Photograph by Mary Whalen

"The early 20th century concept of jewelry in western cultures generally consisted of objects made from traditional materials... precious and semi-precious metals and gemstones with enamel utilized on occasion. Fifty years ago, in the US in particular (due in part to our less cumbersome hallmarking laws), jeweler's attitudes began to change. This shift in attitude, combined with new materials and technologies, began to open up a new aesthetic. Jewelry began appearing that was made from base metals such as titanium, aluminum and pewter. It utilized acrylic plastic, cast resin, electroformed metal, rubber, paper, wood, found objects and... most anything the artist wished to employ. Jewelry could reflect social comment. It could question concepts of preciousness. It could reflect the wearer's values.

"The work of Caroline Gore is a product of this change in attitude. She has a wonderful ability to combine diverse materials into an object which still contains that individual perspective or "thumbprint" of the artist. To me, this is a very difficult thing to accomplish. One can establish formal relationships between materials in a design sense, paying attention to color, mass, form, etc., but in doing so the work often becomes anonymous. It loses the sense of individual creation.  

...harnessing...; oxidized sterling silver, jet, black spinel, hematite, borosilicate glass, silk, 5 1/2 x 2 x 1/2 inches

"In ...harnessing..., the brooch that is a part of this year's annual benefit auction, Caroline brings together sterling silver, jet, black spinel, hematite, glass, and silk into a piece having a harmony of color and form. It is the traditional circle pin reframed. It conjures up weight, both physical and emotional, through the forms of the slumped glass. The hematite and spinel are reflective and light, while the coloration is monochromatic and dark.

"I curated the 2006 exhibition Glass-Wear held at Craft Alliance in St. Louis, Missouri, in which Caroline was a participant. In the catalog Caroline wrote about her then-new series entitled The Weights: Balance Series, which started to utilize glass in these drooping forms, "I turn contemplative moments into tangible forms that take on a part of my experience and life process... (this series) attempts to address and give form to residual traces of emotive and environmental impacts on the physical body."

"I have been fortunate to watch Caroline as she moved from undergraduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University, through graduate school at East Carolina University and to professional artist/educator in her current position as Assistant Professor at Western Michigan University. Professional recognition of her work has come through public collections, solo and invitational exhibitions, publications, and residencies, and through lectures and workshops. In addition to making jewelry Caroline employs photography and installation as part of her creative activity."

You can click here to visit Caroline Gore's website, where you can see more of her work.