Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist: Gems, Beads, Jewelry Making and more

News & Notices

Industry information, upcoming classes and workshops, notable museum and gallery exhibitions, competition deadlines, conferences and more...

Interweave Event Dateline | Classes | Contest & Juried Show Deadlines | Conferences, Exhibits & Events | News & Awards | Miscellaneous | Related Links

Last Updated: 8/11/08
Interweave Event Dateline

For quick reference, here's a list of our upcoming extra-curricular activities. If you're considering attending or teaching at one of our shows, or planning on entering one of our competitions, we'll be posting a regular list of important dates each month to keep you on track.

Prospective Instructors: Submit class proposals for all our 2009 events here.

Have a show or contest deadline announcement to post? click here to email our editors

Bead Fest Philadelphia 2008: August 21-24, 2008
At the Valley Forge Convention Center, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. For booth information, e-mail JIannucci@interweave.com.

Upcoming Classes & Workshops

Find Local Bead and Jewelry Classes!
Step by Step Beads now lists upcoming Bead Classes online. Jewelry Artist lists Jewelry Classes online.

For more jewelry and bead classes, check our our Jewelry Classes & Bead Classes sections online! For more schools, visit our Schools/Education section.

Juried Exhibits, Exhibition Opportunities & Contests

Call for Artists - Transformation Installation
The Society of Yoruba Bead Artists (SYBA) is looking for bead artists to submit work for their upcoming installation, TRANSFORMATION, scheduled for January - March 2009. Transformation will be an exhibition of sacred Yoruba and secular beadwork. SYBA members are creating an installation to honor Egun (ancestors) and work created will include recreations of tools, war instruments, beaded quilts, and other ritual objects to pay homage to generations that met generations in heaven; and an installation to honor Ogun and Oya, the Orisa of hard work and change -- transformation. Work created will include: Ileke Masso (beads always tied in coils); Iruke (beaded horsetail/flywhisk); Ogo (beaded wands); Ide (beaded bracelets); and Abebe (beaded fans). Transformation will honor the past and inspire the future. Works accepted can be in any medium including, but not limited to: textiles, wood, sculpture, glass, photography, poetry/prose, clay, and paintings. Artists must interpret Transformation, and beads must be included in some prominent manner in the work. Deadline for slides is September 2008. For more information visit the website prospectus or download an entry form online.

Call for Teaching Artists - SNAG
The Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG) has begun a project to create a comprehensive listing of artists who give workshops in jewelry and metalwork. The result will be a publicly available resource providing a comprehensive list to assist those interested in finding artists who teach workshops. At presstime, the resource was planned for fall release, with updates to be posted on a quarterly basis. If you are interested submitting your information, contact SNAG volunteer Lauren Murray: laurenmmurray@gmail.com with your name, complete contact information, and a brief list of workshop topics. Visit www.snagmetalsmith.org to join SNAG and for more information.

To submit a listing for a juried event, contest or exhibition opportunity, please contact our website editor.

Conferences, Events & Exhibits

American Lapidary
The Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, in Elmhurst, Illinios, will be exhibiting hardstone carvings and cut stones from modern American artists until August 31. The show features both professional and hobbyist cutters and carvers. Call 630-833-1616 or visit www.lizzadromuseum.org for more information.

Pietre Dure at The Met
Art of the Royal Court: Treasures in Pietre Dure from the Palaces of Europe, runs until September 21 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This is a comprehensive exhibition of hardstone carving, or pietre dure, that developed in Italy during the 16th century and eventually spread through Europe. Roman Renaissance masters cut colored marbles and laid them in geometrically patterned tabletops, while Milanese artisans preferred to cut designs in rock crystal, lapis lazuli, and other precious materials. In Florence, the Medici were known for importing precious stones and their interest led to the founding of court workshops that still survive as Opificio delle Pietre Dure. Royal patronage encouraged many Florentine craftsmen to migrate to Prague, Augsburg, Paris, Madrid, and St. Petersburg. More than 150 tables, cabinets, caskets, jewelry, vases, and sculptures are represented in the exhibition. Visit www.metmuseum.org for more information.

Alexander Calder Jewelry on Tour
While Alexander Calder’s work as a sculptor has been widely celebrated, his jewelry work is not so well known. Even when it is shown, it is typically only a small part of a large exhibition. Calder’s jewelry, usually created for family and friends, exhibits the same themes as his large scale work: he uses forged wire to explore movement and space and its relation to the body. Innovative cold connections, purity of form, and glorious hammer marks combine in his elegant jewelry works. An exhibition of approximately 100 jewelry objects, including necklaces, bracelets, pins, earrings, and crowns, is currently at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from July 12 to October 19, and moving on to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, from December 8, 2008 until March 1, 2009. After New York, it will travel to the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin from March 31 to June 22, 2009. Visit www.norton.org for more information.

Historical Jewelry Collection
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) Museum is launching a campaign to build the “GIA Historical Collection,”
a comprehensive assemblage of jewelry, objects d’art, and gemstones from all time periods and cultures worldwide. Current pieces in the collection include a late 18th century diamond floral brooch and a corsage ornament featuring a pink topaz and diamonds from about 1905. GIA hopes to increase the number of pieces in the collection and acquire examples from many different eras for display in other venues on a regular basis, accompanied by lecturers and experts. For more information on the GIA Historical Collection contact Kimberly Vagner, GIA project manager of In-Kind Donations, at 760-603-4150 or Kimberly.vagner@gia.edu.

News & Awards

Opal Sells for $120,000
International fine arts auctioneers Bonhams & Butterfields sold a world famous and recognizable opal in June. Dubbed the “Flame Queen,” the legendary stone was once the centerpiece of a large opal collection. The opal’s large size, 263.18 carats, and unusual shape and color pattern make the stone a museum-quality specimen. Oval in shape with a flat central dome surrounded by a blue-green band, the stone resembles a fried egg. The Flame Queen was discovered in 1914 at the Bald Hill Workings in Lightning Ridge, Australia. For details, visit www.bonhams.com.

2008 MJSA Vision Awards
The 2008 Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America (MJSA) Vision Award Design Competition winners were honored during the MJSA Expo New York in April. In addition to professional and student categories, several professional entries were honored in special distinction categories. Sponsors included Roland, Rio Grande, Crafford-LaserStar Technologies, Reactive Metals Studio, Shining Wave Metals, Natural Color Diamond Association, Hoover & Strong, Platinum Guild International, Reactive Metals Studio, and Cabot Supermetals. Judges were Barbara Berk, Michael Coan, Jacquie De Almeida, Cindy Edelstein, Paul Holewa, Steve Midgett, Marlene Richey, Hedda Schupak, and Mary Wisniewski. For more information, call MJSA at 1-800-444-6572 or visit www.mjsa.org.

Bench TV
The Bench Jewelers Television Network is a newly launched online source for ways anyone can become a better bench jeweler. The network has different channels of interest including Shop Management, Stone Setting, Jewelry Repair, Custom Manufacturing, Laser Welding, Bench Techniques, New Products, and more. Each channel has several different shows of related topics, and shows are added regularly. Members can join, log in, view, and contribute. There is also a preview channel for non-members. Visit www.BenchTelevision.com to see more.

Spiral Inspired
The American Jewelry Design Council (AJDC), a 19-year old not-for-profit organization, pursues a number of activities in order to educate the public that jewelry is a category of fine art. Among these is the annual challenge to members to create a piece of work based on a specific theme, guided by the dictum that their creations are to be made solely as artistic expressions, with no commercial intent. The pieces are then exhibited at major jewelry trade shows and museums around the country. This year’s challenge was Spiral, and generated spectacular and intriguing art jewelry. “We are artists who have found our medium in metal,” states Alan Revere, the group’s president. Visit www.ajdc.org for more information.

New Catalog Reference
The Findings Collection for Jewelry Makers, Stuller’s new spiralbound findings catalog, is a great resource for prefabricated shanks, pendants, chain, and settings. Also included are many technical tips, charts, and diagrams to aid the bench jeweler in fabricating with precious metal, determining approximate carat weights to stone size, conversion charts, and specific product guide sheets. Call (800) 877-7777 or visit www.stuller.com for more information.

Miscellaneous

Following Up

RE: Carved and Cast in Stone, June 2008
We’ve had several inquiries about Visions of Sonwai, the limited edition book featuring the innovative jewelry designs of Verma Nequatewa. Visit www.annieosburn.com for more information.

RE: The Intarsia Indexer, May 2008
Al Sesona, owner of AJS Distributors and creator of the machine, has asked us to update his contact information:
Al Sesona, AJS Distributors, 394 North Blvd., St. Augustine, FL, 32095. Phone 888-354-7448 or 904-824-6490, e-mail IntarsiaGrinder@aol.com.

Corrections

Clarification, February 2008: Facets in the February issue included “Recent DVD Releases.” We stated that Victoria Lansford’s DVD includes her entire range of techniques, including eastern repoussé, chasing, Russian filigree, granulation, chain making, acid etching, and forging. Victoria e-mailed to  request we state the following: “While Victoria works in a multitude of techniques, her first DVD is dedicated only to the technique of Russian filigree.”

Credit Due, February 2008: In our February 2008 issue, page 56 shows a ceremonial mace made by Joe R. Apodaca. We neglected to credit the photographer for his image. The photo was shot by Randy L. Rasmussen.

Related Links

More events online:

Bead Classes - Step by Step Bead's bi-monthly listing of bead classes.

Jewelry Classes - Jewelry Artist & Step by Step Wire Jewelry's listing of jewelry-making classes.

Show Calendar - Our extensive calendar of gem, mineral, bead and jewelry shows by date and location.

 

Choose from 2 Exciting Offers
Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine

BEST
DEAL

We have a special internet offer just for you. Subscribe to one year of Jewelry Artist, PAY NOW and receive 2 extra issues (14 issues in all) for FREE! You save over 64% off the newsstand price.

Yes, send me 14 issues for only $29.95!

Jewelry Artist Best Deal
U.S. funds only. Add $15/yr for Canadian, $25/yr for Int’l

OR

Send me a FREE trial issue of Jewelry Artist. I'll
get a one-year subscription (12 issues) for
only $29.95
—that's a savings of over 59% off
the newsstand price! If I'm not completely satisfied,
I can keep my FREE issue and return the bill
marked "cancel" and owe nothing.

Just fill out this form—it's Risk Free!

U.S. funds only. Add $15/yr for Canadian, $25/yr for Int’l

First Name
Last Name
Street 1
Street 2
City
State
Zip
Country
Email
TRIAL SUBSCRIPTION

Pay nothing now

________________________________________________________________

Feature Stories & Artist Profiles | Step-by-Step Projects & Workshops | Technique Articles | Business Articles | New Products | News, Conferences, & Deadlines | Take our Reader Survey

Articles & Workshops | Bead Fest | Jewelry Classes | Show Calendar | Search for Products & Suppliers | Classified Ad Deals | Advertising Rates & Information | Media Reviews | Store - Books & Back Issues | Contact Us | Links | Site Map

About Us | Subscribe to Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist | Subscription Customer Service/Account Lookup

Contact us.
All content on this site © Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist /Interweave Press.
If you have any questions or problems regarding this site, please e-mail our site editor.