Sculptural Jewelry -- 3-D Wearable Art

I am personally in deep awe of the creations of Vicki Ambery-Smith!

Vicki Ambery-Smith creates delicate and ornate small-scale jewellery and boxes inspired by real and imaginary buildings. Especially attracted to the structural clarity and minimal ornament of Romanesque and Renaissance architecture, she also uses forms reminiscent of the modernist structures of Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright sometimes explicitly, as in the brooch Guggenheim Museum (NY), 1998.

More recently she has become attracted to contemporary and future architecture, working on brooches based on Daniel Libeskind's bold, jarring forms, a significant move away from the classic structures with which her jewellery is associated.

As all her jewellery is designed to be worn, and worn comfortably, the three-dimensional architectural structures on which she bases her work must be adapted rather than merely replicated in miniature, with the effect of distancing them further from their original referent. In this way, attention is drawn to the form of the pieces, and their intricate detail and definition. Far more than a representation of a building, each becomes an exquisite study of shape, surface, light and space as Ambery-Smith explores the language of architecture herself.

As a result of Ambery-Smith's desire to go beyond representation, to 'a more personal interpretation of the character of a building', some pieces seem to have no direct referent but are highly suggestive of certain locations or eras, appearing as tiny stage sets, on to which the viewer can project their own dramas and personal narratives of place. In this way she plays with the power of architecture to inspire fantasy, trigger memory and evoke sensations.

This is the "Mod Rocker" ring designed and made by Danielle Miller. It's sterling silver and comes with a blue topaz, peridot or garnet gemstone.

Artist's statement: Clean, simple geometric forms are the building blocks of my designs, which are inspired by architecture, machines, toys and nature. By combining these seemingly different influences, I am exploring the concept of jewelry as playful object.

My present work consists of jewelry with kinetic elements designed to attract and engage the attention of the wearer. These articulated parts rely on the action of the wearer for motion. This action can be a simple turn of the body or a deliberate manipulation of the movable parts. This kinetic aspect of my work creates an intimate and unique relationship between jewelry and wearer. My jewelry, by definition, is not only an object of personal adornment but also an object of personal interaction and recreation.

When I was five years old, I announced to my parents that I was going to be an artist and as a high school student I discovered my passion for metals while making a large scale welded steel sculpture. At eighteen I moved to Philadelphia to attend Moore College of Art and Design, intending to concentrate my studies in sculpture but becoming entranced by jewelry making. I transfered to Tyler School of Art/Temple University for their renowned Jewelry/Metals Department where I received a bachelor's degree in fine art.

This is a beautiful ring handcrafted by Abrasha who was born in The Hague, Holland, and is currently self-employed with a studio in San Francisco, currently creating one-of-kind jewelry for commission and exhibition.

Artist's statement: For several years I have been using trueSpace by Caligari for designing all of my work. Especially when I work on commissions for clients has this proven to be extremely helpful. With the help of trueSpace, I can present clients with true 3D drawings and animations of designs, that give them a very clear idea, what a finished piece of jewelry will look like, before it is made.

I love the work of Todd Reed! To pick just one of his rings to show here was a difficult task. I do encourage you to visit his site and become acquainted with his beautiful work.

Artist's statement: My work using raw diamond cubes and other natural diamond shapes ...

There are certain ad campaigns, such as, 'She'll like you at a half carat, but she'll love you at a carat.', that prompted me to make this line of jewelry. This would be a line of jewelry that really did use the most perfect diamond in the world, the actual raw diamond. Uncut. Unpolished. Natural, perfect geometry. That was around 1994 when this idea really started to take off.

I am a self-taught goldsmith and metalsmith, and very much enjoy the hard work that goes into each piece. I have been extremely fortunate in that my work has won many international awards, and is frequently included in books, trade publications, and consumer magazines. My work can be seen at the finest shows and exhibitions in galleries and museums around the world. My work continues to grow as I grow, and I am still inspired by most everything. Beauty and nature are endless inspiration.

Allow me to introduce you to a "master" sculptress and metalsmith, Kristin Lora! This terrier ring is from her Animal Collection.

Kristin Lora has been designing and making jewelry and art objects for over 30 years. Inspired by bold shapes and forms, objects, color and movement, Kristin designs unique jewelry, small sculpture and objects to flatter and entertain. These items are created using precious and non-precious materials, such as gold, silver, gemstones, found objects, glass and many other items.

Feel free to contact Kristin at her studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico at 505-471-5400.

This is called Pucker and it's a study of relative masses. Well, I couldn't of said that better myself! It's quite sculptural and a bit industrial.

Artist's statement: From commissioned rings to one of a kind brooches and neckpieces, all of my work is forged, fabricated and cast in my Seattle studio. Metals might include various carats and colors of gold, sterling silver, copper, bronze and shibuichi-a 2/3 copper, 1/3 silver alloy of Japanese origin. When heated with a torch, shibuichi produces a surface reminiscent of lizard skin. I use patinas to darken the bronze to brown, the sterling and shibuichi to black or gray. Other materials range from precious and semiprecious gemstones to a wide variety of salvaged artifacts such as shell, bone, plastic or glass.

Check out more of Andy Cooperman's masterful creations!

This is called the Continuous Loop Ring which is hand-forged sterling silver designed by Laura Richards of LR Jewellery Design.

Artist's statement: My artistic motivation for designing jewellery is to challenge contemporary thought as to what is widely and traditionally accepted as jewellery. I want people to consider more broadly what value and purpose lies in jewellery. I utilise non-traditional materials
and deviate from commercial style and trends.

Hence, my creations are often chunky, to-be-noticed, sometimes whimsical or bold, and always fun to wear.

This ring gives new meaning to the word "bauble!"

This is a ring by Adam Paxon that was exhibited at Velvet da Vinci Art Gallery in San Francisco.

Artist's statement: Taking influence from nature's colourful language of warning and courtship I make mainly one-off pieces of acrylic jewellery. Although diverse I find acrylic's stock colours too insensitive, but processes of lamination, forming and carving allow the blending of colours and remove the material from its industrial/mass produced context.

I'm fascinated by the way pieces can be fixed to clothing or worn on the body and seek new and unusual approaches to wearability. I'm also interested in pieces value as objects in their own right. I try to give them a dual identity and often see them as 'creatures to wear'.

I simply adore the many applications of felt in jewelry that I've come across. Here is just one example of a "soft sculpture" -- it's a felt ring from Chris Rom & Geoff Buddie as exhibited at Velvet da Vinci Art Gallery in San Francisco.

Artist's statement: We are a husband and wife team working as a collaborative effort. From the idea stages thought he actual creation and execution of the work we draw on each other's strengths for technical and aesthetic excellence.

Hand felted wool and hand sculpted stoneware are the main elements we have chosen to express in our vision. The transformation that occurs in the construction of the felt is magical. Boiling water and soap are added to loose wool fibers encouraging little barbs on the fibers to relax and open. Agitating the wool causes the fibers to bind to one another. As a result the fabric shrinks and becomes dense and thick. Later the fabric is put into an acid bath on the stovetop and dyed to the desired color.