Customer Reviews

Brilliance! Masterpieces from The American Jewelry Design Council (Lark Jewelry Book)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This wonderful collection of contemporary jewellery gathered from the American Jewelry Design Council's annual Design Project, showcases the best of the best in each theme for the past 12 years. Commencing with the Cube in 1992, it moves through the Wheel, Key, Puzzle, Water, Flight, Peekaboo, Fold, Sphere,Pyramid, Secret Treasure, finishing in 2007 with the Sprial.

It is inspiring to read the design process for each of the pieces, the artists "interpretation" of the theme and to then gaze at the equisite pieces, beautifully photographed. Each piece is both contemporary and timeless, some are playful and quirky, others just shout at you to look at them. I could not choose one project more than another as there was always at least one or two pieces in each category that I greatly admired.

Upon recieving this book I sat down and read it cover to cover. Then went back and did it again. Each time seeing something new. I especially liked the the last chapter, on "The Artists" 1-2 pages per artist with a short bio and more photos of their extrodinary craftmanship.

This wonderful book will suit many people, the budding jeweler or student, those seeking inspiration in their own work, collectors of jewellery and even as a straight coffee table book. I would give this 6 stars if I could. I simply love it.

This book is a compilation of interpretations of several themes by accomplished jewelers. It is quite interesting to see how different people utilized the themes that they were given by the American Jewelry Design Council. It is a photo book, there are no academic essays.

This is a gorgeous book. It is filled with close-up photographs of the work of outstanding jewelers, so feast your eyes! Some have several entries; some have just one. Styles of the chosen works vary, so you get an excellent overview of what has been going on in the world of fine jewelry in recent years. Some pieces are over the top; others are very restrained. All are very finely made. They are accompanied by statements by and photos of the artists. All are products of design challenges set by the Jewelry Design Council, and it is fascinating to see how various artists interpret a one word challenge such as "spiral," for example. The variations are many and many are wondrous. I couldn't put it down. This would be a great gift for anyone who makes or collects jewelry or anyone who appreciates fine craft.

Alan Revere has a compendium of wonderful jewelry based upon several themes. The interpretations of each theme by selected artisans show imagination, skill, technical competence which is at times mind-blowing, and beauty. So much skill in a soft-cover book which is readily affordable makes it available to many who aspire to the heights these artists have achieved.

This book has had some good reviews and I wonder why. The chapters are organized around the competition, with theme of squares, spheres, spirals, etc. The entries are, well, wonderfully built and meet the theme, but are completely useless in any practical design. They are also not inspiring. They are the type of items you see in Jewelry Artist or Metropolitan Home and ask yourself, "what the xxxx"? The best part of this book are the bios of the winners in the back. There you can really see what these people are capable of. Too bad their best work didn't make it into the book. For truly innovative designs, look toward "Masters: Gemstones" by Lark Books. It is what this one clams to be.

I grew up reading stories about pirates, buried treasure, the excavation of Troy and the amazing jewelry collections of the Czars and it stuck with me.

I love fine jewelry, gems, goldsmithing, design, the amazing skill it takes to meld all of those things together to create something unique and exquisite.

This book is filled with beautiful color photographs and amazing representations of just what a master artisan can do when given exceptional resources to work with.

Just be prepared to sigh quite a bit once you open this book, because there are a number of pieces that will take your breath away.

Though I'm not in the jewelry business, I found this book a rare and beautiful find. The photographs are spectacular and the text very informative. You don't have to be a jewelry expert to appreciate the items shown and the loving care that went into presenting them. All you need is an appreciation of great art and the artists who create them. Highly recommended.

I find this book very inspiring and beautiful! I love Lark Books in general, but this book goes into more detail about the designs and about the designers. I find it so interesting how each concept is interpreted in each designer's vision. I also love the layout of the book starting with the prologue... the fabulous photos... the comments from the designers and details of the pieces... I like to collect art books and love jewelry so this is a perfect book to enjoy!!

This is a beautiful book, intelligently written detailing the uncommon works of amazing Jewelry artists. Inspiring!

Thanks to the incredible jewelry knowledge and clear writing style of this book's two authors, those who appreciate real fine art jewelry are able to learn about some of the contemporary market's major talent. This book is for anyone who wants to be--or needs to be--further inspired by original creative work, each with a signature all its own. Perhaps most importantly, it is a significant contibution to the historical chronicling of 20th and 21st century jewelry design.