jewelry extp;;ed by the latter group as
    "challenging the concept of wearability." The concept of wearability
    has been challenged to death and beyond, both as pretentious conceit
    and by unintentional poor design or execution. At best, making
    unwearable jewelry is a simple resurrection of Dada (yawn.) Lets get
    over it. Would we extoll the virtues of a sculptor whose works were
    not balanced enough to stand and which fell over and broke? Would we
    go gaga over paintings framed in such a way that they could not be
    properly hung on a wall? Probably not. 

    Jewelry is looked down on by some elements of the fine arts
    community, I think, because it does not "challenge the viewer," in
    the sense of iconoclasm or flouting convention.  While challenging
    the viewer is a legitimate end of artistic expression, it is by no
    means the whole shootin' match. Much of the world's great art is
    great not because it "challenges the viewer," but because it offers
    a fine insight into and rendering of light, of color, of form, etc.
    All of these things can be found in jewelry as well. 

My 2 cents, anyway.

Lee Einer
Dos Manos Jewelry
http://www.dosmanosjewelry.com

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