‘A View From the Jeweler’s Bench’ Review: A Glittering Education
Focusing on the creation of high-quality bling, an exhibition at the Bard Graduate Center Gallery in upstate New York ranges from a ring with a Roman emperor’s cameo glass portrait to a recent antler tiara.
New York
Gold beater’s block, repoussé hammer, solder pick, bezel pusher, burnishers, pliers, the torch and the kiln. Over millennia these tools have hardly changed. Eternal as well are the elemental metals and precious stones they work into wearable form. It all happens at the jeweler’s bench, where age-old techniques are tantamount to alchemy and earthly treasure is hand-wrought into adornments of spirituality, sovereignty and status. For anyone who has ever wondered what goes into the making of the finest jewelry—and...