Explore the World of the Human Spirit. Passion, Ingenuity and Skill.
Editor’s Picks
Silver & Gold
These precious metals have been part of the lexicon of jewelers since humans mastered blacksmithing, thousands of years ago.
RAPHAEL SANZIO PENDANT
by Roberta and David Williamson.
Features and Departments
Carter Smith Volume 21.1
We revisit an article by the late Carolyn L.E. Benesh in honor of Carter Smith, who was a dear friend to the Benesh-Liu family. A leader in the art-to-wear movement, and a master shibori artist, here Benesh lets Smith’s own words teach us a lesson or two on love.
J Diamond Volume 46.1
J Taran Diamond’s jewelry seeks to communicate thoughts and ideas with minimal materials that hold deep connotations, and create conversations around race and gender.
Benson Tuareg Collection Volume 46.1
Robert K. Liu examines this unique and large collection of Tuareg jewelry and craft, gathered over a twenty-year period by a Tuareg jeweler, covering all areas where these nomadic artists have lived and worked.
Cat Bates Volume 45.3
Cat Bates is a Maine jeweler who seeks to make handmade, affordable jewelry that celebrates intricate processes and techniques.
Cochineal Volume 45.4
Wayne P. Armstrong contributes his background as a biology professor to reveal the mystery behind the cochineal insect, the source of the bright red dye that was coveted all over the world. In Spanish, it is known as la grana cochinilla. From British Red Coats to 18th century paintings and food dye, cochineal is why red is part of humanity’s wearable repertoire.
Smithsonian Craft Show 2025 Volume 45.4
Patrick R. Benesh-Liu takes a different look at the Smithsonian Craft Show for 2025, as he brings this year’s Visionary Award winner, Nick Cave, to reveal how craft and art can communicate in our most difficult moments as human beings.
Lesley Aine Mckeown Volume 45.4
Lesley Aine McKeown’s jewelry explores space, science fiction worlds and juicy stones, while she shares her wisdom on life and philosophy.
Ancient Hand Skills Volume 45.3
Robert K. Liu provides a comparison between the ancient and the modern craftsperson, using his own personal experience in making as a reference, as well as ancient examples of crafts.
Nikki Couppee Volume 45.3
Ashley Callahan investigates the jewelry of Nikki Couppee, who is inspired by her native Florida. The bright colors, sparkle and glitz of the Sunshine State are recreated in her NeoGems and HoloGems, using silver foil and acrylic to make shining elements.
André Chervin Volume 45.3
The New-York Historical Society brought together a stunning collection of André Chervin of Carvin French Jewelers, showcasing his beloved objets d’art.
Hurricane Helene Volume 45.2
Asheville is widely touted as an artist mecca in North Carolina, but the recent and unexpected flooding caused by Hurricane Helene has affected countless artists. Ashley Callahan reaches out to the people there to get the full picture, and the urgent need of residents.
Yves Saint Laurent Volume 45.2
Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell finds Yves Saint Laurent arriving at her doorstep, with an inaugural exhibition at the Orange County Museum of Art. With a focus on the designer’s sketches, along with other archival materials, a window is opened on Saint Laurent’s creative process.
Timo Krapf Volume 45.2
David Updike follows the next generation of a family of master metalsmiths, as he relates the love for anticlastic raising that Timo Krapf has developed in his jewelry. Returning to school at the Savannah College of Art & Design for his MFA, Krapf wishes to continue growing as an artist.
Joyce J. Scott Volume 45.1
Having been an artist “since she was in utero”, Scott’s work has been an incredible tapestry, using beads as the medium for expressing the African-American voice.
La Frontera Volume 45.1
Examining the issue of the US-Mexico border from many different, personal takes, this fascinating show continues to reinvent itself and express new messages.
Bob Ebendorf Volume 45.1
Ashley Callahan gives one of the father’s of contemporary art jewelry his due, celebrating fifty years of Bob Ebendorf’s work from the generous Porter • Price Collection, donated recently to the Mint Museum.
Mary Lee Hu Volume 44.4
We revisit the mesmerizing jewelry of Mary Lee Hu by the late Carolyn L.E. Benesh. Carolyn had a personal appreciation of Hu’s meticulous work, and in this article, she offers a paean to beauty, accomplished and mighty, through Hu’s own journey of teaching and innovating.
Ornament at 50 Volume 44.4
Robert K. Liu takes us back through fifty years of Ornament Magazine and the Bead Journal, showing through photographs the magnificent journey that he and the late Coeditor Carolyn L.E. Benesh have undertaken, and the incredible people they have met along the way.
Chunghi Choo Volume 44.4
Having received the Visionary Award in Metal at the 2023 Smithsonian Craft Show, we explore the jewelry of Chunghi Choo.
Smithsonian Craft Show 2024
Patrick R. Benesh-Liu brings readers on a tour of the Smithsonian Craft Show, and delves into the people whose volunteered time makes the show possible.
Please note that these articles have been reformatted for web viewing. To read the full article as it was intended, purchase the magazine or article PDF.
Best of
Wearable Artists
As the 60s and 70s, the heyday of wearable art as a new medium, fade into the past, contemporary wearable art has become more refined, minimalistic, and influenced by fashion. This divergence has seen some of the spiritual successors to wearable art branch off into popular culture, such as Burning Man, cosplay, and fursuiting.
JACKET by K. Riley, of hand-carved blockprinted fabric, 2019.
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J Taran Diamond’s jewelry seeks to communicate thoughts and ideas with minimal materials that hold deep connotations, and create conversations around race and gender.