Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-28

UMAMLA A'NNf 'NtNhNo N"N
#S Brooklyn Eagle, and this state
- OF affairs represents an cvolu-
ton that Is welcomed with joy by the art.
list craftsman who believes that an orna-
ment worthy of the name should possess
an art value that warrants its being con-
sidered as n thing of lasting beauty, not
simply represent a combination of precious
metal and gems proclaiming to all behold
ers the expenditure of so many dollars and
cents.
Intrinsic value is no longer the govern
ing motive in the selection OF a piece of
jewelry by those whose tastes have been
trained to appreciate the art manifested in
It's production as in a beautiful picture or
a piece of bric-a-brac. Many times the
real cost or worth of an ornament, judged
by commercial standards, is now cheerfully
paid because of the brains and the idea
embodied in the production.
"Ten years ago we would have had no
sale for such an ornament as this" said
an ar~tist-jeweler, pointing to an equisite
pendant of the art nouveau type, with a
beautifully modelled female head in the
center and perfectly matched pearls and
diamonds embellishing the frame of rose
gold. Fortunately many people are CONF
ing to a better appreciation of the true
mission of jewelry and refuse to accept
that which does not conform to artistic
standards. We are becoming better edu-
Gated along art lines, care less for snowy
things and more for those that represent
artistic creation, not merely skillful work.
manship and display. Pretty soon men
and women OF refinement and culture will
no more think of buying a piece of jewelry
that is inartistic than they would purchase
a poorly executed picture. Brains tell in
the jewelry productions of today as they
have not told heretofore in this new and
prosperous country. The form of an orna-
ment Is no longer subordinated to the jew
els that embellish 1t; It is the gems that
are made subservient to the design. I do
not mean that lamboyant jewelry is des-
tined to disappear entirely and all at once;
rather that the ornament that is artistic
as well as intrinsically valuable will be
more and more conspicuous.
The design for a brooch or other orna-
ment is as carefully sketched as the draw
ing fer a picture. When the artists work
has been passed upon and the form Sc
lected the services of the goldsmith and
jeweler are enlisted, and II, as happens in
many OF these new designs, a touch Of en-
ameling Is added, that part of the work is
assigned to a master of the craft. Artistic
jewelry represents the production of spe-
cialists, as does the best work in other
lines where art enters into the manufac-
ture. We no longer give an ornament TO
one man and let him carry out the design
in it's entirety. Thus we have a change
not alone in result, but in method. This
evolution is one certain to appeal to every
lover Of beautiful things, and to the
jeweler who is concerned with art as we'll
as the commercial aspect of his craft it is
one of the happiest of a]ugUries for the flu
ture of the jewelry business in this coun-
try.
with regard to styles in jewelry," con-
tinued this exponent Of the new art, pearls
lead everything else this season. Paris is
pearl mad, and the prominence given to
this ~lustrous jewel is in keeping with the
development OF the artistic idea in iewelry,
for the pearl makes no special appeal to
those who like SNOWY ornaments. In order
to accentuate the luster and ~coloring Of fine
pearls we frequently set them in a frame
OF diamonds, and herein note another differ
ence: Formerly the pearl served as a frame
for the diamond. For many people there
is a marked fascination about pearls, and
1t may he interesting to note that they are
the only jewels used in a natural state.
Diamonds, rubies, sapphires and all the
other gems are polished, cut, altered; the
pearl preserves the form in which it was
taken from the oyster or mussel shell.
Perfect pearls are so rare that they COM
mand high prices, but pearls of irregular
pho e have assumed unusual Importance i'm
Ia years and are known as baroquc
Some specimens of baroque pearls
I'd as high as 81, 900. They enter
L composition of distinctive orna-
sftentimes possessing a unique char
a, for the aim Of this new development
is the production OF designs that shall IN,
dictate individual selection, not look as il
they were all poured out Of one mold
From the favorite designs that have stood
the test Of ages an ornament is evolved
by the combined talent and skill Of the
artist and craftsmen In which originality