Saturday, November 13, 2004
The American Folk Art Museum's exhibit features jewelry from the late 18th century to the 1980s.
NEW YORK (AP) -- This might come as a shock to today's hip-hop generation, but American bling hasn't always been so bright and flashy. In fact, American jewelry's claim to fame is its sporty simplicity -- the same trait that put American fashion on the map.
In a major museum exhibit focusing on the legacy of U.S. jewelry, visitors to "Masterpieces of American Jewelry" can see 210 necklaces, brooches and even cigarette cases that reflect a nation's humor, patriotism, pastimes, landscape and sophisticated high style. All were manufactured and distributed in this country between the late 18th century and the 1980s.
Reflecting tastes
While many art forms focus on their creators, jewelry is unique because it also indicates the tastes of consumers, said Ralph Esmerian, a fourth-generation dealer of precious stones and the curator of the American Folk Art Museum exhibit.
A large aquamarine and ruby "belt-buckle" necklace created in 1940 by Paul Flato for Linda Porter, the wife of legendary composer Cole Porter, is an example of how Americans appreciate a simple design that's embellished with a touch of whimsy instead of blinding diamonds, which surely would have been used instead of aquamarines had it been a European piece, Esmerian said.
"American jewelers believed in the classical traditions and craftsmanship that came from Europe but they present a simplified version of 'classic,'" he said.
Jewelry makers
The United States has its share of the world's finest and most renowned jewelers, Tiffany & amp; Co. among them, but up through the 1950s, it was the jewelry manufacturers in Newark, N.J., and Providence, R.I., that catered to the general population that really helped the country define itself by its accessories.
"In Newark and Providence, jewelers made affordable pieces in 14-karat gold with small diamonds," Esmerian said. Pointing to a racehorse-themed pencil case by Battin & amp; Co. from the 1940s, with demantoid garnets set in the eyes of three horses crossing the finish line, "You can see the care taken even with the mass-produced pieces," he said.
In one of the exhibit's showcases, the diamond bracelet former New York Yankees manager Joe McCarthy commissioned for his wife Babe to commemorate World Series wins in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941 and 1943 sits next to a charm bracelet -- complete with bat and ball -- from the Grand Rapids Chicks, one of the 1940s all-female teams, highlighting how American pastimes and style preferences transcended socio-economic groups.
That's not to say American jewelry can't be extremely expensive, and that jewelers weren't looking to make a buck.
Expensive pieces
Esmerian notes a series of rose-cut diamond ballerina brooches created by Van Clef & amp; Arpels after Claude Arpels made the connection between high society's love of gems and the ballet.
(Arpels also was a close personal friend of choreographer George Balanchine, who eventually brought the ballerina brooches to life in "Jewels," a 1967 three-part ballet.)
And after the platinum and clear-diamond Art Deco period, Americans embraced their showier side, with the wealthy commissioning bright gold decorative pieces such as the two 24-karat horse-head sculptures by Herbert Haseltine that open the exhibit. Their manes of rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds and oriental pearls are anything but subtle.
Use of native stones
Nature is a prominent theme in jewelry around the globe, and the United States is no exception, especially when a landscape-inspired piece can use native Montana sapphires and turquoise from Arizona. "Using local stones does reduce the price," Esmerian said, "But it's also about pride. You want to use your own, and there are gems here. You can still find garnet in (New York's) Central Park rock material if you really look."
Another homegrown inspiration was Walt Disney, and the exhibit includes three charm bracelets with favorite animated characters such as Snow White and Pinocchio. However, Sleepy, Doc and Dopey were not for the masses. Disney went to Cartier for its retail partnership.
Disney also influenced a series of bunny pins made in the late 1930s by jeweler Raymond C. Yard, who counted John D. Rockefeller, Joan Crawford and Douglas Fairbanks as clients.
"Who else but an American during the war years would make rabbits come alive -- going fishing, carrying martinis, or even getting married? They are a touch of whimsy, yet are beautifully made," said Judith Price, president of the National Jewelry Institute and author of "Masterpieces of American Jewelry" (Running Press), the companion book to the museum exhibit.
The jewelry exhibit is sponsored by the nonprofit National Jewelry Institute. It opened Aug. 20 and runs through Jan. 23, 2005.