International studio (35.1908)

Boston Jewelry Exhibition

A N EXHIBITION OF JEWELRY
/\ BY FREDERICK W. COBURN
2 X- An exhibition of jewelry and small
enamels was held at the rooms of the
Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, in December,
1907. This was the third of the semimonthly ex-
hibitions of the present season. By reason of the
Christmas holidays no second December showing
was made.
The collection was large enough to fill the rear
gallery at the Society’s rooms, No. 9 Park Street,
and impressive enough to inspire the critic of the
Transcript to write that it was undoubtedly the most
important showing of jewelry that has been brought
together since the arts and crafts movement was
launched in this country. This praise, I feel, was
quite deserved. At the same time the collection at
the Boston Society was of a character to prompt
just a bit of moralizing as to the nature and func-
tion of jewelry that is intended to be artistic—that
is, if one accepts the word “artistic” at its etymo-
logical value, as thoroughly well fitted to the pur-
poses for which the thing is made.
A piece of jewelry, it seems to me, to be worthy
of critical consideration as a work of art should
satisfy three conditions: It should conform to the
general laws of good design, which are applicable
to all the arts and crafts; it should take into
account the limitations of the materials employed;
it should be suited to the individuality of the per-
son, or the type of person, who will wear it.
The first of these two conditions the recent exhi-
bition of jewelry in Boston certainly met admirably.
The utility of scolding is perhaps demonstrated, for
severe remarks by the jury of admission in an an-
nual report of the Society of two or three years ago
appeared particularly to be aimed at the workers
in jewelry—easy victims, as it was indicated, of
I’art nouveau and other fads of the hour. The cen-
sure seemingly has done good. There has been im-
provement. Even since the Society’s big exhibition
in Copley Hall last winter a distinct raising of the
standard in this department has been noted—a
betterment altogether in the direction of delicacy,
refinement and, to a considerable extent, distinction.
And yet, at the exhibition of this winter, a dash-
ing young woman, after surveying carefully the
cases filled with examples of refined design and
competent workmanship, advantageously displayed
against a dark background, exclaimed regretfully:
“Not for me. I could hardly wear one of them.
They are all very beautiful, but my type demands
something less delicate and more striking.”

This, it seems to me, if at all justified, was a
piece of really valuable and searching art criticism.
It contains a tip for workers in jewelry and for
committees on the admission of exhibits. And the

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