Review
"Need bling? Serious bling? Original bling? Finger bling? In Showcase 500 Rings: New Directions in Art Jewelry, Lark Books--doing what it does best--offers the debut title in their redesigned Showcase 500 series. And what an offering it is! From the medieval-inspired simplicity of Aliki Apoussidou's hot-forged Siegelring Rund to Kristin Diener's aptly named Ring Form: Contraption (truly, a party on your hand), juror Bruce Metcalf and editor Marthe Le Van have selected an eye-catching collection of jewelry from classic to quirky. My personal favorites ran the gamut. Would I wear Julie Lynn Romanenko's untitled elegant diamond and 14-karat gold set? Absolutely! Could I see myself wearing the polymer-clay fantasy that is Jeffrey Lloyd Dever's Convergence? The artful sprite in me is screaming 'Sure, you can!' This book lives up to the Lark Books' tradition. It's a jewelry store between two covers." --Diana Mains Welte
“Love jewelry? While few of these rings might be actually worn, they are highly creative and inspiring to view. The uniqueness of the rings lies in design, concept, techniques and materials. While some jewelers use gold, precious metals and stones, others use everyday items like paper, hook-and-loop tape and synthetic rubber insulation tubing. Techniques are also diverse, including carving and photo etching to hot forging and welding. This is another of the terrific books in the 500 series. Well worth buying and loving.” --Nancy G. Cook
About the Author
Juror Bruce Metcalf was a contributing editor to Metalsmith magazine for nearly two decades and taught at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. His honors include a Pew Fellowship in the Arts, a National Endowment for the Arts Visual Artists Fellowship, a Fulbright Teaching & Research Fellowship in Korea, and a National Endowment for the Arts Craftsmen's Fellowship.
Marthe Le Van is a Senior Content Editor for Lark Jewelry & Beading. She has written, edited, juried, or curated more than 40 jewelry books since 2000.
