Jewelry and Metalwork in the Arts and Crafts Tradition [Hardcover]

Elyse Zorn Karlin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1993

This book provides the best study of Arts and Crafts-style jewelry and metalwork to date. Devised late in the 19th century as a reaction to industrialized manufacturing, the Arts and Crafts movement stressed naturalistic materials, designs and techniques. A resurgence of interest in this period has caused prices of items to rise. Collectors are buying Arts and Crafts goods as fast as they come on the market. The book begins with the British movement and traces the roots of this "new art" including its characteristics, materials, motifs, influences and makers' marks. Biographical sketches are provided for over 240 of the most influential British designers/jewelers/metalworkers, with discussions of the guilds, schools and commercial firms. The chapters move on to show the connection between the British movement and the European movements, including Art Nouveau, Jugendstil, Wiener Werkstatt, and Scandinavian as well as American Arts and Crafts movements. Similarities, differences and inter-relationships are discussed and illustrated with the work of many individual craftsmen and -women. In over 700 photographs, nearly 400 in glorious color, the success of these designs to provide fascinating and beautiful objects is demonstrated. The price guide will be of use to all.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Elyse Zorn Karlin is the author of Children Figurines of Bisque and Chinawares, 1859-1950 (Schiffer, 1990) and has been a collector and student of jewelry history for many years. She lives with her husband and young son in an Arts and Crafts period house in New York state.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing (March 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887404537
• ISBN-13: 978-0887404535
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #886,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elyse Zorn Karlin is a jewelry historian and journalist. She is the publisher/executive editor of Adornment, The Magazine of Jewelry & Related Arts and co-director of The Association for the Study of Jewelry & Related Arts, open to anyone who has an interest in studying jewelry.

Karlin is a noted speaker and an expert on jewelry of the Arts & Crafts and Art Nouveau movements. She runs an annual conference on jewelry open to all jewelry lovers and is working on a book about jewelry of the American First Ladies.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best jewellery book I own, May 25, 2004

By 

Katie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jewelry and Metalwork in the Arts and Crafts Tradition (Hardcover)

The Arts and Crafts era is without a doubt one of the best periods in jewellery history.This really was the period were people used there own creative instincts,were being original,true to the craft and not subscribing to a mass produced fashion/style e.g art nouveau,etc etc.It was also the forefather of modern jewellery design.This book is the prized favourite in my collection of jewellery books,before I bought it I had read it in the library countless times and it can be reread again and again.The best part about it was that it referenced so many obscure and unknown designers and jewellers,who have not been give due credit for the amazing work they produced.It is beautifully illustrated and ispirational and is interesting because most 'jewellery history' books only concentrate on the movement itself and feature traditional jewellers who became part of that movement.This is the first book Ive read were most of the jewellers are artists or creative groups making jewellery.Alot of the information in the book is impossible to find even online!I've looked.Very well done and researched, worth every cent.Also recommend Artists' Jewellery - Pre-Raphaelite to Arts and Crafts; by Geoffrey munn if you love this era.Though this book is the better of the two, but both are invaluable.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The origins of current Arts and Crafts revival, September 16, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: Jewelry and Metalwork in the Arts and Crafts Tradition (Hardcover)

This book is much better than many Schiffer books because it is a good way to compare and contrast the interpretation of the Arts and Crafts style at the turn of the 20th century. We are currently going through an Arts and Crafts revival with the available abundance of Mission and Prairie furniture knock-offs.

We learn from this book that the current revival is limited to the style of New Yorker Gustav Stickley who, in 1892, was inspired by the English designers William Morris and John Ruskin. Stickley favored simple linear lines in his furniture. The Arts and Crafts movement had many variations, evolving from a backlash against the rise of industry and mass-production. The movement emphasized pride in fine handcrafting and workmanship, attention to detail, and rejection of Victorian stylings having little artistic integrity.

As applied to jewelry, the Arts and Crafts movement took on different interpretations depending upon the designer's location. In France, some jewelry tended toward the grotesque. Following a different muse, Lalique's jewelery was themed on nature, such as insects and flowers.

In Sweden, Georg Jensen's silver jewelry sought classic new shapes. In the US, Tiffany used multi-hued glass in his jewelry designs. In Ireland, there was a Celtic revival in jewelry. Ancient Celtic designs such as swirling, swerving, symmetrical knots were Arts and Crafts "naturals."

Precious stones used in Arts and Crafts jewelry include gold, enamel, opal, amethyst, diamond, garnet, and pearl, particularly baroque pearls.

If you are interested in the Arts and Crafts movement, this book will give you not only an idea of how the design was applied to jewelry but also to architecture, furniture and accessories, and clothing.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, January 21, 2010

By 

A. Ajootian "adventurer-for-hire" (Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jewelry and Metalwork in the Arts and Crafts Tradition (Hardcover)

I really love her collected images, it wins as an academic and a practical archive. Not something I'd use as a text book, but great for research. Many wonderful enamels.