500 Earrings: New Directions in Contemporary Jewelry

500 Series

by Marthe Le Van (Editor), Lark Books

Poring through the beautiful images in this exquisite gallery of earrings is like stepping inside a jewelry store filled with remarkable pieces from the finest contemporary jewelers. Juried by award-winning designer Alan Revere, the earrings range from the classic to the avant-garde, and come from an international array of artists, including Cynthia Eid, Rachelle Thiewes, and Jeff and Susan Wise. Their materials include not only traditional gold, sterling silver, copper, and wire, but also more unusual items such as glass, plastic, porcelain, and paper. The earrings are forged, soldered, chased, and cast, with surface embellishments that run the gamut from enamel and metal foils to patinas and inlay. Expert jewelers, students, artists, and everyone who appreciates fine craftsmanship will enjoy this collection.

Genres: Jewellery, Reference, Art

408 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2007

Reviews

[Edie Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

All this lovely jewelry succeeds as small pieces of sculpture. Some of them even function as earrings. Unfortunately many do not. These pairs are certainly worth looking at but probably not wise to wear. Keep that in mind while reading the book

[Avis Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for ingenuity, but most of the earrings are aesthetic dogs, more goofy than pleasing.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is kind of part of a series by Lark (500 ________). These books have served me and many people I know as a source of Inspiration. They show one of a kind, hand made pieces by artists from all over the world. Some of the pieces also have descriptions from the artist about what inspired the piece or the ideas behind it. In a classroom, students could look at these books for ideas and see where other artists take their ideas from.

[Nita · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have a passion for jewelry and jewelry making, this is a book to sit down and leaf through. It's filled with both classic and modern (some very avant garde) styles of earrings. Some are absolutely gorgeous and some border on scary!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not one of my favorites in the Lark 500 series, but this book is a nice collective of what is being made in the art jewelry field