What is the meaning of contemporary jewellery to me?

by Kinga Zobel

As I think about contemporary jewellery, I have to deal with the term. Unfortunately, there is no uniform terminology and so we all speak a little bit of different things in our respective languages when talking about contemporary jewellery.
In the German language, we have a strong distinction between the terms author jewellery, contemporary jewellery, designer jewellery and art jewellery. In the case of author jewellery, the focus is on the originator, i. e. as in the case of the visual arts, where the artist has a certain market value.
A contemporary jewellery maker deals with the materials and forms of today’s society, using different materials regardless of their value, and precious metals are used in the equivalent way as plastics, or natural materials (according to the expression desired by the artist). Contemporary jewellery is always a witness and provides information about society and values. The design jewellery is a designed piece of jewellery that has a clear function and is often developed for serial production. Ultimately, artist jewellery is the term we use for jewellery by famous artists such as Picasso, Calder, etc.
Regardless of what we call it, the jewellery that has awoken my passion and is in the focus of Gallery Biró, is an artistic engagement with the body and people in their environment. My expectation of jewellery is that it is unmistakable, that it should reflect the zeitgeist, that it should even be ahead of the times and thus gain timeless validity. This kind of jewellery finds its wearer and connects with him, it is completed when it is worn on the body of the person and has found its place. It is never arbitrary.
But there is no guideline that we follow. It is a decision that is supported by years of experience as well as an intuition.
Jewellery evokes emotions and that’s what matters to me!

Galerie Biró
Kinga Zobel