Monday, November 08, 2010
From Medieval to Modernism: a thousand-year tour of international jewellery design
Goldsmiths' Hall, Foster Lane, London - United Kingdom
This intensive four-part seminar offers a unique opportunity to study the evolution of international jewellery design from Medieval times to the end of the twentieth century. The presentation will cover many of the key elements of manufacture, including Neo-classicism and Romanticism, nineteenth-century Archaeological and Renaissance Revivalism, the impact of diamond mining in South Africa, Art Nouveau, Arts and Crafts and Art Deco, and Post War Modernism. Further details of the programme are given below.
John Benjamin began his career in 1972 at Cameo Corner, well-known for its unrivalled stock of ancient, Renaissance, and eighteenth- and nineteenth-century jewellery. He later joined Phillips Fine Art Auctioneers where he remained for 23 years, ultimately becoming International Director of Jewellery. In 1999 he established his own independent jewellery consultancy, John C Benjamin Limited. For almost 20 years he has appeared as a jewellery expert on BBC’s The Antiques Roadshow.
We are extremely fortunate that John has offered to give his presentation free of charge, to ensure that the attendance fee may be kept to a level affordable to anyone in the trade. Asked why he had wanted to make this gesture, John explained: “I have enjoyed a long and extremely interesting career in the trade, and I felt that I wanted to give something back. It was the belief of the Arts and Crafts movement that knowledge should be shared, so that is what I decided to do.”
We are also grateful to the Goldsmiths’ Company for allowing us to stage the event in the magnificent Goldsmiths’ Hall, a fitting venue for this important seminar.
During the lunch break John is willing to describe and give a value on items of antique jewellery brought along by those attending. If you have an interesting piece of antique jewellery on which you would like his opinion, please advise us on your booking form as there will be time to cover only a limited number of items.
The fee to attend this unique seminar is £15.00, to include morning and afternoon tea and coffee. To book your place, click here to download a booking form.
Programme
10:00 to 11:00 Session 1: From Edward II to James II
Gothic and Medieval rings and their rudimentary gems; ecclesiastical jewels; signets and devotion; the development of the Renaissance jewel; enamel and its varieties; Stuart and Commonwealth jewellery; the Cheapside Hoard.
11:00 to 11:25 Tea/coffee
11:25 to 12:35 Session 2: From William and Mary to William IV
‘Queen Anne’ paste; the Huguenots and their impact during the age of the faceted stone; mourning jewellery; early Georgian jewellery; pinchbeck; cut steel and fire gilding; Wedgwood; posies and the Giardinetto ring; late Georgian jewellery; neo-classicism; sentiment and the power of gold.
12:35 to 13:45 Lunch break. (Please note that you are not permitted to consume your lunch within Goldsmiths’ Hall, but there are several cafés and sandwich bars nearby.)
13:45 to 14:55 Session 3: The Victorian Advance
Nature and naturalism (part one); the evolution of the diamond jewel; tourist jewels; cameos; mosaics; nature and naturalism (part two); Gothic; archaeological and Renaissance Revivalism; the Aesthetic imperative; the jewel in the era of mass production and the impact of diamonds from Kimberley.
14:55 to 15:15 Tea/coffee
15:15 to 16:30 Session 4: A Panorama of Jewellery Design in the Twentieth Century
Fabergé, Arts and Crafts; Art Nouveau; the Garland Style; the impact of platinum and the growth of the international jewel; Art Deco; the War years; 1940s and 1950s and the Retro look; 1960s and 1970s and the problems faced by today’s global jewellery industry.
16:30 Close