Today we’re excited to launch the first of our very own Future Heirloom columns: Material Matters, featuring a behind-the-scenes look into some of our favorite contemporary art jeweler’s studios and interviews about their process. We thought the perfect artist to kick off Material Matters was Luci Jockel, a Baltimore-based contemporary jeweler exploring heirloom, memory, and the natural world through her practice. Before we dive into our conversation with Luci, get to know her a bit more below:
Luci Jockel photographed by Lavala Harris.
Luci Jockel is an artist located in Baltimore, MD and holds the position as Metalsmithing and Jewelry Lecturer/Coordinator at Towson University. Luci received her MFA from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 2016. She has been honored with the 2019 American Craft Council Emerging Voices Award. Her work is in the collections of RISD Museum, ArtYard and Galerie Marzee. She has curated exhibitions including All Decked Out at Towson University, and In-School Suspension with JV Collective. Luci is a member of JV Collective and is represented by Gallery Loupe.
Future Heirloom: Concepts of history, memory, memento mori, and heirloom feel like common threads in your work over the years. Have you always been interested in the history and “memory” of material? Where did your interest in material arise from for you? Luci Jockel: Having parents that are antique dealers has had a deep impact on my interest in the memory held within materials and objects. They were and are always on the hunt for treasures, the value of which is determined by its own system. As kids, they would take my siblings and I to auctions and antique shows that to a kid were places of accumulated, stinky, old junk. Little did I realize how much value these objects held beyond monetary, or that my parents’ passion for junk was being instilled in me- they were giving us “the bug”, as they call it. With each object that my parents bought or sold– a chair, quilt, painting, ring, for instance, there was a story of its origins and past life to be told. Conversing with customers at antique shows was less transactional and more like sitting by a bonfire with friends sharing lore. There is power and value in an object that retains a story, even if sometimes it’s fabricated.
“As my parents collected antiques, I began my own collection of found material in our backyard- finding what I saw as treasures, creating a different system of value.”
Luci Jockel
Bee Wing Lace II, 2014. Honey bee wings, rubber cement; (Left) and an in-progress material sample (Right)
FH: What guides your material interests in your work? How have you selected the materials you’ve worked with? LJ: I lean in towards objects and materials that speak quietly of fragility, requiring a soft, empathic touch. Perhaps my mother’s passion and artistic career in textiles influenced that gentle quality. I also choose materials that gain different meaning in relation to another material or within the context of jewelry. For example, the glisten of honey bee wings catch your eye as if they were gold- holding the same preciousness. Ultimately, I choose what makes me pause and wish for others to take a moment with as well.
FH: Your use of material in your work is always so intricate and thoughtful. Can you speak a bit about your process? Is your process carefully planned, more improvisational, or somewhere in between?
LJ: Thank you, that’s so kind! Much of my work is both planned and improvised. When making a piece that has pattern or when carving stone and there is no room for error, it is planned. Depending on the type of stone or material used to make a pattern, however, will determine how I continue to approach that material. It’s a material’s qualities and its past life that guide how to engage and transform.
For instance, I had originally planned to press bee wings into sheet to create a new material, using mixtures of beeswax, glue or honey as binders, which all ended in a complete mess. This then led me to try a more intentional, careful approach to enhance the quality of the wings. I began with small studies of using archival glue and bee wings to create lace.
Luci at work in her studio.
Being open to failure and to change a design while in the process of making is important. My latest bee wing piece and largest one to date, Bee Wing Lace Neckpiece, began as a planned design, stemming from these experiments, but morphed as I continued to expand the scale and wore on the body. There’s an adaptability that I’m constantly learning to embrace when working with found materials.
FH: What does a typical day in the studio look like for you? LJ: Lately, I’ve been starting with small exercises like quick drawings with pen, colored pencil, and highlighters, that have zero pressure or expectation attached. They are in no way connected to any project I have in the works. It’s so freeing and inspires the energy needed for other projects. After the exercises, I move on to problem solving a new piece I’ve started until I’m able to find that delicious meditative, repetitive state of working, put on a podcast and dive in! Afterwards I take a break to do a little yoga or, more likely, relax in front of the windows of my Baltimore apartment- the views of the sky are insane and truly decompressing. If I’m still feeling fresh later in the day, I’ll play with material combinations or even just browse through my collection. I love rediscovering materials whether it’s through pairings or even a shift in light. Many times, I hesitate to intervene with the materials I’ve collected– they are complete as they are.
Some recent material studies.Study for Gold Veil III
FH: Where do you find inspiration for your work? LJ: Everywhere! As of the past few weeks: Historic jewelry: Roman micro mosaic jewelry, morpho jewelry; exhibitions: Life of a Neuron at Artechouse; books: Wild Souls by Emma Marris, Braided Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer; artists: my sister- Emily Jockel, my students, Julia Künnap, Nils Udo, Helen Britton’s milk plastic series, and JV Collective!
FH: What are you currently working on? Do you have any projects in the works that you’re particularly excited about? LJ: There are so many things on the roster right now, and I’m so excited for them all. In preparation for NYCJW, my sister, a ceramist, and I are collaborating on a few pieces for our exhibition, Sisterhood: Bodies in Proximity, that are outside of the bounds we typically work within, like adding color, and considering the interplay and crossover of our mediums.
I recently went on a cross-country trip to Oregon with photographer, Lavala Harris, and we’re preparing a few additional projects based on that trip. I’m working on a piece for the Baltimore Jewelry Center’s (BJC) Community Challenge, inspired by an archer’s ring within the Walter’s Art Museum collection, using the technique of gold kundan- but with honey bee wings.
BJC, Montgomery College and Towson University are working on a collaborative student/artist show together for Spring 2022. Lastly, I’ll be preparing for a solo exhibition at Gallery Loupe in the near future!
FH: What does The Power of Jewelry mean to you? LJ:The Power of Jewelry comes from the memory it carries. It holds the memory not only of its past lives, but of the maker’s energy and care, of the wearer who finds new meaning, and of their kin who inherit the heirloom. Jewelry is a chain linking together generations, continuously given new life.
Works from Sisterhood: Bodies in Proximity, featuring ceramics by Emily Jockel and jewelry by Luci Jockel.
FH: Anything else you’d like to share? LJ: Please join my sister, Emily Jockel, and I during NYCJW from November 15-21 at The Jewelry Library, for our exhibition, Sisterhood: Bodies in Proximity!
You can find more of Luci’s work on her website, and keep up with her latest work on her Instagram @lucijockel. Luci is represented by Gallery Loupe.
Our sincere thanks to Luci for giving us a glimpse into her studio and process. Text and images courtesy of Luci Jockel; headshot photograph by Lavala Harris. Interview conducted, edited, and compiled by Future Heirloom Editor Jackie Andrews.
Laleh Javaheri-Saatchi in Conversation with Dr. Kim Benzel, Curator in Charge of the Ancient Near Eastern Art Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Laleh Javaheri-Saatchi is a graduate student in Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University studying the arts of ancient West Asia and currently completing a Masters thesis. Her area of interest and research is in ancient forms of bodily ornamentation. Her passion for jewelry is rooted in her family history, Laleh comes from a multi-generational family of jewelers and watch dealers.
In her studies, she repeatedly encounters the theme of layered meanings embedded in ancient jewelry. Ancient jewelry pieces, beyond objects of mere external beauty, carry a multitude of enmeshed meanings: in the materials chosen, the colors, shapes and forms, the iconography displayed, as well as in the techniques of making. In this sense the study of ancient jewelry is akin to an investigation into embedded messages hidden beneath the superficial layers. This is a topic that Dr. Kim Benzel, Curator in Charge of the Ancient Near Eastern Art department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art knows very well. A scholar of ancient West Asia, an expert on ancient jewelry and a goldsmith herself, Dr. Benzel has written extensively on the inherent power and meanings embedded in the materials that make the exceptional jewelry pieces of the ancient world.
Image Above: Dr. Kim Benzel (Left) and Laleh Javaheri-Saatchi (Right)
For a podcast episode produced by Columbia University, Laleh had the opportunity to explore this subject further in conversation with Dr. Benzel. Through an intimate knowledge of materials and techniques, Dr. Benzel shares invaluable information about what it is that made jewelry so meaningful in ancient West Asia. The following are transcribed excerpts from the interview, which is available to listen in its entirety as a podcast episode entitled Ishtar Adorned.
Image Above: This exquisite assemblage of dangling gold leaves with carnelian and lapis lazuli beads made in the 3rd millennium BCE was found at one of the tombs of the Royal Cemetery of Ur and would have been meant to be worn as a headdress. An identical headdress adorned the forehead of Puabi. (Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, image credit www.metmuseum.org)
LALEH JAVAHERI-SAATCHI: Jewelry in ancient Mesopotamia was so much more than mere bodily decoration. We know from textual sources that materials, namely stones and metals such as lapis lazuli, carnelian, gold, or silver, were valued for their special inherent attributes, providing the wearer with protective and healing qualities. In addition, the manipulation of materials allows for yet another level of meaning. Can you speak to us a bit about the importance of the process of making and of meanings in materials?
DR. KIM BENZEL: In my writings what I focus on is not the making in isolation, it is really the chain of activation that starts with the materials. We know from textual sources that all the materials were very important, not only for outward qualities but for inner properties.
Gold for example is charged, not just because it is beautiful, but it is still listed today as among the noble metals because it is so pure and does not tarnish. In the ancient world gold was also given a special status, it was conceived as related to the divine from the very beginning. Its properties of not tarnishing, immutability, purity and shine were all aspects of Mesopotamian aesthetics that were highly valued and that were also equated with the divine. With gold, you have this material that we as humans from antiquity on have perceived as a pure material. There are all these rituals in ancient Mesopotamia that require human manipulation and intervention, gold does not need that. The material is already charged, and only then you add the craftsman or the jeweler. I would argue that in some of the jewelry that was made, especially the jewelry that is made for cult statues and is intimately associated with the divine, the making or manufacturing aspect is in many cases meant to erase the hand of the maker. It goes to this biblical tradition, and this is where it comes from, of a mortal cannot make things that are associated with the divine. There is anecdotal textual evidence that illustrates aspects of that. With the jewelry of Puabi, from The Royal Cemetery at Ur, which I was able to study up-close, what was really evident there was the process of not using solder, which they did have, but using pieces of gold and repeating a very labor-intensive process of heating and hammering, so as not to cut or solder and keep the gold pieces intact and seamless making it hard to perceive that there was a hand behind it. This exceedingly labor-intensive method was another way of activating the divine. It is this ritualized chain of activation from materials to making that in some way removes the hand of the maker. It is very prescribed and rarely does it vary. It just seems to me that the ritual prescription of how to make something was not only to create beauty, but for the expressed purpose of activating the next step, and in my opinion in Ur to activate those dead bodies to become perhaps divine in death or appear divine in death.
Ancient Mesopotamia refers to a region in West Asia that would have occupied modern day Iraq and parts of Iran, Turkey and Syria. The term refers to the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Puabi is the name of a Mesopotamian woman of high status from the 3rd millennium BCE whose rich burial was uncovered at the Royal Cemetery of Ur. The Royal Cemetery at Urrefers to a group of burials excavated at the site of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur (modern day Tell al-Muqayyar in Iraq), these burials were particularly rich in their contents thus believed to have belonged to the highest echelon of the elite of the time.
“It is that chain of activation that makes the jewelry particularly agentive; it has agency to do something to its wearer. In its totality once it is on the body, it does something to the body and my argument would be that it creates the semblance of the divine.”
Dr. Kim Benzel, from “Ishtar Adorned”, Ishtar Diaries podcast series.*
Image Above: This set of gold amulets from the early 2nd millennium BCE Mesopotamia was found as part of a hoard of precious objects. The amulets are meant to represent different gods and goddesses and the techniques of making, such as very fine granulation work, attest to the skill of the ancient goldsmiths. Such amulets would have adorned the bodies of those seeking supernatural protection. Refined ornaments would have been made to bedeck not only human bodies but also the bodies of cult statues of gods and goddesses. (Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, image credit www.metmuseum.org)
LALEH JAVAHERI-SAATCHI: On representations on Mesopotamian cylinder seals of the goddess Ishtar, we see the goddess wearing bracelets, necklaces, or the cross halter she is often seen adorned with. And in the textual sources we see her adorning herself with special stones such as lapis lazuli and carnelian before going into battle or before any great transformative event. Dr. Benzel, we understand why humans need this extra layer of protection, but why do gods?
Ishtar is the great Mesopotamian goddess of love and war.
DR. KIM BENZEL: [As mentioned before], the ultimate purpose of this chain of activation from materials to making and then adorning was to do something to the body. In the case of some jewelry produced in ancient Mesopotamia, it was intimately and directly involved with the divine. Much of the jewelry we know from ancient texts was made specifically to adorn cult statues of gods and goddesses, and as such they were the belongings of those gods and goddesses. We do not have many of these cult statues that have survived, presumably because the bodies of the statues were generally made of wood, they were then literally dressed in fine linen and jewelry and cared for like a biological deity. But on that assumption, that jewelry was not just only adorning the divine, it was an essential part of creating that divine image.
“That divine image was likely not divine until it had all its other dressings and adornments.”
Dr. Kim Benzel, from “Ishtar Adorned”, Ishtar Diaries podcast series.*
DR. KIM BENZEL: In terms of Ishtar, I would say that it is not so much why the gods needed the protection, but it is actually an essential part of being divine for Ishtar. There is no more persuasive argument for that than the very famous text that is titled The Descent of Ishtar. In short, Ishtar is going down to retrieve her lover from the underworld where her sister rules, and on her way down in order to enter the underworld she is required to take off one of her pieces of jewelry at each level as she descends. And when she gets to the bottom all her jewelry is off and it is at this point that we presume she is deactivated, she is no longer in possession of her power and no longer a threat to her sister, the queen of the underworld; and when she returns back up, she gets her jewelry back. And it is all those same pieces of jewelry, the bracelets and the anklets, the head jewelry, and the cross halter.
Image Above: A pair of gold earrings from the Royal Cemetery of the Mesopotamian city of Ur (modern day Tell al-Muqayyar in Iraq). These ornaments made in the 3rd millennium BCE were made from two pieces of thinly worked gold sheet shaped by the goldsmith into hallowed crescents. Other examples of these lunate style earrings were found in the Royal Cemetery of Ur and Puabi was found adorned with a similar oversized pair. (Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, image credit www.metmuseum.org)
“What is very clear is that the jewelry is her power in this text. And so why do gods need it because it is part of their power where we humans need it as a layer of protection.“
Dr. Kim Benzel, from “Ishtar Adorned”, Ishtar Diaries podcast series.*
DR. KIM BENZEL: There are also many other examples from Mesopotamia of rituals [involving jewelry]. There is a text from the site of Mari where it is the jewelry of Ishtar that is displayed and worshipped in its own right. If something has been on a body and has been in contact, sort of this idea of contagion, is it imbued with the same power as the biological deity itself?
Mari is an important ancient Mesopotamian city which would have been located in present day Syria.
There are so many ways of manifesting and representing the divine in ancient Mesopotamia. The fact that this jewelry presumably had touched Ishtar, made it a substitute or a surrogate for Ishtar, as powerful and as imbued with this much agency as the goddess herself. There are also from the 3rd millennium BCE to the 1st millennium BCE many curses in burials warning about jewelry being taken off the body. The jewelry is specifically called out. So it is a very charged category of object in the ancient world, much more so than the agency that we assign today to stones or particular metals with healing or protective properties or particular jewelry pieces we are attached to. It’s on a whole other level in the ancient world.
For more on this topic, you can listen to the full conversation from Ishtar Adorned episode of the Ishtar Diaries podcast series here. You can follow Laleh Javaheri-Saatchi on Instagram @the_body_ornamented, and learn more about Dr. Kim Benzel here.
If you’ve been following along here at FUTURE HEIRLOOM, you know we’re devoted to The Power of Jewelry. We’ve shared our take on the topic, and invited you to share yours, and today we welcome Renu Choudary of The Diamond Talk to share her insights as we kick off a little series featuring influencers, tastemakers, visionaries, educators and artists from around the world showing us the pieces of jewelry that represent what the Power of Jewelry means to them. We’ll let Renu take it from here.
“People will stare. Make it worth their while.” – Harry Winston
Since time immemorial, jewellery has always played a powerful role in enhancing one’s look and also as an extension to one’s personality. Some of the most memorable jewellery pieces for me are in the following categories.
Natural diamonds: These unique, rare and natural gemstones which are formed a billion years back have always been a great source of inspiration to me, for they inspire me to be powerful, strong, resilient and to keep shining bright. Below are a few of my favourite natural diamond jewels which have empowered me.
Necklace by Jacob and Co.
From every angle this brilliant platinum necklace by Jacob and Co. necklace (shown above) sparkles with exceptional diamonds. In the centre is a 54-carat round drop diamond with remarkable brilliance. It takes centre stage for 24 round diamonds totaling 63 carats that line the entire neckline of this remarkable one-of-a-kind jewel. It made a star appearance on the red carpet of this year’s Met Gala, worn by the American model, Gigi Hadid. Here are a few more natural diamond favourites:
A Cartier Art Deco bracelet watch via Paul Fisher
Charlton Art Deco Bangle circa 1935 via Paul Fisher
Color serves as a powerful communication tool and have a great impact on our lives, as it can brighten our mood and add joy and happiness. Since ancient times gemstones are believed to have great significance in protecting the wearer with good health and bring prosperity and luck, on that note I would like to share a few of my favourite color gemstone jewels:
Sapphire Bracelets by Pratiek
Shown above: unheated natural sapphire bracelets by Pratiek. Striking a perfect balance and harmony of colour with the rarest selection of sapphires in this stunning pair of bracelets. Below, a necklace by Margot McKinney featuring an extraordinary 153.33cts amethyst; is surrounded by “Margot Pave” and hung an amazing Australian baroque south sea pearl. This can be worn long or short and with or without the pearl.
Necklace by Margot McKinney
Throughout centuries, pearls have been an epitome of royalty and grace, a simple string of pearls can do wonders! See below a multi-colour natural pearl choker called the Pearl Butterfly followed by a green feathers brooch studded with natural pearls both by Matter Jewels.
Pearl Butterfly Necklace by Matter Jewels
Brooch with green feathers and natural pearls by Matter Jewels
And a few favourites from Assael below. First up a golden South Sea pearl with turquoise: the golden/woody veining in this special turquoise was calling out for golden pearls. The combination is as natural as turquoise with yellow gold, but with luster and volume! Both materials are natural in color.
South Sea pearl and turquoise ring and necklace from Assael.
Below left is a chalcedony and South Sea baroque earrings by Assael – both the chalcedony and baroque South Sea pearls are organic in shape, but the surfaces play off each other… luster versus translucence. They are large, about 22 mm in length, horizontally, and set in platinum.
And finally, below right, a South Sea pearl and emerald-cut diamond ring also by Assael. Diamond with pearl is a classic combination of gems, and it is feeling fresh and even more desirable now. The Natural Diamond Council recently named this combination as one of the most important trends. Assael’s 3.08 ct emerald-cut diamond with a super gem quality 11.2 mm round South Sea pearl is simple, modern and luxurious in its voluptuous platinum mounting.
Pearl earrings and ring by Assael
Renu Choudhary is a Gem & Jewelry consultant based out of Mumbai. She is a 4th generation jewelry enthusiast and a Gemological Institute of America (New York) Diamond Graduate. Renu comes to the jewelry industry-backed by both experience from a generations-old diamond business and a strong influence from her ancestral city, Jaipur’s rich heritage of exceptional gems and exquisite craftsmanship.
She launched her blog The Diamond Talk in 2018 with the intention to promote the Gem & Jewelry Industry on a digital platform. Over the years, she has had the opportunity of jurying prestigious jewelery design awards, visiting multiple trade shows, traveling to the De Beers Diamonds Mines in Botswana, and being a guest speaker at numerous jewelry related seminars and events.
“I strongly believe in curating informative, valuable, and educative content for my global digital family.” With that belief in mind, Renu currently hosts a series of Instagram Live conversations with renowned designers and jewelry and auction houses from across the globe as she continues her mission with The Diamond Talk. Follow her @thediamondtalk.
Thank you, Renu, for sharing your favorite “power” jewels. Follow @nycjewelryweek for more from this series of influential jewelry voices sharing influential and powerful jewelry in their lives.
Written by Renu Choudhary; edited and introduced by JB Jones. Images provided by Renu Choudhary.
Today we’re thrilled to share a special tour of interdisciplinary artist Ali Hval’s solo show, Cosmetic Justice, currently on view at North Iowa Area City College in Mason City, Iowa. We asked Ali to give us the inside scoop on her latest work, her relationship to jewelry, how she began making her quintessential giant wall jewelry sculptures, and what’s next for her practice. Read on for all of that, plus what material she’s working with next, why she’ll never get sick of rhinestones, and of course, lots of images of her gem-encrusted work. Let’s tour Cosmetic Justice!
Before we dive in, here’s a bit more background on Ali: Ali Hval is an interdisciplinary artist currently living and working in Iowa City. Her work combines painting, fabric, ceramic, sculpture, and installation. She received her MFA with Honors at the University of Iowa in Painting and Drawing with a minor concentration in Ceramics in 2019. Ali was a 2015 Windgate Fellow through the Center for Craft in Asheville, North Carolina, and is also a 2021 recipient of the Culture & Resilience Grant from the Iowa Arts Council.
Installation shot of Cosmetic Justice at NIACC in Mason City, Iowa. Photography by Alexis Beucler.
My work is a balancing act: one between the sensuality of forms and the innocence and playfulness of the materials I use: sparkling rhinestones, oversized plastic gems, feathery pom-poms, sumptuous fabrics, glossy vinyl, and liquid latex. I am interested in how women collectively and individually discover their sexuality through clothing, experiences, and relationships. My work is an ongoing attempt to explore ways to embrace my sexuality in ways that are liberating opposed to limiting and based solely on conditioned social and familial expectation. There is some in-between area that exists between these two extreme points on a spectrum, a balance I unearth in my work to understand my own relationship to my body.
The sculptural wall pieces I make are an unconventional marriage between era-specific jewelry, bodily forms, objects of pleasure, and home decor. They embrace, highlight, and empower sensuality and femininity rather than hiding or denying it, as well as acknowledging the awkwardness, humor, and performance that can come with it. My pieces are interdisciplinary in nature, joining the craft-based mediums of ceramics and fabric with painting and sculpture. I use ceramics in an unconventional way, beginning a piece by sculpting something structural that other parts and pieces will later be attached to. Then, I paint the fired ceramic piece with metallic paint (often mixed with eyeshadow!) and meticulously dot it with tiny rhinestones one by one. Finally, I attach other forms made from a variety of materials, like fabric and beauty supplies, to this ceramic component. The completed forms I use reflect my interest in adornment and the relentless critique and politicization of the body: they imply bodies, brooches, earrings, and nipple tassels, among other adornments.
Ali Hval’s Artist Statement for Cosmetic Justice
Installation shot of Cosmetic Justice at NIACC in Mason City, Iowa. Photography by Alexis Beucler.
Future Heirloom: What led you to start making these oversized jewelry forms? Ali Hval: Increasing a piece of jewelry’s scale automatically gives them a more powerful presence. Being quiet and understated never felt like the right move for my work, especially now during a time where women’s bodily autonomy is being threatened. Hanging at the height of an average person, my pieces move beyond being a pair of earrings to asserting an overwhelming presence in a room: they become a stand-in for a body. They are assertive and loud, demanding attention. Covered in materials seen as archetypically feminine, like rhinestones, glossy latex, and glitzy fabrics, these objects call out to a viewer from across the room. The specific forms I use have elements to them which, when increased in size and wrapped in shimmering fabric and rhinestones, become more seductive and bodily.
A lot of the forms I use are actually drawn from jewelry and accessories I already own, and the ones that aren’t are a culmination of what I unearth from the vast world of that wonderful little thing we call online shopping. A lot of my research for the appearance of these things comes from browsing accessory stores online: I pluck elements from vintage and contemporary jewelry alike, collecting and organizing screen captures into a folder on my phone or computer. I study the chain of a necklace, the post and hook settings of an earring, or the proportions of a bracelet, then work to collage and edit them into three-dimensional works in my studio.
The very first oversized jewelry form I created was a massive pair of five-foot tall tassel earrings inspired by a pair I own: ones with a very similar form, although with slightly different proportions and coloration. The tassels are made from a deep pink fabric that shimmers red and white, and the earring “caps” are ceramic painted in gold and studded with iridescent rainbow rhinestones. Increased to this size and hung on the wall in a pair inches from one another, they resemble nipple tassels as well. After making my first piece like this, I wanted to continue exploring this feeling of how adornment generates awareness of being seen in a space. I am treading this line between something sexual and something more seemingly innocent. A small piece of jewelry enlarged and abstracted becomes performative from across the room, an expression of bodily autonomy and self-awareness of femininity.
Future Heirloom:A quintessential description of your work would be decadent material use. How did you start working with the materials you use most frequently in your work? Do you have a favorite material? AH: The first time I ever worked with fabric was as an undergrad student. In art school, one of my professors always repeated the importance of artists being resourceful above everything else. Taking his words to heart, I chopped up my twin-sized bed sheet into squares which I then covered in bleeding black shapes. This became my first floor installation—absolutely punk rock compared to the gilded and sugary-sweet colors saturating my sculptures now. Regardless of what that first piece looked like, I recall enjoying the fluidity of fabric and how easily it could be folded up, carried, and worked on elsewhere.
Later in grad school, I attended an artist talk by Faith Ringgold, a woman who uses the medium of a quilt. She spoke about how she could have a show ready to travel simply by rolling up her quilts and throwing them in her car trunk. I loved the ease of that and still think about portability and storage in my work, especially as someone who lives alone and makes a lot of sculptures! I think practicality and sustainability is not discussed enough in the production of art. You not only have to enjoy making your work, but also be able to sustain the way you’re making and storing it depending on your living circumstances. There’s only so much of your own art you can hang in your living space, and with my work, I can easily fold up the fabric bits as they are not permanently attached to the ceramic structures.
Installation shot of Cosmetic Justice at NIACC in Mason City, Iowa. Photography by Alexis Beucler.
I began incorporating shimmery fabrics and sparkly beads throughout undergrad and during my time spent working under the Windgate Fellowship, but rhinestone-bedazzled ceramic was a new addition to my work in graduate school. I loved being able to use ceramics to create a rigid structure that the softer, fabric-based elements of my work could play off. My ceramic components, though thick and heavy, are still fragile. The material lends itself to the delicacy of jewelry, regardless of how large the resulting sculpture is. I keep my ceramic components small and compact enough to be portable—I can dot them with rhinestones at a table in a cafe or even travel with them on a plane safely if they’re covered in enough bubble wrap.
As for a favorite material, I think it’s impossible I’ll ever really get sick of rhinestones. I love how they can transform a surface, smoothing out the imperfections (which I see as a metaphor for how filters and screens alter our online appearance) by distracting from what is below. I use rhinestones so much that at this point in my life, they’ll just randomly fall off my body or from my clothing, leaving a trail of sparkles in my wake (and, unfortunately for them, in my friends’ homes.)
Installation shot of Cosmetic Justice at NIACC in Mason City, Iowa. Photography by Alexis Beucler.
FH: The dramatic, oversized scale of your work is so fun—I’m curious if you would ever consider making wearable works? Why or why not? AH: A few times, I actually have produced works which are wearable, though they are clothing-adjacent pieces used in a performative context: they are flowing, cumbersome garments with hand-sewn tendrils and long sleeves draping from them. Such garments, however, are not practical for day-to-day wear! I have actually been thinking about making smaller maquettes of my work with porcelain and the tiniest rhinestones. I’ve had sketches for what seems like ages on them, but have not yet gotten around to creating them. I can also envision these smaller pieces being thorough sketches for larger projects that need an abundance of planning. I’m interested in being able to move through ideas a bit faster by shrinking the scale. I would not, however, see them as my actual studio work since they wouldn’t hold space in the same way, which is one thing holding me back from producing them.
Regardless, since my work already holds such an obvious relationship to the body, smaller pieces make sense in that regard. To literally put them on a person’s body would be a more direct and accessible version of that relationship, albeit much smaller. I think another roadblock I have is constructing every part of the jewelry. For example, I don’t just want to create a bedazzled pendant and stick it on a leather rope and call it a necklace; I would need to be thoughtful in how I approach making the necklace strand integrate with the rest of the jewelry.
Installation shot of Cosmetic Justice at NIACC in Mason City, Iowa. Photography by Alexis Beucler.
FH: What feelings/thoughts do you hope to evoke in the viewer with your work? AH: Some viewers feel uncomfortable when first looking at my work—mostly in that they are trying to figure out what these objects are. Some people immediately jump to, “Earrings, jewelry!” while others cock their heads and think, “Nipple tassels? A chain that is somehow sexy?” The general forms of my work feel familiar, sensual, and bodily, but once engulfed in shiny fabrics and glittering rhinestones, tread the line of being giant jewelry pieces. I hope this relationship between the sensuality of forms and playfulness of materials brings to light the effect that adornment can have on a body. Since my pieces act as stand-ins for a person, I want viewers to think about how a body can change based on how it is adorned.
One thing I have been thinking about in regards to all this is the history and timeline of the high heel. The first high heel recorded was a product of war made for Persian soldiers (in what is now Iran) as far back as the 10th century. Men would wear them to retain a stable position in their stirrups on horseback during war, specifically when they stood up to fire a bow. Centuries later in France, King Louis XIV was documented as wearing a colorful variety of heels, as seen in painted portraits of him. He also encouraged noblemen in his court to wear them. For him, the higher the heel, the more powerful the wearer. As soon as the 18th century rolled around, men and women were both wearing iterations of the high heels we think of today with a block near the wearer’s heel. Naturally, men wanted to seperate themselves from what women wore, and there was a divide in heels for each gender: women’s heels were narrower and more decorative, and men’s more utilitarian. Eventually, society deemed heels as purely decorative and solely reserved for women. Of course, now we see contemporary examples of men wearing heels: David Bowie, for instance, broke a lot of boundaries in gendered fashion.
There is much more to the trajectory of high heels than what is described above, but it is so intriguing to me how social hierarchies, gender constructs, and adornment altered this one object in the eyes of many. My work feels like a similar conversation to how a wearer can alter the context of something being worn. Instead, how can a material’s context change based on the body it inhabits?
If You Tease, 2021. Ceramic, rhinestones, acrylic, cotton piping, and latex.
FH: Do you have any new jewelry sculptures in the works that you’re particularly excited about? AH: I recently acquired a grant from the Iowa Arts Council that allowed me to indulge in materials I normally wouldn’t even dare to glance at. One of these materials is a few yards of powder blue liquid latex fabric. I typically work with a color palette imbued with pinks, reds, and purples, as they feel more bodily to me, so powder blue will be a new color for a new series! I’m working on a variation of a pair of nipple tassels with some chains dangling from them that will be wrapped in this blue latex and then tangled into a huge knot. I’m trying to incorporate some new moves in my pieces to disrupt the symmetry of my work.
Detail of If You Tease, 2021. Ceramic, rhinestones, acrylic, cotton piping, and latex.
FH: What is your own relationship to jewelry? Your work, of course, is pretty maximal—is that indicative of your personal style as well, or is it specific to your work? AH: My day-to-day style is not minimalistic in the least! The jewelry I wear is gold and glitzy, and I do my best to blend atypical pieces with more classic ones into my wardrobe. I shoot for wearing heirloom and vintage pieces, or jewelry which is crafted from more sustainable materials. Most of the vintage jewelry I purchase is sourced from eBay or Etsy, and I can spend tons of time scouring those websites for quirky but timeless looking pieces. My jewelry has dangles, chains, tassels, gemstones, and hoops that function like tiny door knockers—very reminiscent of the work I make. Though my jewelry choices ten years ago were less conscious of my work, now I find myself choosing jewelry which echoes forms I use.
Tether and Lead in Cosmetic Justice. Photography by Alexis Beucler.
FH: What does The Power of Jewelry mean to you? AH: I have heirloom jewelry passed down to me from my mother’s and father’s side. Even when I thought a certain piece of jewelry wasn’t my “style,” it became part of it since it was the style of my mother, my grandmother, and so on. It adapted into my style while still retaining the unique histories of the previous wearers, just as my family history plays a role in the genetics that give me my appearance and personality.
To know that I have an ivory ring, pin, and necklace set that my great grandmother wore is not only indicative of old jewelry’s durability, but it connects me to anyone who has held this piece of jewelry in their collection for such a long period of time. Clothing can be a bit more difficult to pass down as everyone is a different size and shape, and clothing cannot always be as sturdy as the metals of jewelry. Jewelry, however, is always the perfect fit. A necklace will fit every wearer. A ring can fit on any finger, and even if it can’t, it can be strung on a gold chain like a bead. Earrings, both clip-on and pierced, are one-size fits all. Jewelry has lasted for centuries and will continue to do so! It traces the generations of a family tree and garners meaning as it traverses time.
The Power of Jewelry is the compelling force that radiates from a piece. It manifests itself visually in that it doesn’t need a tag or sign that tells you its creator, origins, and meanings. I aim to create power in my work by giving it the ability to hold its own space; my pieces do not need to be worn on a body to hold meaning. Rather, they project power through their size and the abundance and repetition of materials I use on them, materials which are viewed as typically being meant for women’s adornment. By doing so, I create sculptures that are empowering, self-aware, and unabashedly feminine. For me, this is The Power of Jewelry.
FH: Finally, how can our readers best support your work? AH: You can follow me on Instagram @alihval and share anything you like with a friend or colleague! For anyone out there who works in an art department and needs an exhibition full of sparkling gems or a guest lecturer, I’m your lady!
Installation shot of Cosmetic Justice at NIACC in Mason City, Iowa. Photography by Alexis Beucler.
Cosmetic Justice is on view until October 15th at North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City, Iowa. See more of Ali Hval’s work on her website, alihval.com, and follow her on Instagram at @alihval.
Special thanks to Ali Hval for taking the time to share her work and insight into her process with us. Artist statement and interview responses written by Ali Hval; interview conducted and edited by Jackie Andrews. Exhibition images by Alexis Beucler; images provided by Ali Hval.
This week, we’re excited to introduce you to The Jewelry Edit, a jewelry platform that is reshaping the way we shop. Launched in September 2020, The Jewelry Edit is dedicated to supporting and expanding a network of diverse, sustainable, and emerging designers, giving customers a personalized and thoughtful shopping experience, and building meaningful relationships between designers and their customers. There’s much more to come from The Jewelry Edit on Future Heirloom, but first, we asked The Jewelry Edit’s founder, Rosena Sammi, to tell us more about her platform. We spoke with Rosena about her background in the jewelry industry, what led her to start The Jewelry Edit, how the site reflects her own values, and—of course—what jewelry she’s loving currently. Let’s chat with Rosena:
Rosena Sammi
Future Heirloom: The Jewelry Edit isn’t just a shopping site, it’s a catered experience. Can you walk us through how a customer can navigate the site? Rosena Sammi of The Jewelry Edit: That’s exactly right, it’s a catered experience. The moment you arrive on the site you know that you’re shopping all socially responsible brands. Part of our magic is that we carefully vet and select all the designers we work with to ensure they adhere to our Sustainability Code of Ethics. But you can get even more personal — with a few clicks you can tailor your experience to your specific interests, whether it’s shopping only Black designers or AAPI designers. Then there’s our personalized shopping services — engage with a survey about yourself, upload a selfie, and we will pair you with a personal stylist and apply our proprietary algorithms to determine what jewelry best suits your face and your desires. In other words, it’s all about you.
FH: You have a really unique Resident Stylist program, where you brought in one of our favorite stylists, Nicole Chapoteau. Could you tell us more about Nicole’s role? RS: As Fashion Director at Vanity Fair, Nicole definitely brings red-carpet glamour to The Jewelry Edit. She also brings the experience and perspective of a Black stylist who has been in the accessories industry for many years. One “Edit” I especially loved was when Nicole styled me for a shoot in NYC, which we called NYC Is Back. We were able to showcase some of our most exciting sustainable and diverse talent and capture behind the scenes, real-world examples of the hows and whys around how Nicole does what she does. There’s so much to learn and so many looks to steal and it’s all chronicled in her Edits on our website.
Nicole Chapoteau styling Rosena Sammi for the NYC Is Back shoot. Photographer: Michael Dumler, Assistant: Micaela Ribello.
FH: You have such an exciting roster of established and emerging talent mixed together. It’s so wonderful to discover new designers or new work each time we visit. Tell us more about why this is important to the platform and how you discover the talent you feature. RS: It’s phenomenally important, not only to us, but to our entire community. We love providing a platform for established and emerging designers who are diverse. The talent that we bring together can be hard to find on your own, but that’s why we’re here. We love being a platform where customers can always come and find someone or something new and exciting. Something we hear so often from our community is that they absolutely love a particular designer but why hadn’t they ever heard of her before? A huge challenge for new designers is finding retail space to be featured and discovered. Department stores often have barriers that prevent some designers from being seen. And that’s especially true when it comes to diverse designers. But again, that’s why we’re here and why we love doing what we do. I love curating new talent. I love meeting them, speaking to them and learning about their journeys. I find them through word of mouth, walking the shows and through my connections within the industry. But also by voraciously reading anything and everything on jewelry (including all the great content coming out of NYC Jewelry Week!)
FH: We know that “democratization” of the jewelry buying experience is important to you personally and was an impetus behind launching The Jewelry Edit. We love this! Tell us why and how TJE is breaking down the barriers of a traditional jewelry retail experience: RS: We need to dismantle a lot of the unnecessary, and frankly bloated, infrastructure that has been built up around buying jewelry. It does nothing but separate you from the jewelry you would love (if only you knew about it and could find it). Over the years, buying jewelry has become more and more intimidating. From walking into jewelry stores and feeling you’re not dressed appropriately. To feeling shy or nervous that you’re not asking the “right” questions and that you might be mistaken for someone who doesn’t know “enough”. Sometimes you’ll encounter store employees who don’t know much about the designer and can’t really answer the questions you most care about, like: Where was it made? How and with what? Sustainably? Who is the designer and what inspires her? What are her values? Other times you can only get personalized service at luxury fine jewelry stores (especially if you look like you’re about to spend a lot of money!) But then only for a limited set of designers chosen by a multinational conglomerate. You deserve more access, more selection, more information, and more insight. My goal was to create something personalized and special that puts the least number of obstacles between you and your perfect pieces from designers you won’t find at the “mall”. Our stylists are ready to answer any and all questions. Many of our clients are trying to choose jewelry for a specific outfit or a special event and they may send their stylist a pic of the dress they’re planning to wear. Others are simply building their jewelry wardrobe and we’ll work with them to review the jewelry they already own so that they can freshen up their collection by mixing in some new pieces. Recently we helped a husband curate a “re-emerge wardrobe” for his wife for their wedding anniversary. Put simply, interesting and innovative designers with beautiful pieces that speak to you should be available to everyone, minus the obstacles. Welcome to the Jewelry Edit.
FH: Let’s talk about equity and representation. We think the world wants to purchase and wear jewelry made by all types of people with different visions and different stories to share…seems simple enough, but that hasn’t been the case in mainstream retail. You are seeking out jewelers of all races and backgrounds to be a part of TJE and that’s so refreshing to see. Tell us why this is important to you and the platform. RS: As a woman of color myself, it’s part of my DNA to be aware and active when it comes to breaking down barriers for minorities. Throughout my own history as a designer, I rarely met a woman of color who was a buyer, merchandiser, owner or CEO. There is a dearth of diverse women in these roles, especially at the major retailers. These are very real obstacles in the way of change and specifically in the way of diverse designers getting shelf space and getting in front of customers. While we all have favorite designers that we see across many outlets, isn’t it fun to find something unique too? While we certainly carry many designers well known and even iconic in the industry, we also love to highlight new talent. At The Jewelry Edit we don’t focus on reputations or trends we focus on connections—making a connection between our client and the designer.
FH: What are you crushing on right now on the site? Tell us who and what. RS: The Vervet Earrings by We Dream In Colour is one of my favorites on the site right now. I love the playfulness in the design and the hand crafted details. I also love creating drama with my jewelry and We Dream In Colour always delivers.
The Vervet earrings from We Dream In Colour.
I really stepped up my earring game with earlobe wraps from the Parisian designer Jolie Bijoux. They’re an investment piece, but they’re bejeweled candy I can’t keep my eyes off!
The meticulous details in Jennie Kwon’s earrings and rings have me coming back for more every month. Right now it’s her use of colored gemstones that’s helping me amp up my color palette for fall.
Jam + Rico is a brand I recently discovered. The designs are joyful and speak to the designer’s heritage. The Carmen Earrings are now a staple in my wardrobe.
L to R: Jolie Bijoux earring, Jam + Rico Cowrie Bangles and earring, Jennie Kwon earring
FH: Your background is as a jewelry designer. What led you to shift your focus to TJE? RS: Jewelry is part of my DNA, as I think it is for most South Asians. It’s such an important part of our cultural identity and it’s always been a passion for me. After almost a decade practicing law (yes my path to jewelry was a circuitous one!) I embarked on a career in jewelry. Being able to partner my culture with my career was incredibly rewarding. But eventually, after much success working with major department stores, famous boutiques and A-List celebrities, I grew disillusioned. I grew disillusioned with not only the lack of diversity of the people I was working with, but with the rise of fast fashion itself. In jewelry, fast fashion was nothing more than a race to the bottom. I was being asked to make things quicker and more cheaply than is fair. And jewelry was moving away from something to be treasured, to something to be disposed of on a season to season basis. I saw the disparity between being offered champagne and coffee table books at heritage brands, and turning a cheap turnstile at a fast fashion store.
The most common question I would hear was where to buy unique jewelry and how to put it together. So I answered it by creating The Jewelry Edit.
FH: TJE promotes “slow jewelry” in lieu of fast fashion and a throw away lifestyle. You mentioned your disillusionment with that disposability — can you elaborate on how those values play out on The Jewelry Edit? RS: We have a Code of Ethics that we have all our designers get behind. It ensures that we support and promote designers that are aligned with our mission of working towards a sustainable jewelry industry. The relationship between “sustainability” and “jewelry” is complicated, but we need to address it. It’s often difficult for emerging designers to have the budget to ensure their jewelry meets the highest of ethical and sustainable standards. Heritage brands, with all their resources, have only started to take on these goals in recent years. But we want our designers to embrace sustainability on any scale, and we work with them as they navigate the steps they can take towards that goal. Maybe they can use recycled metals, but they aren’t yet able to trace all their stones? Every journey starts with a single step. We’re proud to be walking together with our designers on that journey.
FH: We love that TJE cultivates a relationship with customers, and values sharing the story of the maker with buyers — it offers something you don’t often see in a retail space. Why was this important to you to include? RS: Our most treasured jewelry is jewelry that tells a story. And often that story comes in knowing the story behind the jewelry itself. We love connecting customers with jewelry that will mean something to them. With every designer, we have a “why we love them” section, it shows that we really invest in each designer, we know them and we know their craft. Maybe it’s where the piece was made, how it was made, or the inspiration behind it. The more you know about your jewelry the more you can share with other people. When people say to me “that’s a great pair of earrings” I love being able to share with them why I love them too. If you love something you want to share it. We’ll help you find the pieces you’ll love for years to come.
FH: Finally, are there any last inside insights you’d like to give our readers? What’s coming up that we should get excited about? RS: One thing I’m definitely excited about right now is The Jewelry Edit’s panel for NYC Jewelry Week. “The Need For Diversity In The Jewelry Industry: The Importance of Being Seen”.
See more from The Jewelry Edit on their website, thejewelryedit.com, and follow them on Instagram @jewelryedit. You can read more about Rosena here, and learn more about The Jewelry Edit’s Resident Stylist Nicole Chapoteau here. Join the NYC Jewelry Week mailing list to be alerted when details about The Jewelry Edit’s panel discussion are released.
Special thanks to Rosena Sammi for taking the time to the share the inside scoop on The Jewelry Edit with us. Interview responses written by Rosena Sammi; interview compiled and edited by Jackie Andrews. Images provided by Rosena Sammi and The Jewelry Edit; photography for the NYC Is Back shoot by Michael Dumler, assisted by Micaela Ribello.
Yesterday, NYCJW Co-founder JB Jones spoke with Jodie Marie Smith, the curator of the current iteration of EXHIBITIONIST, on Instagram Live. Today, we’re sharing a special extended interview with Jodie.
Before we dive in, let’s start with a bit more about Exhibitionist, NYCJW’s online exhibition space. On the Exhibitionist platform, we ask six exceptional jewelers to respond to prompts about their practice and business that relate to their personal history and the ever-changing world around them. For its second iteration, we invited Jodie to curate which jewelers would be involved.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Jodie Marie Smith, she is a San Francisco based writer, trend forecaster and creative consultant specialising in the jewellery and luxury industries. With a background in fine jewellery and having recently emigrated from London, Jodie has written for Current Obsession, The Future Lab, Rapaport, 1st Dibs, Adorn Insight, The Adventurine, Jewelry Connoisseur and The Jewellery Cut, amongst others. Her most recent series of articles explores digital jewellery – including NFTs, the metaverse, blockchain technology, digital fashion and dressing, and gen z consumer identities amongst other future-facing topics.
With that, let’s dive into the interview!
JB Jones: “Non Fungible Tokens (NFT’s) are to the 2020s what IT girls were to the 2000s: ubiquitous and securing online attention wherever their name is attached…” while this doesn’t directly pertain to jewelry, (read Jodie’s article and see how it does on Current Obsession) I wanted to start with this because it’s about your approach. You have a way of taking something that might seem out of reach, and creating an entry point for it for people who didn’t think they cared about NFT’s or in this case, jewelry. It’s within that space, too, that was where EXHIBITIONIST was born – an idea to create a space that is about accessibility and understanding – an entry point into the minds of visionaries in the field and an entry point into their work.
JB Jones for Future Heirloom:Why was it of interest to you to take on this curation? Jodie Marie Smith: It was an absolute joy of a project to be part of! To ask jewelers to curate their own selections for an exhibition according to what specific designs mean to them is a really interesting way of showcasing their relationships to their creations. I feel like this format really gives the creators more control and ‘ownership’ in forming their own narrative. It was a big undertaking from each jeweler to provide us with so much information and to muse on the topics we asked about, so I want to extend my thanks to all of them again for that! Also, any opportunity to showcase the jewelers I love is genuinely exciting, I’m thrilled at the idea of people discovering jewelers they hadn’t encountered before or reading their interviews and giving a new perspective on a jeweler they may already be familiar with.
Theresia KyaloGearry Suen
Future Heirloom: Can you give us a glimpse into your curatorial process? How (if at all) do you feel that your curatorial vision aligns with your interests and background in the jewelry industry? JMS: My professional background is in fine / high jewellery, and I was living in London for most of my career, so any selection of jewellers I made would have to include high jewellers, (VRAM, Ming Lampson and Gearry Suen) and at least a couple of London based jewellers (Ming and Gearry.) Of the three fine jewellers in this exhibition, I have been a long term supporter of them, since the moment I was introduced to each one, I fell in love and have shouted about them as much as possible for a while. My personal background is that I’m from a working class family in Northern England, with absolutely no connection to the jewellery world. I can’t pretend that this won’t have shaped my perspective on the jewellery industry, and particularly some of the outdated attitudes which are associated with traditional fine jewellers. Basically, I don’t think that high value materials necessarily have any bearing on what is or isn’t fine or high jewellery. Not all expensive jewellery is created equal! There are pieces which retail for millions which have had less thought put into them than pieces which retail for $500. Craftsmanship and technique – whether through extraordinary feats of talent, engineering, or simply imagination, are what make me gasp. All of this contributes to why this selection of jewelry had to be so diverse – and we also wanted to reflect and appeal to the spectrum of tastes of New York Jewelry Week’s audience!
Claire WebbGearry Suen
FH: The jewelers you’ve chosen include a range of techniques and materials, and a mixture of fine and art jewelry approaches. Was that combination of approaches important to your curatorial vision? JMS: Of course, as with every initiative NYCJW leads, we wanted to present as diverse a range of six jewellers as we possibly could. Last year, I came to NYCJW with the idea of a global trend panel, as I felt I was sick of hearing the Eurocentric / US market trends dominate every single conversation, as if there were no cultural or geographical nuance to the concept of ‘trends’ at all. Those echo chambers create redundant perspectives for global digital platforms. For Exhibitionist, I wanted to be true to my taste, and that in itself needs to be diverse in the work I do. If I only wrote about / shared / created content which focused on heritage European jewellery houses and ignored everything else going on in this industry, I’d be failing at saying anything new or at all relevant, in my opinion. This diversity doesn’t just mean gender, race, nationality, geography, but in artistic background, style, cultural influences, approaches, markets, taste. Essentially who their consumers are, who their audience is. Curation is another overused term, but I believe it is a talent in itself that has value – when you place something alongside anything else, a monologue becomes a conversation, and each different element re-contextualises the other. I LOVE the idea of someone who is already a Gearry Suen fan finding the similarly colorful, maximalist joy of Claire Webb through this series, or vice versa. Punk influences are interpreted into jewellery by Chris Habana and Ming Lampson in completely different ways. Disciples of minimalism seeing the thread between forms which VRAM and Theresia Kyalo have sculpted.
Theresia KyaloVRAM
FH: What led you to choose these six jewelers?
Jodie Marie Smith on Gearry Suen: Though based in London after studying at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art, Gearry was born in China, and many elements of his aesthetic, his artistic practices, his philosophy, are intertwined with his heritage and background. I discovered Gearry early on, right as he graduated in 2020 and was lauded with accolades from The Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council Competition, the Goldsmiths Company Award and Theo Fennell’s Gilded Youth awards. My first reaction was non-stop talking to my husband about how amazingly talented this designer is and how important he was going to become, I knew everyone who saw the pieces and images I’d seen would be blown away. I think it’s so rare that a question of taste doesn’t come into a jewellers’ success, I find it hard to imagine anyone who’s ever cared about jewellery in any way wouldn’t agree that his jewellery is objectively mind-blowing. The experimental forms, the surreal references, the gemstone architecture – these are jewellery sculptures. There’s a lot of argument about categorisation in certain quarters of the industry – but no one could deny that Gearry Suen makes art jewellery – museum quality, investment pieces with the highest level of artistry and finish. I mean, they could try, but I’d fight them.
Processed with VSCO with c8 presetWorks by Gearry Suen.
Jodie Marie Smith on Claire Webb: Claire Webb’s jewellery is a relatively recent obsession of mine, but when I say obsession, I’m not being hyperbolic. The first time I saw it, I kept telling anyone who would listen that it was the jewellery from my childhood dreams come to life. The mixtures of shapes, cuts and colours of gems and crystals calls to mind cartoon gemstones in all of the 1950s and 1960s classic Disney films I watched hundreds of times as a child. The neon, electric coloured foils in the Yours by Claire Webb line and the substantial coloured gems, the way they’re set perfectly imperfectly in bulbous, organic looking resin. There is an element of charm that comes with this kind of craft. They’re fantastically, unabashedly fun.
Works by Claire Webb.
Jodie Marie Smith on Ming Lampson: I’ve never mentioned this to her, but Ming Lampson was the first designer who I can remember that spoke to me with the same enthusiasm and warmth she had for anyone else in the room. That may seem like that should be expected, but that wasn’t my experience as a relative newcomer in the industry until I was in Ming’s office holding her designs, my eyes bulging out of my head with joy. It really meant something to me to be accepted for my passion and knowledge rather than perceived status. Regardless of her character, Ming’s jewellery is breathtaking. If anyone ever gets to see, and even touch her pieces in person, I implore you to. It will be worth whatever you have to do!
Works by Ming Lampson.
Jodie Marie Smith on VRAM: VRAM! His popularity at this years’ Couture exhibition in Las Vegas says everything. A jewellery journalist and editor favourite, for sure. I think about buying a VRAM piece about once a month, I can’t get these pieces of wearable sculpture out of my head – it’s just a matter of indecision that I haven’t got one yet! To paint a picture of the type of jeweller he is: the man himself is the most stylish man I’ve ever seen – a very successful internet presence could be based on his outfits alone. VRAM’s studio, workshop, atelier, all of it, is in house. He is an artist whose medium is jewellery, primarily the most tactile, ergonomic, just-have-to-touch sinuous yellow gold forms, often left undecorated or with intricate sapphire pavé. VRAM’s singular, distinct vision makes these pieces unmistakeable.
Works by VRAM.
Jodie Marie Smith on Theresia Kyalo: It’s hard to remember exactly when I first encountered Theresia Kyalo’s work, but I believe it was through working with the Global Trend Panel for last year’s NYCJW, when the writer Mazzi Odu showcased a plethora of African jewellers and the trends she was observing in that locality. I love the simple lines of Theresia’s designs, but the confidence and singularity in the headpieces and face jewellery in particular are so striking. It’s really refining jewellery down to its most concise interpretation – metal forms circling and waving around the contours of the face, head and body. There’s not an ounce of superfluousness here, every piece is very pure, often achieved with just one material. While some of Theresia’s designs are more suited to everyday wear and are more accessible, the dramatic headpieces and face jewellery would not look out of place on any fashion week catwalk or high fashion editorial. I love the strength and confidence displayed here by Theresia in creating this type of jewellery and championing her vision and understanding of the material. For me, although technique, style and execution are enormously different, it’s that same confidence that VRAM has in his hand-crafted yellow gold designs without any gemstone embellishment. It brings me back to the joy and beauty of these metals without adornment (don’t get me wrong, I love gems, hard stones, resins, reused plastics, ingenious material embellishment in jewellery) but there is something so deeply soulful and ancient about forefronting the metal without interruption.
Works by Theresia Kyalo.
Jodie Marie Smith on Chris Habana: Selecting Chris Habana to be part of this Exhibitionist series really speaks to my love for more punk inspired, subversive jewellery designs and the way that a new crop of pop culture celebrities are embracing this aesthetic, bleeding this into the mainstream through what are conventionally considered pretty shocking themes. I think there are different performative personas within each of us, and Chris Habana’s jewellery appeals to a sexy, almost agressive and androgynous element of my tatse. The extraordinary pieces which Chris and his team create – particularly for massively popular music videos for people like Doja Cat, Cardi B and Lizzo, stage performances for artists like Lil Nas and Kim Petras, and red carpet moments like The Met Gala for SZA, Saweetie, and Kylie Jenner – are at the forefront of how the public sees body jewellery and jewelled fashion in this moment. I think the term ‘celebrity jeweller’ has come to mean something less cool over time as it’s been used as a marketing speak, and this work doesn’t define his creative output, but even a casual scroll through his instagram proves to me that Chris Habana has been defining where the visual zeitgeist is right now. It’s difficult to estimate how influential he’s been in shaping where jewellery and fashion’s relationship is in 2021, and as we move into 2022.
Works by Chris Habana.
FH: The prompts were chosen by NYCJW last year, and you chose to keep those themes this year. Could speak to why you made that decision? JMS: For me, the looseness of these themes, rather than the conventional formal question structure which is much more leading in interviews, really allowed for a huge breadth of answers from the selection of designers. The more open the questions were, the more we got a true sense of each individual. I feel like NYCJW really gave as close to a blank slate as possible with these themes which each designer spoke to – it’s the interview equivalent of saying tell us about your work, yourself and your recent experience however you see fit. Each individual is fully represented through their answers and their selection of jewellery to showcase each theme – their personalities shine through and I feel that’s often difficult to achieve and showcase in an organised and coherent way for a collective of designers like this.
Gearry SuenClaire WebbChris HabanaMing LampsonFour responses to pivot: Gearry Suen, Claire Webb, Chris Habana, and Ming Lampson.
FH: A central theme in Exhibitionist is reflection on the current moment. Could you speak about how the artists responded to this? JMS: Each artist had such an interesting response to the “pivot” prompt – though there was definitely a familiar thread running through their individual answers. Without repeating their quotes verbatim, everyone seemed to have had quite profound experiences throughout the last 18 months, most spoke about slowing down, redressing balances, prioritizing what’s significant, and focusing on family and their team. For an artist like Gearry, the timing of the pandemic and all of the restrictions surrounding it completely changed the trajectory of his experience as a newly graduated designer: with so many accolades, he would’ve normally been showing his pieces in exhibitions or privately all around the world, and it’s such a funny thing to think that the inability to see the pieces in person for some may have made their desire to even stronger! The first time the public can go to an exhibit to see his pieces in person in Europe or the UK, there’s going to be a stampede! All of this is to say, everyone in this curation found positives within the extraordinary amount of negatives.
FH: Were there any particularly unexpected or surprising responses to your prompts? If so, what were they? JMS: I loved Chris Habana’s explanation of The Barbed Wire Necklace:
“The barbed wire charms are quintessentially punk with sharp-ish points that may prick the wearer if not worn properly. I imagine other jewelry brands worrying that ‘sharp’ points may not be consumer friendly but this is a consummate CHRISHABANA piece and many of our friends and fans actually love it! I try not to create designs that are too ‘easy’ or understandable. I think it’s our duty as designers to always elevate the consumer’s idea of what is wearable – to challenge them so that culture can move forward!”
Chris Habana
To me, this is the mindset of an artist, creating without an eye on trends, or conventions, and just trusting their creativity, allowing those who ‘get’ it to enjoy the pure, unfiltered, undiluted version of this idea. I wondered why I loved this concept and this answer so much, and by accident, I was reminded of this a few days ago, my husband grabbed my hand to direct me towards something in a gallery in excitement. My placeholder engagement ring (until I find on the perfect *the one* which might never happen as I’m too picky) was chosen to not look too much like a conventional ring – it’s a tension set diamond on the most comfortable, rounded, thick gold band I’ve ever worn, and the diamond is constantly sitting with the culet JUST touching my skin. When he grabs my hand, out of love, excitement, or rushing across a street, the culet ever so slightly digs into my skin. It doesn’t hurt, it barely leaves an impression, sometimes the lightest scratch, but it’s this very powerful feeling of the diamond reminding me it’s there, this symbol of our love and marriage being a beautiful thing that is not sitting there passively, it’s engaging with my body.
FH: What feelings or impressions do you hope to evoke in the viewer with this group of jewelers? JMS: Fundamentally, I wanted this to be an exciting and unexpected selection of jewellers, and I wanted people to experience these pieces as richly as possible through a digital exhibition. Without sounding too pretentious, I would love this to feel like a journey. When the reader navigates this digital exhibition, whichever order you read these interviews and take in the stories shared behind these important designs, I really do feel we got to journey around into the mindsets of each designer. We were so fortunate to have everyone be very generous in sharing so much in depth insight into how these jewellers think, work, and see their creative output. Obviously, every reader’s personal taste comes into play, and some have very specific types of jewellery they are interested in engaging with, but I hope there is something which appeals to everyone and something which surprises everyone at the same time.
FH: Finally, please tell us: what does the Power of Jewelry mean to you? JMS: I tried so hard to come up with an answer to this that offered something new, but too many clever people have mused on this before for me to come up with some earth-shattering insights. For me, The Power of Jewelry changes depending on who I am that day, not all of my jewellery looks the same, or have the same purpose. I wear at least 5 pieces of inherited jewellery owned by 5 different women in my family every day, and have done since I was old enough for my Mum to trust me with them. The power of these pieces is pure love, pure femininity, they’re all timeless and span more than 100 years of design. My Mum has worn a minimum of eight gold and gemstone rings everyday for her whole life, nearly all of which have been passed down, and loves big earrings, huge necklaces, she’s ridiculously glamorous, and in wearing these pieces the power of jewellery is about connection to her, and the women of my family. The Power of that jewellery is very different to the power of the bigger, more androgynous and more statement pieces I have bought or chosen for myself. The power of those is in their distinction, their flamboyance, they represent how I see myself, like by wearing them I’m asserting who I am and how I want to be is reflected in the act of putting them on. My attitude to buying jewellery is somewhat contradictory – by nature of analysing trends as closely as I do, and constantly thinking about how the future will look in my work, I think I’m really averse to them. I never want to buy anything I won’t love in 10, 30, 50 years time. That’s also powerful to me, to say that I am not merely an obsessive consumer of this particular art form, I am engaged with it, I curate which pieces I wear everyday as an extension of my inner self and my external performance of ‘me’. I’m in conversation with jewellery every day.
Jewellery – and I definitely don’t just mean big, expensive, diamond pieces here – is an act of self care, in that with fashion, there is an element of necessity, and everyone has to participate in dressing in clothes, whereas for most, jewellery is a choice you make for yourself about how you are seen and how you feel being seen. I believe the power it holds is that it allows you to define yourself further and more clearly to yourself and to the world through every piece you own and wear.
Jodie Marie Smith
Experience Exhibitionist in full here, and watch the live interview on NYC Jewelry Week’s Instagram. See more from Jodie Marie Smith on her website, and follow her on Instagram at @jodiemariesmith.
Special thanks to Jodie Marie Smith for taking the time to share insight into her curatorial process with us. Live interview conducted and introduced by JB Jones; interview responses written by Jodie Marie Smith; print interview compiled and edited by Jackie Andrews. Images provided by the respective artists for Exhibitionist.
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