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There are many kinds of drawers
The drawer is a rorm of storage that ofrers
an ef'ficien use of space as well as a means
of prot c ing whatever is placed witl in i .
Contemporary ·ewelry inh bits a number of
differen drawers. lt exists in the drawers of
museum collections, 11lon.gwith many other kinds
of objects. (Mos ommor~1y,museums ollect
con emporary jewelry as subset of studio er ft.)
It's round in the drawers of collectors/ownern.
whicl1 can tend toward ei her the domestic (a
ollection of regularly worn cont8mporary jewelry
that lives in tl e bedroom or dressing room) or the
institutional (specially designed drawers to house
the ollection in an ar,;htvally sound manner, and
as a for·m of display). Contemporary jewelry also
fills drawers in dealer galle1·ies and the galleries of
some museurr1s, which will be ope~ed and dosed by
he buyer/viewer.
Often multiple pie es of jewelry are placed
together in a single drawer, making Lllis spa e a
contextual scenario. A single term, written on the
outside of the rawer, represents and identifies
the contents. the many wi hin. In this sense,
the drawer as a space involves classification: at
times accidental. it can also be strategic, as when
collec ors rnorganize heir drawers based on who's
coming to research the works in their collection.
The drawer oscillates between private and
publi . A drawer can be a wa(I to hide from view
or i;j,way to present objects to an audience. Both of
these possibiEties make the most of he drawer as
s orage and protec ion. More than the plinth, which
as a space grapples with the implications of use.
the drawer seems to offer a form of suspension.
Placed in certain kinds of drawers. jewelry is not
simply denied use but is taken out of irculation
altogether. decommissioned.
And yet suspension isn't quite the right word,
because really the contemporary jewelry object
shifts from one system to another. For example,
tucked in the drawer of a collector or· a museum,
the jewelry still performs as part of the collectionwhether in he mind of the collector or in he
ContemporaryJewelryin Perspective
online da,tabase of the institution. Placed in the
drawer of a dealer gallery, the object is available to
be seen and purchased while acting as evidence of
a practice, supporting the fea ured contemporary
jewelry displayed on the plinth. As a space. the
drawer offers what might be alled intermediate
forms of exhibition. but it an also indicate
potential: objects-in-waiting in a drawer.
More about storage
Owners/ ollectorn store their contemporary jewelry
in drawers. These can be dedicated s aces, in the
case of serious collectors, or multipurpose, in the
case of owners who may pu their con emporary
jewelry in drawers that also house other kinds
of objec s, such as socks. Owned-parked?-by
a
collector or buyei', the con emporary jewelry object
is in conversation with the rest of the collection
and be omes an asseri. (One of the prerogatives of
ownership is thaL the owner can remove the piece
from circulatio .)
However, s orage of this kind neither deactivates
nor disables the emmional atta hment the owner
feels for the contemporary jewelry ob·e t. Wearing
and display aren't the only ways to enjoy contemporary jewelry, because a collec ion is as much a
conceptual idea as a group of physical objects. The
inventory lis documents a colle tor's emotional
investn en:. in a set of invisible holdings: as ac umula ed worth ("I have all of this") and the very
personi;j,l history of the collection ("I bought this in
N"ijmegen in 1984" or "I was given this by so-and-so
on our anniversary").
Display
Dealer galleries and museums sometimes store
their contemporary jewelry in drawers, in the
same gallery spa e but separated from the obje ts
on display. In such situations. the drawer houses
objects that aren't receiving immediate attention.
In the drawer, and Lherefore subject to the
logic of tl1e drawer rather than the plinth, jewelry
is ontextual, evidential, part of a backlist or
collection, stock or objec s made of materials that
47
require sp cial protectio . There, Lhe singular
aspecLHor the comempomry Jewelry object are
subsumed LooLher elemenLs-such
s typolo 'ies
(11e1·ea1·e lots of different rings), or collecuon
status (thisJAwelry is ownecl by Lhe Louvre or the
Museum of ArLs and Design) or an artist's oeuvre
(l1ere's older or other woPk by this maker that
posi ions OJ' explains the featured wol'k).
And yet, al hough i's not on display in the s me
way, he space of the drawer, unlike the plinth,
offers Lhe poRsibiliLyof active arLiclpaLion. Vi wern
have to physic l~y open the dmwer, make decisions
aliout whttt t.o look t, and evelop their own
nan ,tives and meanings arolmd what rihey seeand ir:s sometimes a richer experience p:::ecisely
because iL'sless proscribed.
both at b13iyand within reach. Such things are
specul· tive n still have a foo in the realm of the
formless. Because they're inchoate, these loose ends
1·eless possessions than presen es: byperlinks to
contemporary j welry envisaged.
Stock and work in progress
Tn some rawers, notal:ily those in the makee's
sLl1clioand to a lesser extent the de ler gallery,
contemp01·ary jewelry becomes sLock, a kind
of sset that hasn't ye been successfullv
commoclifiecl. While contemp01ary jewelry that's
pc1rt of an invent01-y is comple e and ther tore
won't be altered or modi.ti.eel,such objects
demonsLraLe that t.he dmwer is parL of the space
or procll1ction and thus connected, in certain
situations, wiLh the bench. The drawer is the
spa where finished piece goes while the maker
decides whether it's successful, and wha iLs futuioe
life will be. The drcl..werrepPesents the point at
wllich contemporary jewelry is finished but not
yet omplete.
Jewelers rely on dr'awers to house their
jewelry: n.otjust finished work waiting to be sent
out-stock-but
also old work-archives, personal
collecLion-as welJ as unfinished jewelry nd
the iaw materials from which new work will be
t: bric ted. This last category en omp sses all
the stun of the working process: notes, drawings,
l1alf-flnisl1ed pieces, ot)je Ls Lhc:it ffilW include an
interesting element. things to be cas and so on.
Placing them in the studio rawer means
preserving them from oblivlon, locating hem
48
Drawer
The Collector's
Drawers
American Chara Schreyer collects art and
history, rather than the collection; and
design, and the conceptual frameworks
the market, which still values precious
of these two fields structure the way
materials over artistic expression. The
she thinks about-and
drawer, like the safe, is a form of storage,
stores-her
collection in her home. Within the logic
but the drawer is also oriented to the body,
of Schreyer's collection, contemporary
and to wearing.
jewelry features as a subset of design,
The fashion and the jewelry both go
which also includes fashion that tends to
into storage, but the fine art does not. The
be conceptual and intellectual-designers
art is displayed all around the house, which
such as Commes des Gan;:ons or Junya
also doubles as a kind of gallery, and is
Watanabe. The jewelry follows this trend.
staged as a series of conversations, like an
However, its requirement to be wearable,
exhibition. This isn't so for the fashion and
to reside on the body, pulls it away from
jewelry, which is staged when Schreyer
conceptual jewelry as practiced in the field
wears it, for discrete periods of time. But
of contemporary jewelry-which
often
mostly the collections that belong to the
discards objects or functionality in favor of
category of design exist in storage in
other concerns.
drawers and wardrobes, something that
Schreyer uses the same system
of classification for her fashion and
never happens to the art.
Damian Skinner
contemporary jewelry collections, with
items from each collection connected by
information sheets, indicating how different
pieces can be worn and the possible
combinations of garments, jewelry and
other accessories. A manual holds all
these sheets, one for each object relating
to the body, recording them and the
permutations of wearing. The information
sheets relating to the clothes also
accompany each garment, attached to the
hanger, thus indicating that the decision of
what to wear is generated by the fashion
rather than the jewelry, which takes on the
status of accessories.
The drawers in which the jewelry
resides are in the dressing room off the
master bedroom, and they're organized
according to type-earrings,
necklaces,
bracelets and so on. Schreyer also owns
fine jewelry, inherited from her mother,
but this isn't classified by the system,
because its value is in spectacle rather
than conceptual or artistic exploration.
Interestingly, the fine jewelry is stored in a
wall safe, which is a spatial recognition that
these objects are subject to the systems of
value of conventional jewelry: the heirloom,
with its appeal of sentimental and personal
Contemporary Jewelry 1nPerspective
CharaSchreyer's
jewelrydrawers.2012
Photo by Curtis Gnndahl
49
The Fair
A number of fairs promote contemporary
Prize, given each year to three jewelers
jewelry. Some of them, such as COLLECT
featured in the exhibition.
in London, and SOFA in the United States,
SCHMUCK is a center of gravity around
are craft fairs that show ceramics, furniture,
which elements of the contemporary
glass and textiles alongside contemporary
jewelry scene cohere for a week. In 2012,
jewelry. Others, like SIERRAD in the
for example, more than 500 people from
Netherlands or INHORGENTA MUNICH
all over the world gathered in Munich,
in Germany, are jewelry-specific, showing
including makers, dealers, collectors,
contemporary alongside conventional or
curators and writers, providing unparalleled
fine jewelry. There are different kinds of
networking opportunities. SCHMUCK
fairs. Most prominent is the COLLECT or
week includes, along with TALENTE
SOFA model, in which an organization
(an exhibition of aspiring craftspeople
(the British Crafts Council in the case of
under 30 years old), myriad exhibitions
COLLECT; the private Art Fair Company,
at local dealer galleries and Die Neue
Inc., in the case of SOFA) rents out
Sammlung (The International Design
space to dealer galleries and nonprofit
Museum in Munich). In addition, various
organizations to show the objects and,
alternative exhibitions by the full spectrum
to a lesser extent, the makers they
of contemporary jewelers, from students
represent. Another kind of fair, such as
to established professionals, take place in
Craftboston or the American Craft Council
venues all over the city. The 2012 official
shows in Baltimore, San Francisco, St.
guide listed more than 30 different events.
Paul and Atlanta, provide an opportunity
While commercial considerations are
for individual makers to sell their work
certainly in play as part of the framework
directly to the public, promoting the studio
of SCHMUCK week, the fundamental lack
craftspersons as much as the objects they
of commercial activity at the heart of this
make. A third model is provided by the
event demonstrates how important fairs
SCHMUCK and TALENTE competitions
are as networking opportunities, allowing
in Munich, at which, although they're
key players in a globally dispersed scene to
part of the commercial Internationale
easily connect and reestablish a sense of
Handwerksmesse (International Trade Fair
being part of a field.
for the Skilled Trades), nothing is sold.
Damian Skinner
The most prestigious fair in the
contemporary jewelry field is SCHMUCK,
held each March in Munich. Actually an
exhibition located-ironically,
considering
contemporary jewelry's artistic
aspirations-within
the Internationale
Handwerksmesse, a massive fair focusing
American Craft Council.
www.craftcouncil .erg/shows.
Bucci, Doug. "Schmuck 2070: A Report," Art Jewelry
Forum. April 13, 2010. www.artjewelryforum.org/
cont erence-fair-revlews/schmuck-201 a-report.
International Handwerksmesse.
www.ihm.de.
SOFA. www.sofaexpo.com.
on the craft trades, SCHMUCK is a
curated exhibition that, in the absence
of any other contenders, stands as a
presentation of international jewelry
trends-and
thus as a kind of symbol
of the contemporary jewelry scene and
its various systems of legitimation. No
doubt its importance is connected to its
noncommercial nature and its association
with prestigious awards like the Hoffmann
50
Drawer
Inheritance
Jewelry has long served as primary
than-perfect art objects. Few museums
evidence of wealth and status throughout
intentionally collect contemporary jewelry.
global cultures. From a dowry delivered
If an institution cannot classify the work
by a father to secure his daughter's future
within its established categories of
to polite Victorian-era references to male
decorative arts or contemporary art, then
genitalia as the "family jewels," connections
contemporary jewelry will not find a place
between jewelry and inheritance are
in the collection. Until the value for such
gendered and familial. Each successive
work is extended beyond the confines of
generation bears the responsibility of
a small, deeply invested community, the
stewardship, as proclaimed in recent ads
current situation in which neither family
by a luxury watch company: "You never
nor institution stakes claim on the work
actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely
will place such work in peril of neglect,
take care of it for the next generation."
obsolescence and homelessness.
Contemporary jewelry challenges long-
Namita Gupta Wiggers
held traditions of intergenerational transfers
of wealth through jewelry. Contemporary
jewelry isn't necessarily created with
traditional luxury materials, and collecting
such work can be highly subjective.
"Investment" in such works is contingent
on the artist's status and reputation, which
is developed and maintained through
Appadurai, Arjun, ed. The Social Life of Things:
Commodities In Cultural Perspective. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1988.
Crafts Council. Video of jeweler Mah Rana.
www.youtube.com/watch?v;0or46gKQRIY.
Riedel, Mi)a. "Susan Beech." Meta/smith 31,
no. 1 (2011):22.
Sud)lc, Deyan. The Language of Things: Design, Luxury,
Fashion, Art: How We Are Seduced by the Objects Around
Us. New York: Penguin, 2009.
specialized galleries and art fairs, modeled
after contemporary art markets. The
value of private collections, therefore, isn't
necessarily apparent from generation
to generation. If the next generation
doesn't appreciate the work for its aesthetic
qualities and can't justify caring for it for
sentimental reasons, where will it go? As
a relativelyyoung form of jewelry-and of
visual production-there is no secondary
market for contemporary jewelry, as there
is for contemporary art, decorative arts or
even mid-century design. This leaves current
jewelry collections at risk of being lost as
collections scatter between generations.
Ideally, for jewelers, museums would
be the primary target for long-term storage
and care of such works. Although most
contemporary jewelry is created with
the "white cube" of the contemporary
art museum and gallery in mind, the
transfer from home to institution isn't as
easy as one might think. If the works are
intended to be, and actually are, worn,
Constanza Schreiber
Untitled,2009
then visible signs or marks of use run
Silver,copper,e!ectroforming
Photo by MlrelTakeuchi
Courtesyof the artist
the risk of devaluing the works as less-
Contemporary Jewelry In Perspective
51
Redefining
Use
The notion of "use," in traditional jew-
The first option taps into jewelry's
elry, describes the range of interactions
"natural" propensity to invite appropriation:
between an object and its owner: a mix of
either by appealing to the magical-as
emotional investment and public display
in the case of modern-day talismans,
grounded on social conventions that tell us
ex-votos or sentimental jewelry-or
"how" and "when" to use the object.
integrating the wearer into the making
Contemporary jewelry has repeatedly
process-as
by
in the case of OIY, modular
challenged this. Lin Cheung's Wear Again
and evolutive designs. In both cases,
series and Manon van Kouswijk's Soap
the object provides the means of its
can all be used, but they're also about
transformation and isn't "complete" unless
use. Cheung dredges sentimental jewelry
it has been activated by use.
trinkets out of the silt of commercial
storefronts, and re-injects them-
The second option, which draws
its inspiration from social studies and
now permafrosted under their plastic
performance art, seeks to reframe the
wrapping-into
applied arts notion of "use" into the
the contemporary market.
The melancholy results acknowledge
contemporary art notion of "participation."
traditional jewelry's greater dependency
It's human resourced rather than object-
on use, and questions whether those
based, and encompasses practices that
objects in waiting can be reconfigured
involve the active participation of the
and re-activated through contemporary
visitor, or of the spectator in an event
practice. Manon van Kouswijk's Soap
stage-directed by the artist: walks,
(a pearl necklace encased in a bar of
performances, site-specific community
translucent soap) follows an opposite
projects and awareness-building events.
strategy. The impact of the object-which
This approach is particularly strong in
suspends use indefinitely, while inviting
Australia (as for example in the work of Caz
it-depends
Guiney, Roseanne Bartley, Bin Dixon-Ward,
on our capacity to imagine,
but not implement, washing our hands
Melissa Cameron and Jacqui Chan), with
to release the necklace. While wearability
some isolated advocates elsewhere.
still brackets the form of these two works,
However different in format and
physical interaction is neither essential
inspiration, the two options outlined
nor necessary to them. "Use" is a useful
above share the hypothesis that use
metaphor of "old jewelry" and a discursive
and interaction are a form of proof, and
opportunity for the new one.
a similar purpose: to breach the gap
While the remittance of use, and
between contemporary jewelry and its
its transformation into a motif, is one of
disenfranchised public/users.
contemporary jewelry's defining elements,
Benjamin
Lignel
it's also one of its most problematic aspects.
Challenging use is how contemporary
jewelry can expect to become more "like
art": this reduces its dependence on physical
interaction-when it enters the museumbut also threatens its currency as cultural
good. Makers who have sought to address
Bishop, Claire, ed. Participation. London: Whitechapel;
Cambridge, MA:MIT Press, 2006.
Cummings, Neil. "Reading Things: The Alibi of Use." In
Sight Works: Reading Things v. 3, 13-28. London: Chance
Books, 1993.
Staal, Gert. "In Celebration of the Street: Manifesto of the
New Jewellery." In Nolen, Ted. CH2;C(CH3)C/=0)0CH3
enclosures and other TN's, edited by Ted Nolen, see the
Manifesto Section. 114. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 2006.
the problem have typically chosen one of
the following two options: either to (re)turnto
jewelry's roots by involving the user physically
and/or emotionally; or to exit the museum
and re-engage with the public.
52
Drawer
2
Unused jewelry relegated to the drawer
circulates again through the intervention
of the jeweler
Lin Cheung
WearAgain (3 brooches),2008
Smallest,4 x 3 x 1 cm; largest, 10 x 3 x 1 cm
Gold, silver,mixedmedia,found obJects,stain-
2 Lin Cheung
WearAgain (26 brooches),2011
Smallest4 x 3 x 1 cm: largest,10 x 3 x 1 cm
Nylonflockedacrylicend brass,faux leather,
stainlesssteel
Photo by artist
3 Use suspended between the promise of liberation
and the threat of destruction
Manon van Kouswijk
Soap, 1995
Editionof 50, each 8 x 5.5 x 2.5 cm
Glycerinesoap, freshwaterpearls,thread
Photo by artist
less steel
Photo by artist
Contemporary Jewelry in Perspective
53
The drawer as useractivated display
Drawersof stockat
GalerieMarzeeIn Nijmegen,
The Netherlands,2012
Photo by MichOllHeffels
Courtesy of Galena Marzee
54
2 The drawer as temporary storage
in a rotational display system
Art Deco-inspiredsteel and glass cabinet
by Jonathon Maxwell housing part of
Susan Beech's contemporaryiewelry
collection, Tiburon, Galilorn"', 2008
1.8 m x 1.8 m x 50.8 cm
Ptloto by John White
3 Using the drawer to
store and classify
ready parts
Peter Hoogeboom's atelier
,n Amsterdam, 2012
Ptloto by artist
4 The drawer as useractivated display
Stock drawers, Galerle
Marzee,Ntjmegen,The
Netherlands,2012
Ptloto by M,chiel Heffels
Courtesyof Galerie Marzee
5 Storing knowledgethe reference library
Near the workbenchin
VolkerAtrops's
workshop In Rheurdt,
Germany,2009
Photo by artist
6 The drawer as static
display
Stockdrawersat Lure.Dunedin,
New Zealand, 2012
Photo by Nell Satan Brand
Drawer
••
..
7 The vertical drawer-the
material library
LeonorHlp61tto'satelierIn l.Jsbon,
Portugal,2012
Photo by artist
ContemporaryJewelry in Perspective
8 Using the drawer as inventory placefinished pieces
Drawerof stock1n WarwickFreeman's
studio
In Auckland,
New Zealand,2012
Photo by WarwickFreeman
9 Using the drawer to store and
classify-tests
and mock-ups
Drawers,KannJohansson·s
studio,
Goteborg,Sweden,2012
Photo by Johan HOrnestam
55