Brightened rocks
Be it a chunky, uncut and unpolished hematite gold wrapped necklace by Pippa Small or a stack of rings set with rich, coloured gems by Wendy Ramshaw, these days buying contemporary jewellery isn't just about beautiful baubles, it is now becoming collectable.
For proof, look no further than Sotheby's. Until October 24, it is using its Bond Street space in London, located close to some of the most prestigious jewellery boutiques, to launch its London Rocks event, which exhibits the work of top British artist-jewellers. Theartists themselves will be present throughout, as well as experts and gemologists to give advice. Prices range from ￡500 to ￡10,000.
Joanna Hardy, director of jewellery at Sotheby's and the woman behind London Rocks, believes these wearable designs represent a new collecting opportunity. "These guys are the auction names of the future," she says. "At the moment there are lots of artists in Britain expressing themselves through jewellery. It would give me pleasure to see people enjoy contemporary jewellery in the same way they enjoy contemporary art." Hardy believes this will happen and that collectors from across the board, who would normally be seen perusing antique jewellery or modern art, will be sniffing out unique pieces at the event.
The 17 artists taking part range from well-known names including Wendy Ramshaw, Stephen Webster, Leo de Vroomen, Shaun Leane, Pippa Small, Fiona Knapp or David Watkins to newcomers such as Jessica McCormack, as well as those known to the discerning crowd such as William Welstead, Charmian Harris and Yen Duong. "I hand-picked these jewellers for their exquisite workmanship, their individuality, their uniqueness and the wearability of their pieces," says Hardy.
The idea of a selling-exhibition of contemporary jewellers is not new. The Goldsmiths' Company this autumn held its 24th annual fair to promote the work of dozens of British jewellers. What marks the Sotheby's event as significant is the idea that jewellery could be treated like art.
Driving this movement is the fact that supplies of antique jewellery - a more traditional collecting area - are starting to dry up and collectors are already turning to 1960s and 1970s designs. The next logical step is contemporary jewellery and Sotheby's is hoping to both promote the artists and educate the public - as well as to push this new collection subject.
Interest in the jewellery-as-art movement is also helped by the fact that consumers increasingly value the stamp of an individual creator. "Clients are getting more and more savvy," says New Zealand-born jewellery designer Fiona Knapp. "Suddenly 75 per cent of my business is private commissions, as even the youngest buyers want something completely different. It is not so much about status but what the customer wants."
So as a novice jewellery collector, how should one start? Rosemary Ransome Wallis, curator of The Goldsmiths' Company and responsible for buying for its jewellery collection, says: "A collectable piece should have a marked individuality and be able to stand alone as something unusual and unique. It is a combination of great craftsmanship, fine materials and the unexpected, making it greater than the sum of its parts."
For a directory of jewellers, retailers and a calendar of fairs and events (including auctions), Goldsmiths' website is a good sourcing tool. But, says Wallis, when choosing a collectable piece of art and one of jewellery, the essential premise is the same: "Like any work of art, it should arrest you, and make you stop and look."
Naturally, a good sign is if a designer's work is already of interest to inside circles. "Find out on websites which artist-jewellers' work is being bought by museums and look out for one-off pieces or very small production numbers that give the work exclusivity. Look for a strong style, as a jewel made by an artist-jeweller should be immediately recognizable. Also consider whether it will age well or look dated quite quickly."
Goldsmiths supports a few graduates each year it considers "very special". Look out for David Goodwin, who uses computer-aided technology to create the futuristic light yet huge woven gold rings or Zoe Arnold's evocative pieces such as the realistic wasp pin based around her own short stories.
As for Hardy, her final piece of advice to new collectors is the simplest - and most appealing: "Wear it and love it."
'London Rocks' runs at Sotheby's, Bond Street, London, until October 24,
www.sotheby's.com
收藏界力捧当代珠宝
一
个新收藏机会
不管是皮帕?斯莫尔(Pippa Small)打造的未经雕琢和打磨的覆金赤铁粗项链，还是温迪?拉姆萧(Wendy Ramshaw)用各种彩色宝石制作的一套戒指，如今当代珠宝的购买已不仅仅局限于漂亮的小玩意，它们正变得具有收藏价值。
若想求证这一点，只要去苏富比(Sotheby's)看看。该拍卖行最近在利用位于伦敦邦德街(Bond Street)的场所推出伦敦宝石(London Rocks)展，展示英国顶级珠宝设计艺术家的作品。这里与最知名的珠宝精品店毗邻。整个展会期间，艺术家都将亲临现场，专家和宝石学家也都将到现场提供咨询。展品价格介于500至1万英镑之间。
苏富比珠宝部总监、伦敦宝石展策划人乔安娜?哈迪(Joanna Hardy)认为，这些可佩戴的设计是一个新的收藏机会。“这些人将成为未来拍卖会上的名人。”她表示，“现在，英国有很多艺术家通过珠宝表达自己的观点。如果人们能像欣赏当代艺术那样欣赏当代珠宝，我会很高兴。”她相信这种现象会出现的，而且通常追寻古代珠宝或现代艺术的收藏者，将在此次珠宝展上发现一些独特的作品。
珠宝也是艺术
参加此次展览的17位艺术家既有家喻户晓的人物，如温迪?拉姆萧、斯蒂芬?韦伯斯特 (Stephen Webster)、利奥?德?弗鲁曼(Leo de Vroomen)、肖恩?利恩(Shaun Leane)、皮帕?斯莫尔、菲奥娜?纳普(Fiona Knapp)和戴维?沃特金斯(David Watkins)，也有一些新人，如杰西卡?麦科马克 (Jessica McCormack)，还有一些业界知名人士，如威廉?韦尔斯特德(William Welstead)、夏米安?哈里斯(Charmian Harris)和Yen Duong。哈迪表示：“我根据这些人的精美手艺、个性、独特性和作品的可佩戴性，亲手挑选了这些珠宝设计师。”
举办当代珠宝商销售展的创意并不新鲜。金匠行会(Goldsmiths' Company)今秋举办了第24届年展，推广多位英国珠宝设计师的作品。苏富比此次活动的意义之处在于珠宝可以被视为艺术的创意。
推动这项运动的是这样一个事实：更传统的收藏领域――古代珠宝的供应量正开始枯竭，收藏者已开始转向上世纪60年代和70年代的设计。合乎逻辑的下一步是当代珠宝，苏富比希望在推动这一收藏主题的同时，既能宣传艺术家，又能教育公众。
对“视珠宝为艺术”运动的兴趣与消费者日益重视个体创作者有关。“客户变得越来越精明，”出生于新西兰的珠宝设计师菲奥娜?纳普表示。“突然之间，我75%的业务都变成了个人委托，甚至连最年轻的买家也想要一些完全不同的东西。这与社会地位关系不大，而是关乎客户的需求。”
珠宝的收藏要领
那么，作为一个珠宝收藏的新手，应该从哪里起步呢？金匠行会主任、负责购买该行会珠宝收藏品的罗斯玛丽?兰瑟姆?沃利斯(Rosemary Ransome Wallis)表示：“一件可以收藏的作品应具备鲜明的个性，与众不同，独一无二，集高超的技艺、精美的材料和出人意料于一身，使其较各种因素的简单集合更为出色。”
要得到珠宝商、零售商的目录以及交易会和各种活动（包括拍卖会）的日程表，金匠行会的网站是一个很好的信息来源。然而，沃利斯表示，在选择具有收藏价值的艺术品或珠宝时，关键的前提条件都是一样的：“和任何艺术作品一样，它应该能吸引你，让你驻足欣赏。”
如果设计师的作品已经引起圈内人士的兴趣，这自然是个好现象。“到网上查找一下，看看博物馆在购买哪位珠宝设计艺术家的作品，物色哪些仅此一件或产量非常低的作品，从而保持作品的独有性。寻找风格鲜明的作品，因为由珠宝设计艺术家制作的珠宝应能立即被识别出来。还要考虑一下作品是否经得起时间的考验或者很快会过时。”
金匠行会每年都会支持几位它认为“非常特殊”的毕业生。注意一下戴维?古德温(David Goodwin)，他利用电脑辅助技术，创作出了具有未来主义色彩的硕大编制黄金戒指，或是看看佐薇?阿诺德(Zoe Arnold)唤起人们共鸣的作品，例如根据她自己的故事创作的、具有现实主义色彩的黄蜂胸针。
至于哈迪，她对收藏新手的最后一句忠告最为简单却最具吸引力：“戴上它，爱上它。”
