Rosanna Raljević Ceglar Jewelry

We are always enchanted by artists
who take an idea to new heights.
One jewelry artist we have recently
become aware of is

Rosanna Raljevič Ceglar

who is noted for using a mundane material

and transforming it with
contemporary fiber art techniques.
 She creates exquisite work using
colored copper wire.

The creative shapes and rich textures are
are just the beginning.
What appears at first to be symmetrical,
constrained and precise design
becomes, upon further inspection,
a dense canvas overflowing with
 a bewildering jumble of
crisscrossed and entwined wires.
When combined with luscious colors
all that energy brings a sense of exuberance.

It's especially noteworthy that she
describes her work as "tidy chaos."
Truly, it is chaos captured in pieces
of graceful beauty.

There are so many pieces in her collections
that we adore. Here are some
of our favorites.

And this cuff is awesome.

The inclusion of materials such as recycled rubber
produces creations that are evocative
of otherworldly plants and things found in nature.
This piece features silver wire and gives a
superb view of the work involved in her creations.

Her work ranges from strong and powerful
to delicate and sweet.



Gotta love earrings that are vivacious and bright.

Veins of wrapped wire provide a strong visual
framework for this piece. 

This artist designs wonderful statement pieces
by using a non-precious material in
an innovative way.

Her random-looking knitting process
is actually a systematic method
of interlacing, wrapping, and plaiting wire.
The results produce pieces that are vibrant
and filled with texture.

We'd love to own one of everything!

Reiko Ishiyama Jewelry

We love to be surprised. 

Reiko Ishiyama creates jewelry

that surprises the viewer

both in terms of the materials she uses

and the manner in which she uses them.

  In her current collection, she hammers thin
sheets of silver and manipulates them into

small works of sculpture that seem delicate

enough to be easily damaged.  They almost
look like they're made of paper and it's

disconcerting to realize that they are not. 

She describes her work as follows:

My work has an almost fragile quality, stressing lightness and mobility. By shaping paper-thin sheets of silver, I can house space itself. When people hold my work in their hands, they are often surprised by its delicacy and lightness. There is an evanescent, momentary quality that I hope people can truly savor when they wear my pieces.

It's intriguing and pleasantly surprising.

Here are a few of our favorites.

We just can't get over how much it

looks like paper.

It all seems so fragile.
But that's just the illusion.



 

These pieces have so much texture
and layers of interest.

 

We love the delicacy in each piece.

 

It makes you want to gently tap it
to orient your senses. 
It's all so paradoxical.
Seemingly tenuous or flimsy they are sturdy.

The shimmer of light and shadow
combined with the artist's sculptural skills
to create a three-dimensional shape

 from two dimensional material

is simply inspiring.

 

Enjoy!

Pamela Pereyra Jewelry

We admire work created by
metalsmith Pamela Pereyra.
Her intensely personal approach to design
is accentuated by the distinctive

handmade mark of the artist.
One gets a sense of motion
in many of her pieces.
 And each combination of
 shape, contour and texture
 seems like a little
piece of wearable modern sculpture.

As an example, we love her hammered
necklace and earrings.
Graceful yet intense at the same time
they're visually and tactilely intriguing.
And filled with energetic motion.

Here's the necklace from that series.

One of this artist's signature looks is the

lotus flower with layered petals.

It's especially noteworthy because it

features moveable parts.

Again, we get that sense of motion in her work.

It's simply elegant.

And we really like this piece from her

Kinetic series - the wearer can decide

 how she'd like to mix and match

the pendants each time she wears it.

It can be worn with
all the pendants together,
a few at a time, or just one for
a simpler effect. Each variation
is proportional, balanced and harmonious.

 

We admire the natural organic textures

of each piece and how each of the simple pieces

becomes more layered and more textured
 to create more energy.

Enjoy!

Martha Collins Jewelry

Woodworker Martha Collins has spent the
majority of her woodworking career in
some form of furniture making, from
cabinetry to yacht interiors.  

Along the way she has turned her attention
and prodigious skill to the art of
jewelry making. Each of her wooden bracelets
and earrings are created from
domestic and foreign hardwoods with exotic names
like Brazilian Rosewood, Lacewood, Zebrawood,
Obeche, Satine, Chatke Viga - just the names alone
evoke images of romantic and mysterious locales.
Each type of wood is carefully chosen for its
natural color and texture then accented
with hand-dyed veneers.

Martha's work is easily recognizable for
its impeccable craftsmanship and
attention to detail. These pieces truly are
three-dimensional works of art.

We are especially enamored with her bracelets.
Here's an example of what the artist calls her
 Simple Series. We love the soft sheen of the wood
and the eye-catching color selections.
It's made with seven different species of woods
and comprised of 26 individual pieces.

 

Her Brilliant Mosaic Series is made up of relatively
thicker pieces of wood arranged in symmetrical yet
complex patterns. This series typically
uses 400 to 550 pieces in each bracelet.
Here's an exquisite example of
her meticulous work.

We consider the pièce de résistance of this artist's
repertoire to be her Jeweltone Mosaic Series.
These are typically made with up to
1000 pieces.  Featuring deep, rich earth
tones and beveled edges, the overall effect
is soothing and luxurious.

 This exceptional jewelry
showcases the intricate detail and
superb workmanship this artist
brings to her craft.

The process is detailed and exacting.
It's beautiful work and we'd each love
to have one of everything!

Exhibition - Melissa Schmidt

There is a fine craft show in Washington DC that

has always drawn our hearts, and will

 someday draw us to see it in person.

The 29th Annual Smithsonian Craft Show

once again has a superb line-up

of jewelry artists whose work

is truly inspirational.

It runs from April 14 - 17.

Produced by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee,

all proceeds from this particular craft show

are used to support education, acquisitions, research,

conservation and outreach programs within the

Smithsonian Institution.

Melissa Schmidt is one of this year's

participants. Her handblown glass bubbles
are created in a manner that's very similar

to large-scale glass blowing but done

on a miniature scale.

Some are transparent while others are opaque.
Each evokes a mood. And while they appear

 fragile, each is surprisingly strong and very light.

 

This necklace is called White Hot.

It features an assortment of 22 glass bubbles

that have been colored with white

glass powder. The globular effect is reminiscent

of a cluster of grapes hanging from the vine.

This one is called Slices of Life.

Lovely to look at, it becomes more

mesmerizing when one realizes the

collection of 60 glass bubbles each contain an

image from the life of a 60 year old woman -

they are like luminous windows to

her childhood, her marriage, her progeny.  

Such a sweet biography of the sentimental

and celebrated moments of life.

 

This necklace is called Bird Watching.

It features a bevy of 23 bubbles each containing

an image of a wild bird that was photographed

from a bird-watching guide from the 1940's.

Who expected jewelry to be beautiful

and educational at the same time?

Here's a close-up of a similar bubble-

it's charming and perfect.

This work certainly does challenge the 

perception of what glass can and cannot do.
It brings glass to life in a manner

 we haven't seen before.

This artist's work is eye-catching.

The use of unexpected materials in her bubbles

bring color and a feeling of playfulness to her work.

We've seen her pieces feature images

of animals, flowers, trees.

Mother Nature provides an endless

array of subject matter and color choice.

The bubbles are so effervescent

they seem ready to float away.

But we're grateful that they're tethered

to this world as art jewelry.

Enjoy!

 

Exhibition - Under That Cloud

It was one year ago, April 2010, and a news

flash bombarded our awareness saying the
skies over Europe were closed due to a
volcanic eruption in Iceland. Many European jewelry
artists were in Mexico City having just
attended a major Latin American jewelry
conference, and over the course of a week of
being stranded due to the grounding of
their homebound flights, they came together to do
what one might expect them to do: create a
jewelry exhibition inspired by the events
they were experiencing.

"Under That Cloud" is an exhibition of jewelry
by 18 international artists who had been stranded
in Mexico City under the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud.
It will run at the Velvet Da Vinci gallery in
San Francisco, California
from April 13 - May 29, 2011.

Participating artists include:
Agnieszka Knap, Andrea Wagner, Benjamin Lignel,
Caroline Broadhead, Cristina Filipe, Gemma Draper,
Janina Stübler, Jiro Kamata, Jorge Manilla,
Jürgen Eickhoff, Karin Seufert, Lucy Sarneel,
Manon van Kouswijk, Nanna Melland, Nedda El-Asmar,
Ramón Puig Cuyàs,
Sarah O'Hana, and Tore Svensson

This show is curated by Jo Bloxham, and she provides
the explanation of how and why it came to be:

“. . .  It had been a wonderful experience, and I felt sad that this cloud, which was holding me prisoner, would overshadow the memories of my time there. Then, it all became clear. Why not make something positive out of this? The idea for a new exhibition was born . . . ”

Now, one year later, we see the fruits of their labor.


Here are a few examples.

These are brooches by
Karin Seufert of Germany.

This is a necklace by
Nedda El-Asmar of Belgium.

 

 
 
This necklace was created
by Lucy Sarneel of
the Netherlands.
 

 
 
The exhibition has already traveled
to Munich last month. 

Hopefully, it will travel further after its run at
Velvet da Vinci is completed. If you get the
opportunity to see it in person, please leave a
comment and let our readers
know what you think