Cookie Lewis combines her passion for jewelry history with her skills as an information specialist to analyze trends in the antique and estate jewelry markets. In addition, she curates jewelry collections for private clients looking for the unusual and hard-to-find. She is the founder of “Baubles for Babes,” which specializes in antique and vintage jewelry for infants, toddlers and the kid in everyone, no matter what the age. She can be reached at clewis@askinfomania.com Read more
At Lunch with Suzanne Belperron
A tour de force in 20th century jewelry design The only thing I recall from a television interview I half-watched one day was a question about who the person being Read more
At school for gemstones, learning about my classmates
It was on to colored stones! I completed my latest course at the Gemology Institute of America as I continue my journey to become a Graduate Gemologist. The information we Read more
Noucentisme reveals itself slowly, and the journey is worth it
I am on a journey to learn about what I will call Catalan Art Deco jewelry. Last year I bought a bracelet from the Catalan Noucentisme period, which I had Read more
GIA Sets Jewellery Standards and Celebrates Design
There are not many places closer to heaven for a gem and jewellery lover than Carlsbad, California, the world headquarters of the nonprofit GIA (Gemological Institute of America.) Here the Read more
A Winter Show to Highlight Jewelry’s Mystery and History
The Original Miami Beach Antique Show in Miami every January abounds with enticements. There are football fields’ worth of antique jewelry, furniture, paintings and decorative arts. I mostly concentrate on Read more
The Ottoman Empire’s Lessons in Branding
The concept of building a brand is not new. In fact, the first branding effort may be the most successful in the history of the world. As told by Walter Read more
Art Jewelry Forum Q&A With Sharon Berman
Adriana G. Radulescu is an architect and jeweler living in Washington, DC. She met Sharon Berman during her first Art Jewelry Forum trip to Amsterdam in October 2013 and noticed Read more
Tour of Boston’s Art Jewelry Enclaves Delights and Enchants
Looking at great art jewelry can change how you look at the world. I was once again reminded of this on the recent stimulating daylong jewelry tour of Boston sponsored by Art Jewelry Forum. The day featured exhibition spaces and some special hideaways of jewelry practitioners and advocates.
The tour was held during the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG) conference, and organized by Boston resident and AJF supporter Karen Rotenberg. Twenty of us boarded a bus and, as with all AJF events, it was fun, enjoyable, and educational—partly because it’s a good feeling to be with people who appreciate the same thing. Our group included some makers—Marilyn da Silva, Valerie Jo Coulson, and Andrea Williams, among others—but all of us were jewelry nuts. We care about how things are made and what they are made of, whether it’s eggshells or string or wood or something more conventional—although there weren’t a lot of diamonds on this tour.
10 Reasons the Art Jewelry Forum Trips are a Blast
In September 2014, I traveled with the Art Jewelry Forum to Sweden and Estonia. This was the second year I’ve traveled with the group – last year was Amsterdam — and both times have been a blast – trips of a lifetime. I was trying to dissect why these trips are so memorable, and different from other trips, which I also enjoy, but there is something about these trips that makes me smile every time I think of them. Read more