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Jewellery art in Japan is, surprisingly, mainly a twentieth-century development. Traditionally women in Japan wore kimonos and hair adornments rather than jewellery, while objects such as beautifully crafted belt toggles, hair pins and fans were designed with a practical purpose in mind, being worn for social and religious occasions. In the last few years, however, a whole new studio-jewellery scene has emerged in Japan, producing objects of astounding quality.
Jeweller and course leader Simon Fraser begins with a historical overview of the Japanese jewellery-making tradition and its social context, before charting twentieth-century developments as Japan became increasingly influenced by Western fashion, hairstyles and accessories, and the Japan Jewellers Association was set up to encourage exciting new areas of practice. Toyojiro Hida, curator and writer on the decorative arts, examines the contemporary jewellery scene in Japan from the perspective of his own involvement in the dissemination of the latest ideas and pieces, offering personal recollections of some of the exhibitions and events that were vital to the inception of the movement.
The book features over 200 examples of the very finest work by more than 50 contemporary artists, including a range of revolutionary materials being used, such as lipstick, dust and naturally decaying camphor. It is the first book published outside Japan to chart the trends and developments in this growing area of interest. Contemporary Japanese Jewellery will be indispensable to anyone interested in modern developments in jewellery-making and of great appeal to the broader craft and design community.
