Current Obsessions founder Marina Elenskaya and managing director Sarah Mesritz, photo: Sam Bynens Current Obsession (CO) is a cross-disciplinary platform and independent magazine with a special interest in contemporary jewelry. CO started off as a blog in 2009. It was managed by Marina Elenskaya (Russia), who at that time was a jewelry student at the […]
Who Should We Watch? Young Initiators! Read More »
Onecklace, Circle Monogram Initials necklace, 2012, sterling silver, 25 x 25 mm, photo: Onecklace Onecklace specializes in individually made jewelry pieces, hand crafted to customers’ specifications. They launched in 2012, have met with a lot of success, and became a corporate sponsor of AJF this year, for which we are very grateful. The founder and
Jonathan Oz-Ari, CEO of Onecklace Read More »
From left to right: Heng Lee, Yung-Huei Chao, Han-Chieh (Joy) Chuang, Ying-Hsun (Zita) Hsu, Mei-Fang Chiang, Wen-Miao Yeh, Cai-Xuan Wu (Molly), Ying-Hsiu Chen, photo: anonymous 886 Bench is a collective of 10 emerging jewelry artists from Taiwan, a subtropical island known for its semiconductor chips and complicated relationship with China. The group has exhibited at
886 Bench: Bubble Land Read More »
Piret Hirv at her bench, photo: Urmas Lüüs Piret Hirv is one of the standard-bearers of Estonian jewelry. International audiences will identify her as part of the trail-blazing õhuLoss collective, and will know her powerfully melancholy low-reliefs in silver: paper-thin silver shrouds draped over passing souls. I met Piret on a trip to Estonia in
In Conversation with Piret Hirv Read More »
Nikki Couppee, Diffraction Necklace, 2016, Plexiglas, brass, leather, film, 216 x 178 x 6 mm, photo: artist The jewelry of Oakland-based Florida native Nikki Couppee employs vibrant colors and illusory surfaces that simultaneously evoke preciousness while coyly giving it the finger. In this conversation, Couppee discusses the underlying nostalgic impulses and material fascinations in her
Nikki Couppee: Hologems Read More »
Sarah Hood, Three Wreaths, 2016, mixed media, dimensions variable, photo: artist Botanical Illustrations is a group show, curated by Taboo Studio, of five international jewelers—Laura Baxter, Janice Ho, Sarah Hood, Kyunghee Kim, and Maia Leppo—who reinterpret this theme from the perspective of their own individual aesthetics. One of the artists, Seattle-based Sarah Hood, discusses her
Sarah Hood: Botanical Illustrations Read More »
Alissa Lamarre, Tiara, 2013, copper, housing wire, 227 x 178 x 152 mm, photo: P.D. Rearick Alissa Lamarre’s exhibition at Brooklyn Metal Works, Dividing Gravity, features work with conflicting qualities; it’s large and tactile but dreamlike—exploring escapism but anchoring you in place. Lamarre shows both jewelry and sculpture, creating a landscape that transports you forward
Alissa Lamarre: Dividing Gravity Read More »
Māris Šustiņš, Raining Stars, 2016, promotional image, Art Gallery Putti, Latvia, photo: Art Gallery Putti The infinite possibilities of metal as a material for exploration and the magical aspects of the creative process underlie and inform Māris Šustiņš’s jewelry. In Raining Stars, his latest solo exhibition on show at Putti, each jewel is charged with
Māris Šustiņš: Raining Stars Read More »
Kevin Hughes, Kevin’s Music, 2015, photo exploration, Monk’s Music album cover, 1957, photo: Kevin Hughes/Thelonious Monk Known for his fondness for blending humor, found objects, and traditional craft, Kevin Hughes is an American studio artist who strives to make work with the form and depth of jazz. With an MFA from the Rhode Island School
Kevin Hughes: The Good Old Boys Read More »
Karin Johansson, Alva, 2015, necklace, gold, anodized aluminum, acrylic, 860 mm, photo: elStudio Karin Johansson’s jewelry is subtle and elegant. Harmony of colors, tactile textures, lightness, and dynamic shapes define her new Soundtrack collection, on view now at Jewelers’Werk Galerie in Washington, D.C. The work is a playful continuation of her Abstractions of a City
Karin Johansson: Soundtrack Read More »
Becky Bliss, photo: Sandy Connon Photography New Zealander Becky Bliss first trained as a graphic designer before becoming a contemporary art jeweler after completing a bachelor’s in applied arts at Whitireia Community Polytechnic in 2010. The works in the exhibition Found, at Avid Gallery, Wellington, further develop Bliss’s exploration of surface using traditional and found
Becky Bliss: Found Read More »
Sean Gilson, Ring, 2016, opal, natural black pearls, steel, diamonds, 24 x 26 x 20 mm, photo: Aaron Faber gallery A new group show at Aaron Faber gallery showcases work from around the world which flaunts spectacular—and unusual—gems. These gems are rare curiosities and, to some extent, they fall outside the conventional market for precious
Group Exhibition: Phenomenal Jewelry Read More »
