Summer has started, and jewelry students around the globe are frantically finishing up their coursework and installing their end-of-year exhibitions. In this photo essay, we show work by one grad or undergrad from AJF member schools identified by their professors as outstanding in their class. (This opportunity to show off student work is one of our benefits for AJF member schools; see all the benefits here.)
Congratulations to all of the students who were selected! Readers: Keep your eyes on the career trajectories of these ambitious new makers—they’re the next generation of jewelry artists!
Click on the photos to learn about what they show.
You can also check out the graduate portfolios of each school’s other students. Do so by clicking on any school’s logo here, then scroll to the bottom of the page.
!["Teresa Alton Borgelin, Who I Am and Who You See"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/blackleatherbrooch_102420x20768.jpg "\"From Borgelin’s artist statement: "Identity is not just about how we see and define ourselves, but among other things, it is shaped by the gazes of other people and the society we live in. In Who I Am and Who You See, my experiences of being transnational adopted becomes the starting point for my degree project, which investigates the interplay of personal and social identity and how we classify things in our environment and push them into categories, including appearance. The color of the skin leads to questions about norms, categorization, inclusion, exclusion, and the power we all have of labeling another person. This is explored through different materials and techniques and eventually transformed into brooches. These jewelry objects become conversation pieces which talk about value, power structures, and displacement, but also about care and heritage." | Teresa Alton Borgelin, Who I Am and Who You See, 2021, brooch, leather, iron, false sinew, stainless steel, 130 x 80 mm, photo: artistTeresa Alton Borgelin, Who I Am and Who You See\"")
!["Teresa Alton Borgelin, Who I Am and Who You See"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Imprintboliviantextile_102420x20768.jpg "\""Interviews with other adoptees who were contacted through the Swedish network ‘Adopted from Bolivia’ were also a part of my research, says Borgelin. "Some of [my] questions asked how you perceive yourself and how other people perceive you, in terms of appearance." | Teresa Alton Borgelin, Who I Am and Who You See, 2021, brooch, silver, copper, stainless steel, 40 x 40 mm, photo: artistTeresa Alton Borgelin, Who I Am and Who You See\"")
!["Teresa Alton Borgelin, Who I Am and Who You See"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Frontandbackhammer_102420x20768.jpg "\""The brooch is reminiscent of the body," says Borgelin. "First you see the surface, but if you look closer you will discover the back/inside, and together they make up a whole. What you see at first glance is not always what we think it is." | Teresa Alton Borgelin, Who I Am and Who You See, 2021, brooch, leather, iron, silver, alcohol-based leather paint, stainless steel, 110 x 110 mm, photo: artistTeresa Alton Borgelin, Who I Am and Who You See\"")
!["Teresa Alton Borgelin, Who I Am and Who You See"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/hairbroochenamel_102420x20768.jpg "\""I am intrigued by the power of communication which jewelry possesses, the making and the wearing. My artistic practice will continue to reflect on relationships between people and society, and to explore ways that use jewelry to convey a message. Curiosity is my driving force and the aim is to share perspectives and to gain knowledge." | Teresa Alton Borgelin, Who I Am and Who You See, 2021, brooch, gold, silver, brass, enamel, stainless steel, 180 x 80 mm, photo: artistTeresa Alton Borgelin, Who I Am and Who You See\"")
!["Claire Webb, A Rare Strand"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Webb.Claire_A20Rare20Strand_102420x20768.jpg "\"This year’s outstanding student at SUNY New Paltz is Claire Webb. In her artist statement, Webb writes, "Through optically rich material manipulations I fabricate objects of wonder and inquiry that question established routes to understanding. These materials, whether in their natural state or engineered into new enigmatic forms, activate our curiosity and suggest intrinsic potentialities." | Claire Webb, A Rare Strand, 2021, necklace, air-dry clay, iridescent film, polylactic acid, resin, epoxy clay, aluminum foil, plastic cord, silver, 1524 x 40 x 40 mm, photo: artistClaire Webb, A Rare Strand\"")
!["Claire Webb, So Within"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Webb.Claire_So20Within_102420x20768.jpg "\""My research compares the outcomes of rational forms of scrutiny, such as modern science, with intuitive ones, like divination," says Webb. "This work references various practices humans have employed over time in an attempt to illuminate the dark recesses of mystery; to extract order from randomness by any means necessary, and impart the feeling of security that certainty brings." | Claire Webb, So Within, 2021, pair of objects, porcelain, glaze, gallium, fabric, cellophane, powdered pigment, silicone, rocks, 65 x 75 x 50 mm, photo: artistClaire Webb, So Within\"")
!["Claire Webb, The Cradled Gaze"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Webb.Claire_The20Cradled20Gaze_102420x20768.jpg "\"SUNY New Paltz Assistant Professor Lynn Batchelder describes her student this way: "In the hands of Claire Webb, the simplest of materials can be transformed into revelatory findings. Her objects and jewelry draw viewers into these deft manipulations of material and technique, prompting a desire to linger, touch, and understand these curiosities." | Claire Webb, The Cradled Gaze, 2020, object, silver, 110 x 70 x 40 mm, photo: artistClaire Webb, The Cradled Gaze\"")
!["Claire Webb, Peek Earrings"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Webb.Claire_Peek20Earrings_102420x20768.jpg "\""Claire has been an exceptionally devoted graduate student and has been highly prolific throughout her studies at SUNY New Paltz," states Assistant Professor Batchelder. "She has taken full advantage of access to metal, ceramics, and digital technologies, seamlessly combining these materials and approaches toward unexpected outcomes." | Claire Webb, Peek Earrings, 2021, pearls, citrine, polylactic acid, epoxy clay, metal leaf, resin, silver, photo: artistClaire Webb, Peek Earrings\"")
!["Claire Webb, Cartesian Creeper"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Webb.Claire_Cartesian20Creeper_102420x20768.jpg "\"Assistant Professor Batchelder continues, "While focusing on the development of her practice over the past two years, she has also exhibited her work nationally, created and marketed a new line of production jewelry, and gained teaching experience as instructor of record. Claire is a natural creative leader and played a key role in organizing and presenting "denizen," our annual MFA exhibition during NYCJW, and notably curated and installed a significant permanent exhibition of metal and jewelry from the Dorsky Museum of Art’s permanent collection on campus. Claire’s infinite energy, professionalism, and creative originality make her highly deserving of this recognition as a truly outstanding graduate and emerging artist." | Claire Webb, Cartesian Creeper, 2021, object, polylactic acid, pearls, epoxy clay, silver, 350 x 350 x 200 mm, photo: artistClaire Webb, Cartesian Creeper\"")
!["Zahra Almajidi, Where Are YOU From?"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/zahraalmajidi_1_102420x20768.jpg "\"Cranbrook Academy of Art’s outstanding student is Zahra Almajidi, who graduated this year with the Director’s Award. Iris Eichenberg, Cranbrook’s Metalsmithing Department head, writes of her student, "She is leaving her mark on this academy, artists in residence, and her peer students as a transdisciplinary traveler and political advocate. Although COVID limited the exchange in person, Zahra joined and led conversation on equity and race, critiques on work in many departments, and knew how to find the conversation partners which stimulated critical thinking beyond the comfort zone many call home." | Zahra Almajidi, Where Are YOU From?, 2021, combination of wearable and non-wearable objects, steel, brass, silver, gold, keffiyehs, igals, blazers, 3D-printed plastic, hand sanitizer, Vaseline, Dramamine blister pack, Altoids tins, paper, leather, silk cord, fabric, thread, pearls, beads, lotus seeds, gemstones, stone, plastic flower stamens, powder coating, dimensions variable, photo: Brian KovachZahra Almajidi, Where Are YOU From?\"")
!["Where Are YOU From?: Surveillance (Select Objects)"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/zahraalmajidi_3_102420x20768.jpg "\""Therefore, Zahra’s work occupies a space which is not easy to grasp or appropriate," says Cranbrook’s Eichenberg. "It holds the tension of being and the confusing process of becoming rather than feeding into the need of clichés and simple answers. She places the viewer into the space of her exploration process, holding and not slipping into simple explanations for racial and cultural complexity. Her material/technical languages therefore are diverse, non-hierarchical, and fluent in all classes. Follow her and her conversation, as she will be a voice for the field and a generation." | Zahra Almajidi, Where Are YOU From?: Surveillance (Select Objects), 2021, necklaces, brass, powder coating, silk cord, dimensions variable, photo: Bonnie XueWhere Are YOU From?: Surveillance (Select Objects)\"")
!["Zahra Almajidi, Where Are YOU From?: NO Translation!"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/zahraalmajidi_4_102420x20768.jpg "\"From Almajidi’s artist statement: "I often struggle to understand my identity and explore such questions in my artistry. I make work that depicts the insecurities and discomfort that I often feel about myself and my culture, yet I aestheticize it, almost to the point of subversion. In doing so, I confront my frustrations by amplifying them so they no longer seem intimidating or debilitating. My work explores the assimilation and erasure of cultures. These themes often take shape as highly detailed and decorative objects that have cultural significance and show signs of, or investigate, social influences. I exaggerate the surface detail, texture, or shape of my art jewelry, transforming the recognizable into vaguely distinguishable objects. This emphasizes the contradictions—the absurdities—I observe daily, particularly extant tensions between assimilation and opposition." | Zahra Almajidi, Where Are YOU From?: NO Translation!, 2021, digital print, dimensions vary by print size, photo: Bonnie XueZahra Almajidi, Where Are YOU From?: NO Translation!\"")
!["Zahra Almajidi, Where Are YOU From?: Collectors (Select Objects)"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/zahraalmajidi_2_102420x20768.jpg "\""The confusion regarding my identity is present in the work itself," writes Almajidi. "Drawing from the multiple cultures I inhabit, there is an ambiguity in the forms that makes it so one cannot quite place the forms in the cultures being referenced. Culturally specific signifiers are melded together to create hybrid forms that confront the viewer’s understanding of the object’s identity. This is further complicated by the fact that the viewer is often looking for answers amongst a group of works that become more ambiguous as the objects are manipulated. Working on multiple pieces makes it so that I can think through several ideas and concepts at a time. Each piece within a series also presents an opportunity to experiment with form and technique." | Zahra Almajidi, Where Are YOU From?: Collectors (Select Objects), 2021, charm necklace, steel, brass, 3D-printed polylactic acid plastic, pearls, plastic flower stamens, powder coating, dimensions variable, photo: Bonnie XueZahra Almajidi, Where Are YOU From?: Collectors (Select Objects)\"")
!["Zahra Almajidi, Where Are YOU From? (detail)"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/zahraalmajidi_128detail29_102420x20768.jpg "\""Ornamentation is used to emphasize surfaces and add further confusion in the forms," Almajidi continues. "Pins, pearls, and plastic components commonly function as markers adorning the surface of seemingly meaningless forms. They protrude from the manipulated surfaces of the jewelry, increasing the wearers’ awareness of their bodies when interacting with the work. The disarming decorative elements, alluring colors, and wearability of the work pique the viewers’ interest, and they are often left with the desire to wear the work without understanding the implications of doing so. The significance of the themes and the process through which I create allow me to realize the space I occupy in the cultures I have inhabited. The increasingly blurred cultural specificity of my art extends my body’s struggle for identification." | Zahra Almajidi, Where Are YOU From? (detail), 2021, wearable and non-wearable objects, steel, brass, silver, gold, found objects, 3D-printed plastic, powder coating, photo: Brian KovachZahra Almajidi, Where Are YOU From? (detail)\"")
!["Jané Schoeman, Co-existence"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/IMG_4831_102420x20768.jpg "\"Stellenbosch University, in South Africa, named Jané Schoeman its outstanding student of the year because "Schoeman’s work combines the innovative and creative use of mixed media to create jewelry pieces that can convey meaning to the wearer/viewer. She successfully marries both intricate technical execution and visual conceptual design in her body of work. Jewelry is a multifaceted tool for communication and representation, and at Stellenbosch University we aim to produce a student that fully understands the medium, engages with it critically, and can manipulate it in innovative ways to create a dialogue that is both relevant and gripping." | Jané Schoeman, Co-existence, 2020, neckpiece, plant-based materials, silver, metal mesh screen, concrete, activated charcoal, synthetic gemstone, photo: Joani GroenewaldJané Schoeman, Co-existence\"")
!["Jané Schoeman, George, Western Cape, South Africa, 6529"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Untitled20design2028129_102420x20768.jpg "\"In her artist’s statement, Schoeman writes, "With this collection of pieces, I investigate how my idiosyncratic interpretations of the ecological landscapes of South Africa can be translated into contemporary jewelry objects. My practices, therefore, investigate the landscapes of Cape Town, Stellenbosch, and George, South Africa, as these are the geographic locations where I have spent my days. The alternative use of terrarium building practices enables me as a creator to study these ecological landscapes, to create wearable embodiments that externalize my experience of belonging and living within the South African landscape." | Jané Schoeman, George, Western Cape, South Africa, 6529, 2020, brooch, woven pine needles, silver, metal mesh screen, wood, concrete, activated charcoal, photo: Joani GroenewaldJané Schoeman, George, Western Cape, South Africa, 6529\"")
!["Jané Schoeman, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa, 7599"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Untitled20design_102420x20768.jpg "\""An ecological landscape is defined as an interconnected network of organisms existing within an ever-changing ecological system," says Schoeman. "The resilience of these complex landscapes is based on the coexistence between all living organisms and their environment, all existing on different spatial scales within a larger landscape. As a landscape evolves, it speaks not only about its natural origins and the conditions of a given landscape but presents a cultural overlay that reflects on the synthesis between people and the physical spaces they inhabit. This synthesis plays a crucial role in the creation of identity, as the characteristics of the landscape serve as dynamic ‘backdrops’ to the lives of those who inhabit it." | Jané Schoeman, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa, 7599, 2020, brooch, plant-based materials, glass, resin, wood, silver, photo: Joani GroenewaldJané Schoeman, Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa, 7599\"")
!["Jané Schoeman, Co-existence"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/IMG_4818_102420x20768.jpg "\""As we face the reality of climate change," writes Schoeman, "it is pertinent that a constant awareness of our actions and our relationship with our natural environment is cultivated. By creating jewelry objects that are meant to be placed on the body, I hope to emphasize the importance of the interdependent relationship between humans and our natural environments. These intimate pieces aim to promote a more sustainable understanding of the ecological balance in order to maintain a healthy relationship with our natural environment." | Jané Schoeman, Co-existence, 2020, neckpiece, plant-based materials, glass, resin, wood, silver, photo: Joani GroenewaldJané Schoeman, Co-existence\"")
!["Jané Schoeman, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, 8001"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/IMG_4837_102420x20768.jpg "\""With the creation of ‘representational terrariums,’" Schoeman continues, "I want to reflect on what it means to artificially re-create a ‘natural ecological system.’ I focus more on the terrarium’s ability to describe the materiality of large-scale environmental systems in a simplified and more comprehensible way. This notion is reinforced by a practical application of New-Materialist philosophies, theories that promote the act of ‘thinking by doing.’" | Jané Schoeman, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, 8001, 2020, brooch, ceramic, silver, laminated wood, photo: Joani GroenewaldJané Schoeman, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, 8001\"")
!["Ismini Pachi, This Feels Good"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/this20feels20good201_102420x20768.jpg "\"Ismini Pachi is the Estonian Academy of Arts’s outstanding student. The faculty didn’t find it easy to select just one from the school’s many good candidates (a sentiment shared by a number of other schools). "The reason we decided to nominate Ismini Pachi is because her work got a point at a time"—the global pandemic— "when it may speak to many of us. In her work, Pachi wanted to explore how sensory sensations affect a person, how sensations can change feelings. She started by studying materials and sounds and audible objects. Soon after, the world experienced something that struck us all in the same way. People had to stay away from each other, stay in long physical isolation." | Ismini Pachi, This Feels Good, 2021, object of embrace, porcelain, photo: Katrin-Maria TerrasIsmini Pachi, This Feels Good\"")
!["Ismini Pachi, This Feels Good"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/this20feels20good202_102420x20768.jpg "\""Suddenly there was a real need to somehow cross the distance between people," continues the Estonian Academy of Arts’s faculty, "to find solace due to their absence. Her need for touch and finding comfort led her to create objects that need to be touched. Pachi writes: ‘I focus on silence not as an absence of sound but as a beginning of hearing communication between one and one’s bodily sounds. In order to listen to the silence, one should isolate the external sounds while focusing the attention in one’s existence. I see silence as a bridge that links two places and two moments: the studio where the idea is born, hatched, and grown, and the installation space where the audience can interact with the artwork. Can sensorial objects craft constructive silence, comfort, and create intimacy comparable to the human touch?’" | Ismini Pachi, This Feels Good, 2021, object of embrace, porcelain, photo: Katrin-Maria TerrasIsmini Pachi, This Feels Good\"")
!["Ismini Pachi, Holding Hands"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/holding20hands202_102420x20768.jpg "\""We know that intimacy with someone can be restored through a photo or smell or some familiar object, but how do you comfort yourself in a situation where isolation becomes physically intolerable?" asks the Estonian Academy of Arts’s faculty. "The way the lack of intimacy is opened up and presented to the audience in Pachi’s work is very touching." | Ismini Pachi, Holding Hands, 2021, object of embrace, porcelain, photo: Katrin-Maria TerrasIsmini Pachi, Holding Hands\"")
!["Ismini Pachi, Holding Hands"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/holding20hands201_102420x20768.jpg "\"In her artist statement, Pachi writes of her graduate exhibition, "PLEASE DO TOUCH is a journey through places and materials. It discusses the fragility of silence in isolation due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and invites the audience to engage with the artwork. My need for touch, and finding comfort in isolation, led me to craft sensorial art objects that must be touched. It is an intimate attempt aiming to provide the beholder with pleasure and relaxation. My artistic work seeks to create a relationship." The faculty noted that this collaborative project needs human interaction to fulfill its purpose. | Ismini Pachi, Holding Hands, 2021, object of embrace, porcelain, photo: Katrin-Maria TerrasIsmini Pachi, Holding Hands\"")
!["Ismini Pachi, Give Me a Break"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/give20me20a20break202_102420x20768.jpg "\""Along the way," continues Pachi, "I focused my efforts on the body, on places where the lack of intimate human touch is mainly located. Through the interaction between the pieces and the audience, I seek answers on whether the material and the shapes, as well as the sensory aspects of the artwork, can enhance relaxation and inner balance. I use the hollowness of the pieces as a metaphor for absence, isolation, and silence. Come closer, and PLEASE DO TOUCH. Caress the silence or even break it!" | Ismini Pachi, Give Me a Break, 2021, object of embrace, porcelain, photo: Katrin-Maria TerrasIsmini Pachi, Give Me a Break\"")
!["Daisy Liru Chen, Neck Device, from the Healing Jewellery collection"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/The20neck20device205-LIRU20CHEN_102420x20768.jpg "\"Daisy Liru Chen was named the outstanding student at Birmingham School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University. Sian Hindle, the university’s course leader for MA Jewellery and Related Products, writes, "Daisy Liru Chen is fascinated by the challenge of creating jewelry and adornments that help the wearer take control of their mental and physical health. She began the MA Jewellery and Related Products course by creating a collection of pieces to reduce stress, and is now incorporating ideas from the Chinese practice of acupressure to create works that promote well-being and a positive outlook." | Daisy Liru Chen, Neck Device, from the Healing Jewellery collection, 2021, object for self-care, silver, epoxy resin, leather, plush cloth, photo: artistDaisy Liru Chen, Neck Device, from the Healing Jewellery collection\"")
!["Daisy Liru Chen, The Hand Device, from the Healing Jewellery collection"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/The20Hand20Device203_LIRU20CHEN_102420x20768.jpg "\"In her artist statement, Chen writes, "I am a contemporary jewelry designer from China. I am committed to exploring how to use acupressure in my jewelry works to enhance the comfort of touch to the body and deepen the healing effects of jewelry. I added a transmission structure to the design and used the kinetic energy of the jewelry structure to provide the wearer with a feeling of comfort and relaxation. At the same time, my collection also has healing functions and aesthetic qualities. I hope to bring a comfortable sensory experience to the wearer through my work to soothe people’s tired bodies and minds." | Daisy Liru Chen, The Hand Device, from the Healing Jewellery collection, 2021, object for self-care, silver, epoxy resin, leather, plush cloth, photo: artistDaisy Liru Chen, The Hand Device, from the Healing Jewellery collection\"")
!["Daisy Liru Chen, The Necklace Device, from the Healing Jewellery collection, 2021, object for self-care, silver, epoxy resin, le"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/The20Necklace20device204-LIRU20CHEN_102420x20768.jpg "\"Says Birmingham School of Jewellery’s Sian Hindle: "The work is research-informed, aesthetically striking, and beautifully detailed. Chen is an alumni of the Birmingham School of Jewellery’s Graduate Diploma course, a pre-MA designed to familiarize graduates of arts bachelors with the studio making skills and knowledge of jewelry context that will allow them to thrive at master’s study. Chen’s time at the School of Jewellery has been one of upheaval, as workshops have been closed for extensive periods due to a number of national lockdowns." | Daisy Liru Chen, The Necklace Device, from the Healing Jewellery collection, 2021, object for self-care, silver, epoxy resin, leather, plush cloth, photo: artistDaisy Liru Chen, The Necklace Device, from the Healing Jewellery collection, 2021, object for self-care, silver, epoxy resin, le\"")
!["Daisy Liru Chen, The Head Device, from the Healing Jewellery collection"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/The20Head20Device202-LIRU20CHEN_102420x20768.jpg "\""Nevertheless," says School of Jewellery’s Sian Hindle, "Daisy has demonstrated enormous commitment to build on the existing skills from her product design bachelor’s and develop her specialist jewelry expertise. She has set up a working studio in her single-roomed accommodation and maintained a rigorous schedule of iterative making, reflecting, and refining, resulting in the thought-provoking collection shown here." | Daisy Liru Chen, The Head Device, from the Healing Jewellery collection, 2021, object for self-care, silver, silicone rubber, leather, plush cloth, photo: artistDaisy Liru Chen, The Head Device, from the Healing Jewellery collection\"")
!["Daisy Liru Chen, The Head Device, from the Healing Jewellery collection"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/The20Head20Device201-LIRU20CHEN_102420x20768.jpg "\""Chen’s determination to push forward and embrace new ideas and approaches has kept her work sharp through last year’s challenges," Hindle says. "She plans to develop her work further in the remaining few months of the MA course. The MA Jewellery and Related Products’s intensive one-year course requires students to reflect on and interrogate their creative journey, and to explore the social and cultural forces that shape individuals. It has a strong reputation for facilitating students’ material investigations, and a growing focus on the role of adornments and objects in wear and in performance. This studio-based MA is just one of a suite of courses at Birmingham’s School of Jewellery that provide opportunities to develop and refine the skills needed to excel in roles across the creative field that encompasses jewelry and its related products." | Daisy Liru Chen, The Head Device, from the Healing Jewellery collection, 2021, object for self-care, silver, silicone rubber, leather, plush cloth, photo: artistDaisy Liru Chen, The Head Device, from the Healing Jewellery collection\"")
!["Sckye Dickinson, Urchin Ring-Blue"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Sckye20Dickinson20-2002-Urchin20Ring20Blue_102420x20768.jpg "\"Nova Scotia College of Art & Design University named Sckye Dickinson its outstanding student. "During a most unusual year," says Associate Professor Rebecca Hannon, "Sckye Dickinson developed a compelling body of work in her final semester at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University. Classes were held online, so Sckye returned to her native Bermuda and set up her home workshop. With access to a 3D printer, resins, silicons, and what could be found locally as international supply chains slowed, the artist dug in and created color-filled fantasy assemblages of real and cast forms from the sea." | Sckye Dickinson, Urchin Ring-Blue, 2021, ring, rubber, silicone, clay, photo: artistSckye Dickinson, Urchin Ring-Blue\"")
!["Sckye Dickinson, Urchin Ring-Orange"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Screen20Shot202021-06-0120at2010.08.4820PM_102420x20768.jpg "\"In her artist statement, Sckye Dickinson states, "Inspired by my love and interest in the water, this collection is a reflection of my birthplace, Bermuda. My objective was to create a jewelry line influenced by underwater sea life." | Sckye Dickinson, Urchin Ring-Orange, 2021, ring, rubber, silicone, mesh, clay, photo: artistSckye Dickinson, Urchin Ring-Orange\"")
!["Sckye Dickinson, Urchin Ring-Orange (detail)"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Sckye20Dickinson20-2003-Urchin20RIng20Orange_102420x20768.jpg "\""The forms I've created emulate the organic forms seen in the ocean," says Dickinson, "while the bright colors were specifically chosen to mimic those that occur naturally." | Sckye Dickinson, Urchin Ring-Orange (detail), 2021, ring, rubber, silicone, mesh, clay, photo: artistSckye Dickinson, Urchin Ring-Orange (detail)\"")
!["Sckye Dickinson, Urchin Ring-Green"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Sckye20Dickinson20-2001-Urchin20RIng-Green_102420x20768.jpg "\"Associate Professor Rebecca Hannon states: "Her earrings and rings are painterly compositions, each vantage point a surprise to the viewer. New created materials—a hybrid of man-made and natural—are said to be the substance of the Anthropocene, and Sckye’s subject matter and materials choices do pose a question to the wearer. The artist’s adornment brings a laser focus to the unnoticed, the chosen, and challenges our interpretation of the jewel." | Sckye Dickinson, Urchin Ring-Green, 2021, ring, rubber, silicone, clay, photo: artistSckye Dickinson, Urchin Ring-Green\"")
!["Sckye Dickinson, Sea Drop Earrings (detail)"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/earrings_102420x20768.jpg "\"Says Dickinson, "Silicone rubber was the material I chose to relate to the visual and physical elements of underwater inhabitants. The elasticity of this material allows for an aesthetically pleasing tactile feature of the pieces. My process includes 3D printing for molds and casting with my desired material. These wearable sea forms act as an extension to the body of the wearer and bring a sense of playfulness. The playful color arrangements create a habitat like feel and exude my appreciation for nature and contemporary adornment." | Sckye Dickinson, Sea Drop Earrings (detail), 2021, rubber, silicone, plastic, shell. photo: artistSckye Dickinson, Sea Drop Earrings (detail)\"")
!["Divya Raijada, A Glittering Experience"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/SAV_202130__JEWL749_Divya20Raijada_A20Glittering20Experience_Photoshoot7_102420x20768.jpg "\"Savannah College of Art and Design recommended Divya Raijada. "Her work reflects the historical reference of traditional Indian jewelry from India with a modern twist," says SCAD Chair of Jewelry Jay H. Song. | Divya Raijada, A Glittering Experience, 2021, bangles and necklace, model: @abbyblazee, set design: @jkchaotic, photo: @kayleighsclicksDivya Raijada, A Glittering Experience\"")
!["Divya Raijada, A Glittering Experience"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/SAV_202130__JEWL749_Divya20Raijada_A20Glittering20Experience_Photoshoot11_102420x20768.jpg "\""The entire collection is hand cut/pierced, set, and fabricated," says SCAD’s Jay H. Song, "yet utilized laser cutter for pattern making and laser welders for initial tacking prior to soldering, for precision. Like the combination of using traditional jewelry making with technology." | Divya Raijada, A Glittering Experience, 2021, necklace, hand-pierced brass, pyrite, rose-cut glass, marcasite, model: @abbyblazee, set design: @jkchaotic, photo: @kayleighsclicksDivya Raijada, A Glittering Experience\"")
!["Divya Raijada, A Glittering Experience"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/SAV_202130__JEWL749_Divya20Raijada_A20Glittering20Experience_Photoshoot14_102420x20768.jpg "\""Glitter is fascinating as it reacts and reflects to light," writes Raijadain her artist statement. "It sparks imaginations and gives freedom of expression as it overpowers the senses with its sparkle, engulfing the mind and body in its magic." | Divya Raijada, A Glittering Experience, 2021, bangles, (left hand) Kada, hand-pierced brass; Bangdi, hand-pierced brass; (right hand) Chuddi, hand-pierced brass; Gajra, hand-pierced brass and rose-cut glass; Chuddi, hand-pierced brass; model: @abbyblazee, set design: @jkchaotic, photo: @kayleighsclicksDivya Raijada, A Glittering Experience\"")
!["Divya Raijada, A Glittering Experience"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/SAV_202130__JEWL749_Divya20Raijada_A20Glittering20Experience_Photoshoot_102420x20768.jpg "\""Life is an accumulation of these glittering moments, reflected as precious as memory," says Raijada. "In this collection, I aim to bring those magical moments to life through jewelry as it has the power to hold history and trigger the memories associated with it." | Divya Raijada, A Glittering Experience, 2021, bangles and necklace, model: @abbyblazee, set design: @jkchaotic, photo: @kayleighsclicksDivya Raijada, A Glittering Experience\"")
!["Divya Raijada, A Glittering Experience"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/SAV_202130__JEWL749_Divya20Raijada_A20Glittering20Experience_Photoshoot2_102420x20768.jpg "\""I construct abstract elements to create jewelry in an overpowering scale that consumes the body in its shimmer to celebrate past and present, and to make future memories," states Raijada. | Divya Raijada, A Glittering Experience, 2021, bangles, (top to bottom) Kada, hand-pierced brass; Chuddi, hand-pierced brass; Gajra, hand-pierced brass and rose-cut glass; Chuddi, hand-pierced brass; Bangdi, hand-pierced brass; model: @abbyblazee, set design: @jkchaotic, photo: @kayleighsclicksDivya Raijada, A Glittering Experience\"")
!["Work by Olha Timkova"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Brooch1_102420x20768.jpg "\"PXL-MAD School of Arts, in Hasselt, Belgium, selected Olha Timkova as its outstanding student. Professor Dr. David Huycke, coordinator of the school’s International MA program, says that for her master's project, "Olha Timkova developed an intriguing and coherent body of work as a result of a critical, craft-based research in the arts. She examined how jewelry, especially brooches, can create surprising optical illusions." | Olha Timkova, brooch, brass, glass, stainless steel, 80 x 50 x 10 mm, photo: artistWork by Olha Timkova\"")
!["Olha Timkova, Deep Waters"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/fusion_102420x20768.jpg "\""The jewelry piece, the wearer, the viewer, and the interaction between these three elements are crucial here," says Huycke. "Captured in architectural constructions, large chunks of glass act as light breakers and generate strange and disturbing effects. The combination of polished brass and glass refers to a past while the works undoubtedly have a fresh and modern look." | Olha Timkova, Deep Waters, brooch, brass, glass, stainless steel, 65 x 30 x 20 mm, photo: artistOlha Timkova, Deep Waters\"")
!["Work by Olha Timkova"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/brooch2_102420x20768.jpg "\"Timkova’s artist statement states: "My graduation project is about the perception of reality and it investigates methods how optical illusions can distort our observations. In my jewelry, I try to show that not everything we see is real. To achieve this, I mainly work with glass, an intriguing material with many optical qualities." | Work by Olha Timkova, photo: artistWork by Olha Timkova\"")
!["Work by Olha Timkova"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/pendant_102420x20768.jpg "\""Besides the distorting function the glass pieces obviously had," says Timkova, "they also became the major decorative element in the jewelry, as if they were precious stones. The glass was framed and set in brass constructions, referring to the optical instruments we know from times past." | Olha Timkova, brooch, brass, glass, stainless steel, 70 x 35 x 23 mm, photo: artistWork by Olha Timkova\"")
!["Work by Olha Timkova"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/prism_102420x20768.jpg "\""Initially I made a virtual collection of commonly used illusions in daily life and in art, all emerging from different uses of glass," explains Timkova. "It was amazing to learn that we are confronted daily with these phenomena. Based on this information I developed a general working methodology. More specifically, I experimented with enlarging and reducing lenses, with glass volumes, and with fused crystal of various shapes and textures to create a diversity of optical effects." | Olha Timkova, Pendant, brass, glass, steel, 100 x 30 x 30 mm, photo: artistWork by Olha Timkova\"")
!["Work by Olha Timkova"](https://artjewelryforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/tube_102420x20768.jpg "\""This research in arts resulted in a collection of brooches in which the distortion takes place (1) in the object itself, where an interaction is created between the glass and the linear frame; or (2) where the jewelry pieces are in play with the fabrics on which they are worn and with the movements of the wearer," says Timkova. | Olha Timkova, brooch, brass, glass, stainless steel, 60 x 60 x 15 mm, photo: artistWork by Olha Timkova\"")
