Within the modern history of jewelry,... Ricardo Vianna Barradas

Within the modern history of jewelry, there are structural differences between contemporary jewelry and signed art jewelry. Contemporary jewelry consists of pieces created or designed by professionals using precious stones and noble metals—typically gold. In contrast, signed art jewelry represents original creations by artist-jewelers who utilize raw gems and rare organic or natural materials; these pieces may be crafted from precious or base metals—such as gold, silver, copper, surgical steel, and other less noble options—often in combination. Such works should be evaluated based on their creative merit rather than the value of the materials used in their creation and fabrication.