Art jewelry is often relegated to the periphery of “serious art,” perhaps because of its traditional role as an indicator of rank or status. Jewelry as an expression of stature persists in tribal cultures throughout the world. But even in countries like our own, where paintings on the wall or statuary in the courtyard perform a similar function, for many, sculpture in the scale of adornment remains evidence of position, substance and cultivation.

The critical standards applied to fine art are also applied in the assessment of art jewelry. Relationships of surface, texture, tone, scale and proportion are central to all informed discussions of the medium. Concept and content are increasingly important, too, and the finest art jewelry is distinguished by the finest craftsmanship.

And it is this, the finest art jewelry, which comprises the upcoming show at Patina Gallery; works from Atelier Zobel, internationally renowned for impeccably crafted works in platinum, high carat gold and oxidized silver. This exhibit reflects the depth, range and variety of classic Zobel works. Some will feature the rarest of precious stones and others, the most beautiful of common minerals.

This is Patina’s seventh Zobel exhibition in eight years and the first time that the works remain with the gallery for a full three weeks. For the first time, Allison Barnett, co-owner of Patina, has personally selected each of the pieces in the collection.

You will recognize the work pictured here as jewelry, and certainly it succeeds as such. This wearable and elegant sculpture enhances a woman’s beauty while reflecting something about her to the world. And it is more. It is a dynamic collaboration, a synergy between artist and wearer. Both are more fully expressed when the work is worn.

Sculpture of this quality demands from the artist an exceedingly high level of technical proficiency, yet Atelier Zobel’s work conveys an effortless elegance. So masterful in its execution, technique becomes invisible. One discovers that this work is really not about “precious” at all. It is about pure beauty.

Atelier Zobel’s works are included in the permanent collection of the Rosengarten museum in Constance, Germany. Work by Atelier Zobel may viewed at www.patina-gallery.com.

Please visit "SHOP PATINA" to view more of Atelier Zobel. Click on link below.