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.

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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

In September 2014, I traveled with Art Jewelry Forum to Sweden and Estonia. This was the second year I’ve traveled with the group – last year was Amsterdam — and both Read more