Is jewellery just an object made of silver, gold or platinum? Or is every item that we put on ourselves as a decoration a kind of jewellery?
The PWN Universal Encyclopaedia states: Jewellery [French], small goldsmiths” and jewellery items worn as body decoration and an element of attire, also ornaments of primitive peoples – made of horn, bone, feathers, etc.; usually made of precious materials (including gold) and decorative ones (e.g. mother-of-pearl), decorated using various techniques (-> filigree, enamel, niello, etc.), characterised by artistic craftsmanship; jewellery forms have been subject to general stylistic changes, and its design has been undertaken by the most eminent artists.” This necessarily brief definition leaves a lot of room for personal interpretation and does not reflect the modern complexity of the phenomenon. For if the materials used in a product are taken as the proper criterion, how are we to classify ornaments that contain no precious metals yet hold significant aesthetic value? Or perhaps the method of making the item and the tools used in that process are the most important, regardless of the final visual effect?
Attempting to introduce additional terms does not seem like a fortunate solution either. The entry costume jewellery as it most frequently evokes associations with plastic tackiness, artistic jewellery it tends to be an overused phrase, designer jewellery does not give any clear explanation to potential buyers, and goldsmithing it suggests to non-professionals the necessity of using gold in the piece, rather than how it is made. The matter is further complicated by the fact that nowadays jewellery is no longer created solely by goldsmiths and jewellers, and designers are searching for increasingly new and innovative materials. In this diversity, how can one assess and choose truly good jewellery?
Although this is not an easy task, we want to take a closer look at a few of the most important factors and attempt to systematise the issue, in order to bring the subject a little closer to jewellery wearers. We are aware that this will inevitably be a certain generalisation that will not fully reflect the entire complexity and that there will always be exceptions that do not fit the pattern (both those that depart Furthermore and how in the red than „standard”). We will continue to use the word jewellery, meaning by that all types of ornaments offered to us by the modern market.
Bmass-produced jewellery
Quantitatively, it probably makes up the largest percentage of all manufactured decorations. Large-scale production takes place in craft workshops or factories. Specially designed production lines and efficient manufacturing technologies (ranging from plastics processing to computer systems producing complex casts from expensive metals), or the employment of cheap labour, help to reduce the unit cost of the product. However, large-scale production must find a wide audience and therefore appeal to average tastes while being as timeless and universal as possible. Changing the design is difficult, costly and carries significant financial risk. Effective marketing can work wonders, however, and convince buyers that any old trinket is their desired jewel.
This broad group includes both Asian manufacturers of cheap ornaments, whose products can be found for next to nothing in almost every ready-to-wear clothing department, as well as smaller craft workshops that have for years been making the same traditional and unambitious, though relatively inexpensive, ring or crucifix designs found in shops across the country. Among mass jewellery producers, however, it is also possible to point to those who have deservingly achieved a high position and reputation on the global market by faithfully building their brand over decades and caring not only for the technical quality, but also for the good design of their products. Such companies generally employ designers (though sometimes they remain anonymous) or form teams of people dealing with the aesthetic side of production, following fashion trends or even creating those trends. The prices of such jewellery can be astronomical, reflecting not only the utilitarian value of a specific product, but also the opportunity of owning an iconic brand. Renowned companies usually sell their goods in branded shops and boutiques.
Designer, artistic and bespoke jewellery
And this group is not homogenous, yet it is characterised by a certain common feature: designer jewellery – as the name suggests – is designed by a specific person who signs their name to the design. In this case, the design process appears to be more important than the production itself. The designer imprints the item with their own mark and imposes an individual style, within the boundaries of current fashion trends or even pushing beyond the limits of fashion. Designer jewellery seeks out an audience among more aesthetically sophisticated, bold and open-minded individuals who will find the particular creator's sensibility especially appealing.
Designer jewellery is usually created in small, independent studios by the artists themselves or craftsmen employed by them. It can be produced in short series or even as single items (so-called unique pieces), sometimes made to an individual customer's order. It is most often crafted by hand or using relatively simple and universal tools that do not have to be dedicated – as in the previous example – to a specific design, but merely facilitate and slightly speed up work on each project. Manual production is labour- and time-consuming, and the author is personally responsible for the technical quality of the product. The price of the item consists not only of the value of the materials used and the labour input in its making, but also the value of the design and the „intellectual charge” put into the creation of the given object. Mass-produced designs are cheaper, whilst the pleasure of owning a unique item is usually more costly. Creators generally sell their work independently or through specialised galleries, striving to build their brand with relatively modest means – rather fighting for their image through PR methods than resorting to traditional advertising.
The group of designers consists primarily of goldsmiths working in precious metals and using traditional and difficult goldsmithing and jewellery techniques appropriate for these materials. A few enthusiasts recreate techniques that have fallen into oblivion over the centuries, which makes their works particularly exceptional. But this group also includes people experimenting with unconventional materials and techniques, who often give new meaning to the word jewellery. The absolute peak of such artistic explorations is represented by works created for various kinds of jewellery competitions, which serve as a specific attempt at a creative response to the theme set by the organisers. Such objects are generally not intended for sale – sometimes they are not even intended to be worn! – and should be treated as conceptual explorations of new forms and means of expression that have more in common with pure art than with the production of ornaments.
Handmade and amateur jewellery
The third, relatively least numerous group is jewellery made by more or less talented amateurs and craft creators. Amateur and craft-based jewellery making generally does not require specialist equipment, and the work on it can be done at home. Sometimes it is the makers' main occupation, although it generally just serves as a break from other duties. They use the items they make themselves or look for potential buyers among friends. Sometimes they establish cooperation with more or less professional galleries, generally offering a modest price.
People involved in making such decorations generally do not have a goldsmithing background, so they primarily use ready-made (metal, silver, and even gold) components, the market offering of which is huge. Some of them also limit themselves to using „bought-in” beads, and thereby reduce their creative contribution most often solely to the colour choice, composition, and assembly of ready-made semi-finished products into a whole. It is difficult to achieve original effects using this method. Such activities are a great hobby and can be a good start on the creative path, although the artistic value and quality of this type of product often leave a lot to be desired.
However, in this group of people, one can also find those who specialise in various unusual craft techniques and have been cultivating their passion for creation for years. Over time, they are not only able to achieve mastery in a given field, but also to develop and refine it – once the craft no longer limits them, space opens up for visually interesting, original and innovative results. Anyone who thinks these are simple techniques that do not require special skills is mistaken. Just how tedious and time-consuming they can be is best known by those who have tried their hand at creating decorations of this kind. Word crafts it has no good connotations, in our country it is mainly associated with the years of austere communism and making up for market shortages through independent activities that were not always satisfactory in terms of quality and appearance. If, however, one looks at this phenomenon from a different perspective, one might conclude that both the results of the work and the financial expectations of talented and ambitious craftspeople should be more appreciated.
When buying jewellery, apart from appearance, price and build quality, it is worth considering right from the start which category of jewellery best suits your needs. If we are looking for original jewellery to „stand out from the crowd”, we should probably not look for it among mass-produced products; if we consider the value of the materials used in the jewellery to be the most important feature, let us not try to look among handmade items; whereas if price is the most important criterion, let us not expect artistic jewellery to meet our requirements.
Best choices wished by the Warsaw goldsmithing school Wytwórnia Antidotum (www.wytwornia.antidotum.pl)