Jewelry's Shining Stars: The Next Generation - by Beth Bernstein (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Jewelry's Shining Stars: The Next Generation brings together 45 new women designers who have liberated the way we view and buy jewelry. This compilation of talented women, who hail from around the globe, use techniques such as enameling, engraving, and creating nuanced textural details in wax models, to bend the rules and break with tradition. While some work with their own hands, whether schooled or self-taught, challenging themselves at the bench, others work alongside artisans to reinvigorate the old school into relevant yet enduring pieces.

The book's stunning photographs offer a glimpse into each designer's different aesthetic and are accompanied by the jeweler's own words, revealing what drives their approach and giving us an insight behind these innovators. With reverence for quality, style, and technique, these 45 talented jewelers are creating today's collectibles and shaping jewelry's future.

Review Quotes

"Jewelry historian, author and writer Beth Bernstein talks about her new book, Jewelry's Shining Stars: The Next Generation, 45 Visionary Women Designers, which intermixes personal anecdotes with details on these forward-looking artists' inspirations and aesthetics."--Rapaport

"Ultimately, she landed on a stellar lineup of women who have challenged and liberated the conventions of fine jewelry--some reviving age-old design and craftsmanship traditions, others rebelling against them."--JCK Online

"...giving you a sneak peek at the book through this gallery of some of the irrepressible women designers in this new book and their own words about their collections."--Instore Magazine

"Ms Bernstein said the Victorians' penchant for festooning their jewels with flowers, insects, swallows, serpents, crescent moons and other symbols rich with meaning first struck a chord with contemporary designers about 20 years ago when more women began buying jewelry for themselves and embraced designs that reflected their beliefs and dreams."--The New York Times

About the Author

Beth Bernstein is a jewelry historian, author, journalist, and one-time jewelry designer. Her books include The Modern Guide to Antique Jewellery (ACC Art Books, 2022), If These Jewels Could Talk (ACC Art Books, 2015), Jewelry's Shining Stars (Fine Points Publishing, 2013) and
a memoir, My Charmed Life (Penguin, 2012). Beth has contributed to many magazines, journals and publications including Forbes.com, Jewelry Connoisseur, Rapaport Magazine, The Jewellery Editor.com, Accent Magazine, Elite Traveler, Four Seasons Departures. She has worked as a senior editor for two leading national jewelry magazines, as well as launching her own online jewelry magazine, bejeweledmag.com, in 2017. She also lectures, runs and participates in seminars and educational events. Throughout the 1990s, Beth designed a jewelry collection under the brand name Bethany B, which sold to over 250 stores throughout the USA and abroad.