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In most instances extreme crops were used to push the model back and the jewelry forward.

a r t d i r e c t i o n

My approach in presenting jewelry has been a continuing challenge based on how the model can participate in showing this art form worn, but not in a way that domi-nates the stones.

Jewelry’s highly reflective metallic and faceted surfacesare difficult capture—even more so when shown functioningon the human form.

and precise scale,three contemporary wire artists create jewelry that is broad in appeal and expansive in effect.By Nina Graci

profile

Throughout an impressive career as educator,artist, textile designer, and jeweler, BarbaraSilverStein has shared many significant mo-ments with stainless steel. In the ‘50s, shemarried Bob, an industrial designer, and itseemed natural that their wedding ringsshould be sliced from the stainless steel tubingthey both admired for the simplicity and puri-ty of its clean lines. Marriage to an industrialdesigner meant that many of their adventures

Barbara SilverStein

20 LAPIDARY JOURNAL, December 2004

Working on the most meticulous

Wworks!wire

Barbara SilverStein wranglesstainless steel braiding into comfortable, wearable art. Photo: Todd Murray.Opposite page: At top is Silver-Stein’s signature collar, in a goldfinish. Photo: Todd Murray. Below is her 2" Angle Cuff.

Want to learn to make yourown wire jewelry? Check out“Bead on a Wire,” page 40,and “All Wrapped Up,” page 46, in

21

STePbySTeP

Ask the artist himself, and he’s prepared with the perfect answer: “Jewelry is sculpture that you accept and invite into your personal space.”However you see Ramsay’s one-of-a-kind jewelry, there’s no argument that it’s art.

Becoming an artist was his plan from the beginning, even if he took some interesting turns along the way. Ramsay had planned to become an illustrator when he enrolled at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, a school noted for celebrating innovation.

Is Leigh Ramsay a sculptor

who creates jewelry

or a jeweler who creates sculpture?

style

2 November/December 2005 COLORED STONE 3

The re-designed Colored Stone integrated the existing gemstonenews format to include a high fashion look.

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with 4,400 irregular windows swathed in multicol-ored glass — to the four fantasy-infused bell towers of Modernist Antoni Gaudí’s yet-unfinished 1882 Sagrada Familia church.

Barcelona is unique not only on the surface level, with its lavish architectural legacies of the turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau movement, but also in its very essence. On the one hand, it’s a fiercely individualistic city, proud of its heritage and holding tenaciously to its regional Catalan language and customs, repressed for years and finally officially recognized in the late 1970s. On the other hand, it’s been a commercial port for centuries, a gateway to the world beyond and accepting of many influences beyond the traditional Spanish ones.

This synergy of individualism and openness puts Barcelona on the cutting edge, making it an inspiring, flourishing, design-savvy cosmopolitan center. To taste this, you can do anything from admiring the works of three of the world’s greatest surrealist painters — Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró, all Catalans — to stepping into the current world of vanguard Barcelona clothing, furniture, or jewelry designers.

Barcelona’s jewelry reflects the mix of moods in the city itself, conveying both the individual style and the city’s place in European design in a beautiful, colorful mix.

The Colorful LifeIt’s the immediacy of the Mediterranean that’s cap-

tured the imagination of Barcelonan designer J. Miguel Barberà of Hàbit, who follows German gemstone-cutting techniques in his bold, artistic jewelry.

“Life in Barcelona has been 100 percent influential in my designs,” he said. “Just being close to a marine space with its flow of colors, organic forms, and good atmo-sphere — all of this is influential. In northern Europe, the jewelry is more like ice, representing perfect sym-metry and pure mathematics. In Barcelona, we have a more relaxed feel, freshness, and changeability, and this very different perspective helps us produce diverse and surprising collections.”

54 March/April 2006 COLORED STONE

style

Barcelona is unique not only on the surface level, with its lavish architectural legacies

of the turn-of-the-century Art Nouveau movement, but also

in its very essence.

cap area

cap area

32 July/August 2005 COLORED STONE

The result is a kind of scramble to find what gemstones — if any — will sell in the current dampened economic climate. Gem import statistics for 2004 reflect this by showing no clear patterns. Imports from some countries were up in value and down in volume; others were up in volume and down in value, with every mix in between. As for whys and wherefores, most industry insiders offer various theories, then shrug and sigh deeply.

The total value of Japan’s gemstone imports dropped slightly in yen terms, from ¥16.6 billion (US$142.6 mil-lion) to ¥16 billion ($154.6 million). The value in U.S. dollars appeared to rise because of a difference in the exchange rate, but the yen value tells the story of a con-sistent slide in demand for loose gemstones.

“Big Three” imports of ruby, sapphire, and emerald increased in volume 40.2 percent over 2003, and increased in value 7.7 percent to ¥7.1 billion ($68.5 million). This apparent increase in market activity had industry pundits stumped.

“The gem and jewelry industries are not good right now, because the economic situation is heavy,” said Toru Yoshihashi, submanager at importer Taniguchi Jewels Co. “Big Three sales have dropped for the last three to five years.”

The figures do point toward cheaper stones. Continuing fallout from the controversy over beryllium diffusion treatment has driven sapphire and ruby prices down in general, remarked Masao Yuki, president of importer F.L. Enterprise Co.

Big Three imports from Thailand — which supplied Japan with over 43 percent of its precious stones — rose last year 15 percent in volume, and 4.8 percent in value to ¥3.3 billion ($31.8 million).

“Young women don’t care about heat treatment, and the price is really cheap; this may be why the quantity is increasing,” Yuki speculated. “But I haven’t heard anyone say that corundum is selling.”

Star sapphires and star rubies do sell, Yuki added, “because they’re not usually heated. Even if they are, they can’t be heated with beryllium, so they’re ‘safer.’ ”

Generally, expensive items are difficult to sell now, so the market is shifting toward commercial quality, echoed Toshio Takada, president of corundum specialist Takada Enterprise Co. Takada saw movement in small sizes (2 to 3 mm) of fancy-colored sapphires, particularly violet and pink.

A group of Japanese and Thai gemstone dealers have formed the Japan Colored Stone Promotion Committee to promote gemstone sales in Japan. Core members joined during the successful 2002 Year of the Ruby campaign, and plan to expand to other colored gemstones in the future.

“Imports may be up for 2004, but in the last five years, ruby imports from Thailand have sunk to half the levels of 1999,” Takada pointed out.

Sales from Thai imports were further weakened by a glass-filling treatment detected in inexpensive rubies from Bangkok.

hat goes up must come down, but, alas, the reverse is not necessarily true. After years of hopeful waiting for a return to the heady bubble of the 1980s, Japan’s gem and jewelry businesses are coming to terms with the realities of Japan’s consumer market.

Gem Market Japan:

inFluxW

Illustration by Michael DiBiase

Japan’s Failing Market, Colored Stone.

Illustration played a big part in creating the overall mood of Colored Stone when photographs fell short of our vision for the target reader.

d i r e c t m a i l

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In today’s market, magazines are the footprint to the numerous related products now made available online.

Reprocessed content as in the Jewelry Artist project series is some of the highly successful online e-book products produced for the jewelry artisan.

Jewelry Artist Flashcard was designed as a monthly e-newsletter that continues to grow it’s subscriber base.

b r a n d i n g

The Tucson Show Guide is the ultimate guide for the world’s largest gem show. Cover and conceptual designs have remained the strongest brand in the gem division of several corporate owners for over two decades.

JewelryShowGuide.com is an online brand of the Tucson Show Guide. The 450-page directory is now offered for mobile devices with complete listings.

a d c a m p a i g n s

Breaking In On That First Show - The “Wow!” FactorLet’s face it, the competition will be heavy, and since you won’t be there to sell yourself, your presentation must speak for you to “Wow!” a panel of judges.

There might be hundreds entries so you will need to pay attention to the presentation basics. Ignoring any of these es-sentials could provide serious harm to your entry and what I call the “Wow!” factor. Don’t let the packaging get in the way of your serious talent.

Start With a Consistent - Wow!Think of your submission package as your mini portfolio of a single subject or idea. The works submitted should have strong visual relationships to one another. This can be done with similar color, style or subject matter. Does your art have any of these links or is there one submission that might lookbetter on your grandmother’s mantelpiece rather than in this elite group?

If you are a painter, think of Cezanne’s distinctive style of thick outlines and sharp juxtapositions of color. It’s hard to mistake a Cezanne and his bold signature elements that link all of his paintings into one highly influential body of work. What’s you signature? Make it clear, bold and above all, consistent.

The Juror’s Point of ViewAs an art director of craft media, my experience on the jury side of competitions has been (like it or not) over 20 years. From the juror’s point of view, here’s what is an absolute must for entry into the juried show:

1 Get Your Work Shot by a Professional PhotographerDon’t make the jurors work to see your creative genius.Presentation is everything! Unless the photographic representation of your work is perfect, do not submit! If you are a jewelry artisan, your art is one of the toughest to photograph.You will need a special type of photographer that understands capturing highly reflective subjects.

Thrifty Tips - Here’s an insider secret - artists love to barter among themselves.

Home Inspirations How They Got There Package Yourself Contact Us

FirstArtShow.com is designed for the artist starting out in the gallery circuit. The site offers exclu-sive information on entering competitions and exhibitions.

In South Dakota I acquired a puppy that was

blinded in one eye when he ran into a tree.

As difficult as that injury might have been,

the dog grew up to be extremely tenacious

—not at all afraid of jumping out of my car to

chase after cattle. I nicknamed him the “flying

blind puppy” and never forgot his bravado.

Can we work some of that same tenacity for you at Flying Blind Puppy?

610 789 6577 • kevinrmyers@comcast.net