Jewellery: Wearable Glass

National Glass Centre presents a new national exhibition of glass jewellery made by bringing together four glass artists and eight of the UK’s most exciting jewellers.

Glass jewellery has a history going back to the Ancient Egyptians and in the 19th and early 20th century the famous artist René Lalique used glass to make jewellery. More recently it’s use in jewellery by artists has been limited. Through the exhibition Jewellery: Wearable Glass National Glass Centre aims to re-introduce audiences and artists to the amazing potential of glass as a wearable material.

As the country’s main centre for glass, National Glass Centre works closely with many leading artists who have a high level of expertise in using different techniques. James Maskrey works in hot glass, Angela Thwaites in cast glass, Ayako Tani in lamp worked glass and Joanne Mitchell works in fused and waterjet cut glass. These four artists have shared their expertise with the jewellers who have had ten days each to create experimental new work in glass.

Julia Stephenson, Head of Arts at National Glass Centre said: “Through this project the jewellers and artists specialising in glass have collaborated, sharing their skills and challenging what is accepted as standard practice in both jewellery and glass. Around forty years ago artists started to make radical new jewellery using ‘non-precious’ materials. This work had an enormous impact on how we consider and value jewellery today. As a result of the very specific skills required to work in glass there has been very little overlap between artists working in glass and those working in jewellery. We have aimed to begin to address this through our exhibition.”

This exciting new ‘wearable glass’ will be presented alongside the twelve artist’s more established work allowing the viewer to compare the difference between artist’s work in glass and jewellery and what happens when they are brought together.