Award-Winning Jewelry Designer Challenges, Intrigues GIA Audience

Award-winning jewelry designer Alan Revere offered a glimpse into the American Jewelry Design Council's (AJDC) celebrated annual design projects in a lecture, "The Art of the American Jewelry Design Council," Nov. 17 at the Gemological Institute of America, Carlsbad, Cal.

Inviting the audience to ponder the question, "Where and how do jewelry and art intersect?" the San Francisco-based designer and longtime member of the AJDC led attendees through a visual tour of the organization's past annual themed exhibitions. More than 100 custom-designed pieces were featured, with themes ranging from the classic ("Cube," 1996) to the whimsical ("Peek-a-boo," 2002).

"Not all jewelry is art, but clearly some of it is," Revere said. "When you have all the materials and skills you need, your imagination is free. And the results are often very surprising."

Pieces like Revere's own entry for "Water," the group's 2002 theme, was one such result. Illustrating the concept and design process for the audience, he reviewed each element of his "Ancient Waters" ring, featuring a 14-ct. enhydro quartz. "When the quartz solidified 200 million years ago," he explained, "there were pockets filled with water, air, and sand, which remain in the stone today."

Revere, also an author and founder of the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, encouraged GIA students to remember that jewelry design is both a "great medium" for expression and a practical business venture. "Fulfill your creative urges, express yourself," he said, adding, "For those of you in jewelry design programs—whether you decide to make jewelry or not—at the very least, it will make you more conversant when dealing with suppliers, artisans, and vendors."