All About Early Support of Artistic Jewelry Design

The productions of designers and workers in jewelry seen in the annual exhibitions now held by the National Arts Club, in collaboration with the National Society of Craftsmen, in the galleries of the club at 119 East Nineteenth Street, New York City, prove the good work that is being done by individuals and members of various schools and classes; these include the jewelry class of the New York Evening School, and the jewelry class of Miss Grace Hazen of Gloucester, Mass.

At Newark, N. J., an industrial city which includes among its industries considerable jewelry manufacturing, there is the Newark Technical School, supported by appropriations from both the city of Newark and the State of New Jersey, which has a valuable course for workers in jewelry.

In Boston there is continuous encouragement to designers of art jewelry in the work and influence of the Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, incorporated in 1897, and which holds exhibitions semi-annually. A recent exhibition of this society included a valuable and most interesting display of American jewelry, the feature of which was a large collection of exquisitely designed, excellently drawn, and well executed pieces from the Copley Square Studio of Frank Gardner Hale, the exhibit occupying one end of the exhibition gallery. Mr. Hale's products are not only definite in design, but the construction of his mountings of gems is practical and would satisfy the mechanical requirements of manufacturers of jewelry commercial, which a good deal of the work of exponents of arts and crafts jewelry would not. New Yorkers at home have had an opportunity to see some of Mr. Hale's remarkable work at an exhibition at the Clausen Galleries. Among the designs exhibited, chains, necklaces, pendants, and brooches predominated; there were numerous crucifixes in silver, some of them containing precious and semi-precious stones. In the number and excellence of these crucifixes, Mountford Hill Smith took the lead among the exhibitors. Marblehead's handicraft shop was represented by the work of H. Gustave Rogers. Commendable work was shown by Jane Carson and Theodora Walcott. Notable exhibits were those of Laura H. Martin, Elizabeth E. Copeland, and Martha Rogers. Ingenious schemes of colour in small enamels were shown by Mabel W. Luther. William D. Denton of Wellesley exhibited "butterfly jewelry" in which the wings of the butterflies are protected by rock crystals set in gold mounting. Florence A. Richmond and Jessie Lane Burbank from the workshop in Park Square exhibited pieces deserving honourable mention.

The officers of this society are: President, H. Langford Warren; Vice-Presidents, A. W. Longfellow, J. Samuel Hodge, and C. Howard Walker; the Secretary and Treasurer is Mr. Frederic Allen Whiting of No. 9 Park Street, Boston.

In Providence, R. I., a centre of the great jewelry manufacturing interests of New England, there are various opportunities for the aspirant for technical proficiency in the designing and making of jewelry; there is a jewelry class in the Young Men's Christian Association, a course in the regular curriculum of the public Manual Training or Technical High School, and an important department of the Rhode Island School of Design is that devoted to jewelry designing, silversmithing, and shop work. For many years the New England Manufacturing Jewellers and Silversmiths' Association has annually offered a sum of money, to be divided into several prizes, to stimulate students at this school of design to systematically study the designing of jewelry and silverware.

The Bradley Polytechnic Institute of Peoria, Ill., is an institution important in its relation to the present subject, having a jewelry course that has attained and deserves a wide reputation; the course extends over a period of from three to five months' duration. The instruction includes the making and finishing of oval and flat gold band rings, modelling for casting, signets, designing and production of jewelry, and all such repairing as is called for in ordinary jewelry store practice.

At Indianapolis, an indefatigable pioneer in the instruction of ambitious artisans in the precious metals is Mr. Charles B. Dyer, who has inaugurated a local representation of the arts and crafts movement with a school and a shop in which the hand-made jewelry of the students and graduates of the school is sold. About forty students were enrolled in the class of 1908. At a semi-annual exhibition of the students' hand-wrought products about three hundred pieces were exhibited, including bronze and copper work; the items in the exhibition were inspected with lively interest by several hundred visitors, whose commendations were enthusiastic and freely bestowed.

In response to a request, Mr. Dyer supplied an interesting account of the beginning and progress of this Middle West school, that is successfully uplifting ideals and enabling the ambitious and earnest young worker to design and make jewelry that come up to an artistic standard, as follows:

Three years ago there was formed in Indianapolis a "Society of Arts and Crafts" with a very promising membership. A house was rented and furnished and salesrooms opened. The movement grew and a large number of the right kind of people became interested. Unfortunately, however, there were so very few of the members who were craftsmen or in any way producers of salable stuff that everything had to gotten on consignment from outside. Like so many other associations that have tried the commission plan, and through mismanagement, the society did not live long.

During its life, however, it had started a number of earnest people to thinking and had given them the desire not only to raise their standards of beauty in both useful and decorative objects, but to express their own thought and individuality. My father and I had taken great interest in the movement and had made a number of pieces of jewelry for the salesroom. When we were asked to start a class, teach the use of tools, and show how original designs could be executed in metal, we were glad to undertake the work. We started with a class of five, all of whom were art teachers in the high schools here. I might say in passing we had over seventy-five applicants this fall.

As we conduct a manufacturing jewelry business, our shop is well equipped for all kinds of metal work. We have a bench for each worker where all the small tools, hammers, wax blocks, and punches are kept and also several large vises and anvils for the large copper work. Polishers, rolls, annealing furnace, enamelling furnace, and all kinds of other tools make the shop complete enough for any work.

As the class is only a sort of pastime for us we have it at night and charge almost nothing for tuition.

The worker first designs the piece and selects the stones and material to be used. After the design has been criticised it is transferred to metal and executed. We have no class problems or lectures. All the pieces and all the criticism are individual. In that way we do not allow any worker to leave a piece until it is well executed.

Most of the workers are so interested in the work that they have their own workshops and tools at home, and a number of them have not only produced some very creditable pieces but have made good money in doing it.

At the end of each term, that is just before Christmas and in June, we have an exhibit and sale of the class work.

We send out copper plate invitations and make a social affair of it and succeed in selling most everything produced during the term. We have created a wide interest in the movement and are much encouraged to carry it along.

From many sources students are now receiving aid, encouragement, and information which but a few years ago was unheard of in America. A case in point is the offering annually by Herpers Bros., a business concern extensively engaged in the manufacture of parts of commercial jewelry, in New York City and Newark, N. J., of gold medals to the most proficient students in five leading technical schools in the United States.

At the suggestion of Hon. Oscar Straus, Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Labour, it is said: Prof. John Monaghan, for a long time a representative of the United States Government, in the consular service, has delivered series of lectures for jewellers' associations and at technical institutions which have jewelry classes or courses. While consul at Chemnitz, Germany, Prof. Monaghan devoted much time to a study of the technical schools of the German Empire.