Jewelry That Makes You Think.
ARTICLE
Prince of False Pearls

Bill Smith was there to dress the revolutionary fashionistas of the 60s and 70s in jewelry. He was a designer regarded as a sensation, awarded for jewelry styles that captured the freedom and exuberance of the era. The covers of fashion magazines showed his long strings of pearls and large spring collars around the necks of models both famous and unknown. Yet for a designer who gained great love and adoration from the fashion world, his story suddenly disappeared, and his legacy became a forgotten page of the great textbook of history. How did he rise to such a point of acclaim, and how did he disappear so quickly?

Caption: Bill Smith, Body Ornament, 2020, modeled by Merème, photo: Aida Sulova, image courtesy of Aida Sulova and The Jewelry Library
TICKETED EVENT
Wednesday, September 28, 2022, at 12 p.m. EST

This year, in honor of our 25th anniversary, we’re celebrating AJF’s past and present with a look toward the future, focused on the collectors: who they are, different ways of collecting, the next generation of collectors, and what the future of collecting looks like. 

Join us for this very special AJF Live with Jorunn Veiteberg, a curator, writer, researcher, and collector. Last year she wrote The Jewellery Box, which is about her jewelry collection and covers 50 years of her life, from 1969 to 2019.

We’ll celebrate her book and the pieces in her collection. Jorunn will talk about why she became a collector, her passion for collecting art jewelry, the important link between collecting and remembering, and what jewelry can do for us. And of course, we’ll see lots of jewelry—a selection from her collection. She owns over 550 pieces by more than 200 jewelry artists from 30 different countries!


For a minimum $20 donation, you can be part of this exclusive and interactive AJF Live event. At the same time, you'll help support all of the programming and editorial content you rely on throughout the year.
 
 
How to register for the event: After you purchase your ticket, you'll receive a registration link for the talk. (Sign up at least two hours before the event to ensure you receive your registration link in time.)
 
What if you want to donate but can’t attend the AJF Live event, or live in a part of the world where this time doesn't work for you? You can still support AJF! You'll receive a private link afterward, yours to view at any time.

Captions: (Above) Jorunn Veiteberg wears Dorothea Prühl, Night Birds, 2017, necklace, titanium, gold; and a ring by Tone Vigeland, collection of Jorunn Veiteberg, photo: Casper Helmer, (below) Tone Vigeland, Bracelet, ca. 1991/1992, oxidized silver, 80 mm tall, 80 mm in circumference, collection of Jorunn Veiteberg, photo copyright the artist/BONO, Oslo 2021
AJF has the largest international audience of art jewelry buyers, collectors, makers, gallerists, and institutions in the world. We reach more art jewelry buyers worldwide than any other organization.
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