Modernist artists, from Salvador Dali, Man Ray and Pablo Picasso, to Arman or Pol Bury began experimenting with jewellery design as an extension of their art practice. They were drawn to jewellery for a variety of reasons. The transformation of a form from a monumental sculpture into a miniature wearable work of art can be attractive to artists as an exciting new technical challenge to master. The long history of metal working and the quintessential forms and motifs often taken from nature (snakes, flowers or the human form itself) that reoccur in ornamental pieces created over the centuries by different cultures, can be a source of inspiration to modern artists. For example, the artist Jean Marie Mazard collaborated with his daughter-in-law Jacline to create ‘wearable sculptures’ made from high carat gold. Together as ‘Jean Mahie’, they work the gold by hand to form highly sensual designs steeped in Pre-Columbian and Hellenistic iconography.

Artists are also attracted to transferring their art into jewellery because of the dramatically different effect their wearable works can have on an audience. A viewer’s interaction with a work of art is more intimate when they can hold and even wear it, compared to their impression of a larger scale sculpture they have to walk around in a formal gallery space. For this reason artists often create only a few pieces of jewellery for friends, family or lovers. Pablo Picasso created an intimate portrait ring for his muse and lover, Dora Maar as an apology gift after a fight the couple had in the early 1930s. Such intimate tokens often become highly collectable for their rarity and exposure of the personal life of an artist.

On the other hand, the infamous surrealist artist, Salvador Dali, designed some of the most lavish examples of artist’s jewellery in the 20th century. Unlike many artists who experiment with the malleability of metal, from gold to brass, steel or copper, in their jewellery making, Dali embraced the kaleidoscope of colours available in precious gems. Jewellery gave Dali another dimension to his obsession with metamorphosis. The dreamlike hybrid forms, such as his iconic melting clocks or spindly legged ‘Space Elephant’ that filled his paintings were transformed with the help of expert silversmith, Carlos Alemany, into glittering three dimensional brooches or miniature sculptures.

Whatever their motive for creating wearable works of art, artist’s jewellery is always distinctive, eye-catching and unusual. As a result artists jewellery is typically highly collectable. Yet, few artists consider the commercial success, or ‘wearability’ of the finished pieces, instead their work focuses on form and the creative possibilities of the materials they use. Arman’s jewellery even plays with the motifs and materials traditionally used in making ‘Art’. His whimsical ‘Paint-Tube’ collection of brooches and pendants transfers the practical tools of creating a painting, into that of ornamentation.