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The allure of alternative materials in jewelry

By John Shanahan

Close your eyes and picture a piece of jewelry.

Where did your mind go? To a precious metal like platinum or gold? To diamonds or beautifully colored stones? Why did it not go to, for example, guitar strings? Or carbon fiber? Why not polyester? (Yes, you read that right.)

For many jewelry artists, the draw of using unusual materials in their work is irresistible. It may be the challenge of figuring out how to use it, the beauty they see within the material, or the idea of challenging the standard perception of value. And let’s not forget that it could just be that working with something unusual is fun.

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