Contemporary Japanese Jewelry [Paperback]

Simon Fraser (Author), Toyojiro Hida (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2003

Featuring 200 examples of the very finest work by more than fifty contemporary Japanese artists, this book is indispensable to anyone interested in modern developments in jewellery-making, and of great appeal to the broader craft and design community.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Simon Fraser lives in London and teaches at the Central St. Martin's School of Art

Toyojiro Hida lives in Toyko where he is Curator of Applied Arts at the National Museum of Modern Art.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Merrell Publishers (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858941636
• ISBN-13: 978-1858941639
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,605,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Keep your trash - it's potential jewelry, February 26, 2004

By 

Christine Saalbach (San Antonio TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Contemporary Japanese Jewelry (Paperback)

This book is a catalogue of jewelry featured in an exhibition that toured the United Kingdom accompanying the "Japan 2001" festival. The pictures of personal ornamentation in this book will test how you define `jewelry.' Simplicity is thematic, giving the viewer an impression of movement in the swoops and curves shaping each piece. For example, ear ornaments do not hang from the earlobe but, instead, are shaped to the ear's interior, like a hearing aide, with a hole made for sounds to enter.

Teruo Akatsu makes beads from dust, threading them onto stainless steel wire. I surely have a surplus of this raw material at my home. (You might recall that our San Antonio artist Sherry Fotopoulos has used dryer lint to create sculptures.)

Tomomi Arata uses sand, enamel, silver, and gemstones to create rings that looks like they've been lost in an ancient shipwreck.

Hiromasa Hashimoto strings liquid silver bugle beads on silicone cord to make a geometric necklace. Yuta Hataya fashions bracelets checkered by brass and silver.

Mikiko Minewaki is the ultimate recycler, making rings from the ends of cigarette lighters and colored plastics.

The above examples show just a few unusual materials used by these inventive artists, but you must see the book to know how the materials are rendered into spectacular jewelry ornaments.