A few weeks ago, we asked you to complete a survey with your impressions of AJF. We'd appreciate it if you could take a moment to give us your input. It will help plan for the future of AJF. To those of you who have already completed it - thank you!

OCTOBER 7-8: LAST CHANCE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JEWELRY IN THE AMERICAS 

The annual conference of the Association for the Study of Jewelry & Related Arts (ASJRA) will take place October 7-8, 2012 in New York City. This year the theme is Jewelry in the Americas. The event will consist of an all-day conference and an additional study day. The speakers include Elyse Karlin, Yvonne Markowitz, Jennifer Santos, Donna Distefano, Janet Zapata, Laura Johnson, Mona Brody, Lois Sherr Dubin, Jack Ogden, Carl Schimmel and Niki Kavakonis. For more information go to www.jewelryconference.com or write to Elyse Karlin.  

AJF will have a space in the Partners Pavilion at SOFA Chicago. Come see us and bring your friends to say hi. We will also be sponsoring a talk by the fabulous speaker Kiff Slemmons, called 'More than One to Make One: A Look at the Jewelry of Kiff Slemmons' on Saturday November 3 at 12:30pm. 

Once again, we will be able to offer VIP passes to SOFA. The passes include admission for two to the Opening Night Preview, 5-9 pm Thursday, November 1, early admission at 10am November 2-3 and regular admission November 4, access to the SOFA CHICAGO 2012 VIP events and access to the VIP Lounge. Click here to create your log-in information and register for the VIP pass, receive it by email, and print it out at home. Or log in with your existing username and password if you have an account from a previous SOFA fair.

Due to the popularity of last years' AJF dinner at SOFA, we have organized another members dinner this year. We will dine on yummy italian food at Francesca's on Chestnut on Saturday November 3 at 7:30pm. All inclusive cost is $50. RSVP by October 22 by sending us an email with 'SOFA Dinner' in the subject line. It is first-come, first-served and limited to 30 participants. We hope you can join us for a fun filled evening.

The eleventh edition of SIERAAD Art Fair is the most international edition to date. SIERAAD is the only platform in the Netherlands where professional contemporary jewelry designers from there and abroad show their work directly to the public. SIERAAD is also graced by special events and high-profile presentations. VIP passes to this fair are available upon request by sending an email to Astrid Berens. Be sure to mention that you are an AJF member. 

The Renwick Gallery is sponsoring a free symposium in conjunction with the 40 Under 40: Craft Futures show on November 8 - 9, 2012, in Washington D.C. with a full cast of the usual great speakers like Glenn Adamson, Ulysses Grant Dietz, Elissa Auther, Sandra Alfoldy, Ezra Shales, Jenni Sorkin and Gabriel Craig to name a few. 

In conjunction with the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Women's Committee, AJF is proud to host a guided tour with Sarah Archer, Chief Curator of the Philadelphia Art Alliance, at the 36th Annual Philadelphia Craft Show. Archer will discuss the works of selected jewelry artists, including this years craft show guest artists from both Ireland and Britain. The tour will be on Saturday November 10 at 3pm. 

Following the tour at about 4pm we will cab it over to the Art Alliance to see Legends: Studio Jewelry by Emily Cobb including brooches, neckpieces and rings - highly original pieces that illustrate modern fairy tales and fables. Emily is a resident of Philadelphia and a recent graduate at Tyler School of Art where she learned to use computer software to aid in her designs. Emily Cobb will be there to tell us about the work. 

To cap off the day we have been invited to Mari Shaw's house just down the street for a cocktail and a tour at around 5.30 pm. Mari's house is a five-story town house designed by Frank Furness in the mid-1860s. Emily Cobb will come along with us and will discuss the exhibition of thirteen young jewelry artists she curated for the house. Mari will be happy to take those who are interested on a tour of her collection of contemporary painting, sculpture, drawings, and jewelry.

Attendance is limited to 12 people on a first-come, first-served basis and the cost is $25 each. Send us an email with 'Philadelphia' in the subject line if you'd like to sign up. We will confirm your registration and forward payment information.

Have a look at the results of last month's auction at Pierre Bergé. Not as promising as one would hope. Just proves how much work we have to do!

It's been a MAD month for jewelry in New York City. On August 16, approximately 25 AJF members attended a tour and presentation led by Ursula Ilse-Neuman of the superb exhibit Space-Light-Structure: The Jewelry of Margaret De Patta. (You can read a review of this exhibition on our website, as well as the talk that Ilse-Neuman gave at SOFA NY on the subject of De Patta's jewelry). Following the tour, about half of the group gathered in the museum's restaurant, Robert, for libations and conversation about what else but jewelry - our favorite topic. Our thanks to Ursula for delivering an excellent presentation and to Bella Neyman for setting up and coordinating the evening's arrangements.  

Jeremy May

LOOT 2012: MAD about Jewelry opened on September 11 and continued

through September 15. LOOT is a curated exhibition and sale of artist-made jewelry, now in its twelth year. Bryna Pomp led a tour of LOOT for AJF members on September 15. Three artists that caught my eye were John Moore, who uses 3-D design to create his bright colored aluminum jewelry; Joe Pillari, a Philadelphia-based jeweler who works with hand-painted enamel and silver; and Jeremy May, who creates jewelry out of books and for each piece he selects a distinct quote that leads him to envision the finished piece. An unexpected treat was a presentation at the Czech Center, where Eva Eisler discussed her work and the exhibitions she has curated and her students' work.Eva Eisler and her students were in New York to participate in LOOT.

The AJF website has many layers of information and articles. Perhaps there is a section or two you haven't visited? Here's a taste of one of our Curator Profiles: Yvonne Markowitz, the Rita J. Kaplan and Susan B. Kaplan Curator of Jewelry at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

This month's AJF Questionnaire has been answered by Marie-Jose van den Hout of Galerie Marzee, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

You have a reputation as a dealer who is interested in younger jewelers. What interests you about people at the start of their careers and how do you interact with them?

This month we feature the following galleries on the AJF website.  

Graver's Lane Gallery The Sorcerer's Stones

Gallery Loupe The Birthday Boys: Thomas Gentile & Peter Skubic

Galerie Elsa Vanier Niessing: The Four Seasons of Gold

Shibumi Gallery Liisa Hashimoto

Aaron Faber Gallery Rebel Metal: Red Gold

Crafthaus Behind the Brooch