Each year the American Jewelry Design Council (AJDC) chooses a theme around which to design one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry and objects d’art which are displayed at jewelry trade shows and museum exhibits.
For 2009, ’Explosion’ was selected, and the designers ran free with the concept. The resulting interpretations are as diverse as the designers themselves, ranging from the literal to the theoretical, touching on a variety of subjects such as nature, war and peace, population and creation.
Nowhere is the explosion concept more evident than in life itself. Barbara Heinrich’s ’Before and After’ earrings portray the motion of seeds as they burst from their pods in gold and enamel. Michael Good’s hand raised gold and bronze flower petals surge from a fiery opal core. Mark Schneider’s ’Big Bang’ portrays the theory in a gold pendant with gem encrusted stars erupting from a diamond nucleus. And Sarah Graham portrays population explosion in her ’Zygote’ pendant as a golden sperm enters a blackened steel egg.
Michael Good -
Materials: 22K/Patinated bronze, 18K, fire opal
Barbara Heinrich - Before & After The Explosion (earrings) -
Materials: 18K gold & enamel
Sarah Graham - Zygote (pendant) -
Materials: 18K gold, blackened steel
Mark Schneider - Big Bang (pendant) -
Materials: 18KY
Visual explorations of the theme are evident in projects such as Alan Revere’s ’Ka Boom’ piece, with ruby tipped golden spears pointing outward, and Christo Kiffer’s ’Diamond Burst’ ring, in which dozens of small diamonds radiate in unique channels from a single large diamond hub. Ron Hargrove’s gold, platinum, diamond and pearl brooch depicts expansion and contraction with a complex circular design. And Susan Sadler’s Bakelite and moonstone cuff is a softer illustration of the theme, with undulating golden waves.
Alan Revere - Ka Boom -
Materials: 18K & rubies
Christo Kiffer - Diamond Burst (ring) -
Materials: 18K royal yellow gold, 1.47ct G-VS diam
Ron Hartgrove - Brooch (brooch) -
Materials: 18KY, PT, diamonds, pearl
Susan Sadler -
Materials: 19k, 26ct moonstone, alabaster vintage bakelite
Diana Vincent created a shoulder brooch in gold, diamonds and pearls that embraces the theme not only literally, but conceptually as well. Titled ’Give Peace a Chance’, her design shares an inspiration common to many in the group: war, peace and its many accoutrements. Jose Hess crafted an onyx bomb with a yellow sapphire tipped fuse, and William Schraft a missile necklace in silver, gold and diamonds. An 11 ct oval Quartz is the landscape for two gold and diamond bullets in Cornelis Hollander’s ’Two Bullets is enough’, and a Brazilian Agate is the backdrop for Susan Helmich’s ’Aftermath’ pin in a beautiful but eerie image of what things may look like after all these bombs and missiles go off.
Diana Vincent - Shoulder Brooch (brooch) -
Materials: 18KW, diam, Akoya & Tahitian pearls
Jose Hess - The Bomb (pendant) -
Materials: 18KY, blakened 18KW chain, silver, YLW sapphire, black onyx
William Schraft - My Missile (necklace) -
Materials: sterling silver, 18K, .30ct diam
Cornelis Hollander - 2 Bullets is Enough -
Materials: 18KW, 2x .15CT diam, 11.52ct oval quartz, 2.5mm rubber cord
Susan Helmich - Aftermath (pin) -
Materials: 18k gold, 8x5 mexican fire opal, .26tct diam, Brazilian agate circle (carved by Dieter Lorenz)
The AJDC is a 21 year old organization of renowned jewelry designers who create art in metal. The annual project provides each artist with a creative break from the day to day obligations that come with commercial success. The ’Explosion’ projects will join a body of work that grows each year to raise awareness of jewelry as fine art to both the industry and the world at large. The AJDC’s annual projects are the subject of a style book titled ’Brilliance’ published in 2008 by Lark Books and written by noted jewelry design business experts Cindy Edelstein and Frank Stankus.
Photos: Hap Sakwa
’Explosion’ on view at the JANY show July 26-29, Booth 918
