Go Global with Your Jewelry
By Natalio Martin Arroyo
Harper Design, $60.00, 600 pages
If you are looking for an anthology featuring hundreds of unique jewelry pieces made by today’s leading designers, look no further than Natalio Martin Arroyo’s newest book. In The Sourcebook of Contemporary Jewelry Design, Arroyo explores how modern jewelry designers borrow techniques once used by the Babylonians, Assyrians and Sumerians (to name a few). Arroyo focuses on over 50 designers from around the globe and demonstrates how they successfully experiment with ancient materials using various methods to create pieces relevant to – and valued by – contemporary society. Arroyo provides a brief bio of each artist, as well as their websites, for readers interested in finding out more about their craft. The designers answer questions such as what material they would choose to work with if they could only use one and what they would be doing if they were not making jewelry. Arroyo also asks artists to describe their workspace in just three words. The text is not lengthy, leaving room for beautiful photographs of all the work. The Sourcebook of Contemporary Jewelry Design is a fascinating coffee table book that would make a lovely gift. Considering how much just one piece of the featured jewelry costs, the book’s $60 price tag is a bargain. Readers can enjoy their favorite pieces over and over as they browse through more than 1300 photos.
Reviewed by Elizabeth Franklin
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