What Makes Handmade Jewelry Handmade?
By admin at 11 October, 2009, 7:47 am
Over the millennia, jewelry styles and materials have evolved in step with the advances of civilization. From the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, from the Iron Age to the Industrial Revolution (and seemingly back again!), styles have transformed, modernized, and then often returned to their most basic forms and essential elements.
Men and women have adorned themselves with handmade jewelry since long before the age of reason. Garlands of flowers, bracelets of woven grass, shells, and stone; such were the first decorations to beautify the human body. They may have been wearing jewelry as far back as 75,000 years ago — 30,000 years earlier than previously believed — according to a recent report by National Geographic News.
Today, jewelry is primarily machine made, allowing manufacturers to produce uniform jewelry plans much more economically than traditional handcrafting and hand-casting techniques permit. Casting machines now quickly system in to uniform molds such components as metals, plastics, and resins, allowing even complex jewelry plans to be produced with speed and uniformity. Mechanical punch presses and forges, likewise, are also commonly employed in the jewelry manufacturing industry today, to help ensure the production of a consistent, highly profitable product.
In the past decade, however, the modern marketplace has experienced a resurgence of interest in handmade jewelry, and a greater value is again being placed on one of a kind and limited edition jewelry plans, made by hand with ancient crafting processes.
Novica hosts the largest handmade jewelry marketplace on the Web, featuring some 15,000 one of a kind plans, direct from master artisans in Africa, Asia, and Latin The united states. Regina Bimadona, director of Novica’s regional office in Bali, herself a jewelry artist, works closely with master jewelers in Bali and Java, helping them bring their collections, and the one of a kind stories behind those collections, to appreciative customers worldwide. Bimadona specializes in assisting jewelers who still generate limited-edition collections with traditional, handmade techniques.
With this renewed demand, jewelry artisans the world over are enjoying improved sales and recognition for their talents and skills. Lots of specialty galleries — and even major department stores — now feature an increasing array of handmade jewelry. With the advent and spread of the Web as a sales device worldwide, lots of international jewelry artisans, even located in remote regions, are also enjoying the benefits of direct sales to distant customers.
In the following interview, Bimadona outlines the basic differences between handmade and mass-produced jewelry, and the benefits of and drawbacks to both handmade and machine-made techniques.
CG: What makes handmade jewelry truly handmade?
CG: Are there other ways buyers can tell the difference between truly handmade jewelry, and mass-produced jewelry that might at first glance appear handmade? For example, a quantity of the jewelry that they find in giant department stores today may appear “rustic,” but that does not necessarily mean it is actually made by hand.
RB: Handmade jewelry is crafted by hands, instead of mechanically made with machines. Handmade jewelers use elderly metal-smith skills, simple tools, and a broad variety of techniques to generate their desired forms and shapes. In handmade jewelry you can often observe each item’s uniqueness, its difference from similar pieces. You can also usually sense the cultural individuality, meaning, and even history behind lots of such plans, even if such information is not provided along with the jewelry. Handmade jewelry techniques require considerable concentration, time, skill, creativity, and dedication. This is often clearly recognizable in the done piece, making fine handmade jewelry stand out from mass-manufactured, uniform items.
CG: What are the benefits of purchasing handmade jewelry, than mass-produced jewelry?
RB: You will find that true handmade jewelry is typically not identical to other pieces of the same design. It is often easiest to examine jewelry that has considerable decoration — lots of aspects. Examine each individual component; you can often clearly see how they are attached and constructed. Mass-produced or machine-made jewelry typically looks more rigid and uniform. Some handmade, traditional-style jewelry appears less perfect than machine-made jewelry, although high quality handmade jewelry should nonetheless be made to last, and this should be apparent in the details. Perhaps surprisingly, I’ve found that machine-made jewelry often breaks more easily than well-made handmade jewelry. Much of the mass-produced jewelry sold today as “handmade” may indeed be handmade, for example in department stores, but that does not necessarily mean it is of the highest quality. Mass-production facilities typically require artisans to meet efficiency quotas that result in poorly made jewelry, made with cheaper materials — even if it is technically made by hand. I recommend looking for handmade jewelry that is not mass-produced — not available in giant quantities. High quality handmade jewelry often has an artisan’s name and reputation proudly attached to the done product. Fortunately, quality and uniqueness are typically apparent to the careful observer.
RB: Handmade jewelry offers the pleasure of one of a kind, often rare plans, that are not-identical, typically made by a true artist — with great love and passion. Jewelry is an art form. I truly believe this strength of feeling comes across in the design system, and in the done jewelry itself. Mass-produced items basically have less soul. I believe that handmade jewelry also better reflects the wearer’s personal touch and style, expressing individuality and interest. To wear mass-produced jewelry, of a common style, to my mind lends the wearer the appearance of being mass-produced. Mass-produced jewelry can indeed be less costly to purchase, because it is certainly less costly to make, but it is not necessarily less costly to purchase. Regardless, mass-produced jewelry usually brings with it no special meaning or history — no story, no life. When you wear stunning handmade jewelry, it is a pleasure to be able to explain to admirers the actual story or history behind what you are wearing, or information about the artist, which is often possible with handmade jewelry bought from individual artisans or their representative galleries. Above all, it is basically a joy to wear jewelry that someone has personally and lovingly created by hand.
CG: Who are a quantity of your favorite handmade jewelry artisans, in your region of the world, and why?
RB: Wayan Sarjana is one of my favorite jewelry artisans in Bali. They has a amazing personality, in addition to his high quality handmade jewelry. His plans are lovely, his prices are affordable, and his creativity is countless. Locally, Mariella, Priyo Salim, Agung Pribadi, Janice Ripley, and Zayd are a few other personal favorites. Fortunately, they have all agreed to participate on the Novica Web-site, along with lots of of our other finest artisans here, so I’ve the honor to assist and represent them now. Each of their biographies, and collections, are included in the Novica Handmade Jewelry department, where you will find detailed explanations as to why I admire and recommend these jewelers so highly, as well as other favorite jewelers and artisans.
CG: What inspired you, personally, to learn to make jewelry by hand? When did you start? What style do you prefer, and what materials?
RB: My background is in art and design. It’s always fascinated me to work with my hands — to let my soul, my mind, and my body link together in the system of making something new and exciting. I enjoy having private conversations with the materials I work with — to play with these materials within my imaginary space, and to see the evolution and transformation of various components in to a new form of existence. It is exciting. Lots of new ideas and silent conversations start flowing during the making of any sort of art, including jewelry. I began developing jewelry in 1988, while studying at the Indonesia Art Institute. Then, I often visited a friend’s jewelry studio nearby, and that is where I began to learn this art form. A few years later, when one of our huge Indonesian magazines held jewelry design competitions, I entered, and one time was a finalist in their competitions, in 1990 and 1991. I enjoy developing both contemporary and traditional styles. I enjoy working with lots of materials, including sterling silver, gold, copper, wood, leather, bone, amber, and natural gemstones and pearls.
CG: Do you still have time to make handmade jewelry these days, or are you too busy with your managerial work?
RB: I wish I had more time to make handmade jewelry today! I am so busy with Novica. Fortunately my Novica work revolves around what I love most. I spend my days meeting with our region’s most exciting master artisans and jewelers. Also, because of my personal expertise with art, including handmade jewelry, I can frequently offer helpful business suggestions to the artisans with whom I work, which brings me great personal satisfaction. I do also continue to make a few jewelry plans of my own, and I continue collecting materials, gemstones and pearls, for some new jewelry collections I’ve in mind. Jewelry is such a passionate aspect of life. I enjoy every minute of my work, whether working as a designer myself, or helping others who are dedicated to this stunning and artistic way of life.
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