Customer Reviews

Calder Jewelry

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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This book is a must-have. Whether you are a Calder afficionado who has collected (or wanted to collect) his artwork since the 1950s or whether you are a beginning metalsmith who never even heard of Alexander Calder, you will absolutely drool over the photographs in this book. Printed on thick gorgeous paper, every photo is sharp and clear, as though you were holding the jewelry right in your hand. The book is apparently an exhaustive catalogue of all the jewelry that Calder created throughout his life (much of it for his wife), explaining when he made it and where/when it was sold, often including his handwritten notes and drawings. On the other hand, it is a book solely of inspiration--although he eventually got into cutting, soldering and riveting, many of his earlier pieces are just bent and hammered pieces of wire. But, oh, the shapes he was able to make from that wire! If you are any kind of an artist looking at this book, you will think (as I did), "Oh, I could make that!" which leads me to believe that Calder inspired the past 10 decades of the contemporary jewelry movement. You, too, will be inspired by this book!

I saw this book mentioned in the New York Times magazine and thought it might be of interest to a friend of mine who is an artisan jewelry designer so I ordered it as a Christmas gift. When the book arrived I opened it up to inspect it and I was floored by how beautiful Calder's design's are and I was astounded at how his pieces have withstood the test of time (many of the pieces came from the 30s). I normally wouldn't consider myself one who is prone to looking at jewelry design books but this book is more than that it's an art book that deserves a place in any art book collection. Many people who come across this book might have happened upon it via a search for jewelry books but the reader should know Calder was actually not that well known for his Jewelry in fact he was known for sculpture and for inventing the mobile (the modern sculpture that hangs from ceilings).

This book is filled with full page beautiful photographs of hundreds of Calder's jewelry pieces. It's a massive book (in size) with outstanding production value. The photo's are meticulous in their quality and they are beautiful. The stock they chose insure that this book will be able to withstand an extreme amount of handling (the paper is thick). I had not had time to get into the text before I gave it away.

Before I gifted my friend with this book I had another friend preview it and she fell in love with it and this was a couple of days before Christmas so I had to buy another copy for the person it was originally intended for. This time I had Amazon ship it directly to her to insure she actually got it this time. I'm also going to have to purchase one more copy for my own art book collection in the very near future.

For all the Calder fans across the globe, here is a new/old art form for your appreciation and amusement. We all knew there were a few delightfully designed pieces of jewelry out there in the universe, but this is body adornment equal to his "CIRCUS" Very simple design, very organic. This book is thoughtfully put together, with breathtaking photos, informative copy and enough pages to keep you happily turning pages for hours. A perfect book for long time Calder fans, young jewelry designers, and people who have yet to go on their "Calder Journey" Thank you, thank you, for a new cherished book!!!

Calder jewelry is a rarified delicacy which makes the current traveling exhibition a must-see for anyone with an interest. The absolutely-next-best thing to being there is this spectacular book!! An amazingly thorough presentation with very sensitive commentary. Wow!!

What a wonderful book. Beautiful photographs of wonderfully organic pieces. It's a joy for anyone who likes interesting, kinetic works of art. For anyone who works in metalcrafts and jewelry, it's also a wellspring of ideas. These pieces really help to open the imagination to the possibilities of what can be done with some wire and very little else--no solder, no kilns, no adhesives. The paradoxical simplicity and complexity of these pieces is wonderful. Not only does Calder's work inspire creativity, it rekindles the joy of creating.

This is an exquisite book filled with unbelieveably gorgeous photographs of Calder's creations. Even the quality of the paper is exceptional. Just a wonderful book that is a treat for the eyes and a deserving tribute to the genius of Alexander Calder.

What a wonderful and expansive volume on Calder's jewelry. Beautiful photos of work and images from his sketch book. I never realized the extent of his jewelry work. The pieces are at the same time simple and elegant. This book does justice to the work,I never tire of paging through.

I was lucky enough to see this exhilarating Calder exhibition in NY. This book of Calders jewelry is simply gorgeous and does justice to the originals. The photographs of the jewelry pieces are crisp and beautiful- a real visual pleasure.
One of the nicest art books I have seen and a must have for Calder fans.

This book is an amazing chronicle of Calder's jewelry making. It was everything that I expected.
I would reccommend it to anyone who has an interest in history as well as Calder's artistic journey.

I bought this at the MMA in NYC after viewing the Calder eighty piece Jewelry exhibit. It's beautifully bound and printed for anyone to enjoy.