Emerging jewelry artists often go through an agonizing process of not only learning to create their work, but also in deciding whether to call themselves jewelry artists, jewelry designers, craftspersons, or artisans.
There are a large number of archived discussions on jewelry bulletin boards and in jewelry groups that further blur the distinctions and add complexity to the issue of naming oneself and one’s work.
Through critical analysis of books by established jewelry artists, industry websites (including jewelry and metalsmithing programs at fine art schools, museums, and galleries, and by becoming familiar with fine art jewelry organizations like the Society of North American Goldsmiths) and by training the eye to understand the distinctions between art, craft, and design by looking at the work of artists, designers, crafters, and artisans, the process of distinguishing a jewelry designer from a jewelry artist becomes simplified.
A jewelry designer is a person who creates jewelry from existing components. Those
components may be fine metal chains of gold and sterling silver or they may be more democratic jewelry components made of copper, plastic, and paper. A jewelry artist, on the other hand, creates all or the majority of her/his components by hand including all the clasps and other findings, beads, bezels, pendants, etc. A jewelry artist will be proficient in metalworking, beading, gem setting, and other skills necessary to fabricate her/his vision. Read the rest of this entry »
