Read my review of the book 500 Necklaces and gain some insight into the type of jewelry art represented in this book.

The caption on the cover of 500 Necklaces reads ‘contemporary interpretations of a timeless form’. This indeed is an accurate representation of what is contained in this book. It is definitely not the book to buy if you are looking for insight into the construction of the jewelry, much information about the artist’s motivation or are only interested in traditional forms of necklace construction.

Very few of the necklaces shown in the book are what I would call ‘practical’ - that is – wearable for the average occasion. Many of the necklaces are not constructed from traditional jewelry materials such as gemstones and precious metals. One necklace was made from concrete – you are just not going to be throwing this necklace on for a trip to the 7-11.

Every type of material and construction is represented in these 500 contemporary necklaces. A few bordered on the ludicrous – for example - the matchstick necklace with the before and after ignition pictures. One necklace appeared to be made out of those stuffed felt strawberries you can buy at the fabric store to use as a pincushion. How about a necklace made out of chopsticks or lipsticks – yikes!

However, there were many examples of fine jewelry construction and design and like most books in this venue the photographer was stellar. What I liked about this book was the fact that it showed you a wide range of artist interpretations and it was a source of some inspiration on my part.

Marjorie K. Shick juried the collection of necklaces that made the final cut. The book begins with ‘Celebration of the Neck’ and gives Ms. Shick’s take on her selection process. She mentions the matchstick necklace in this opening section as a ‘performance piece’. That is was – however; I question its inclusion in a book of this nature.

The book continues with the 500 necklaces, each identified by artist, the year constructed and materials used. The photography is quite clear and crisp and was mentioned by Ms. Shick as one of her criteria for the selection process.

500 Necklaces ends with an alphabetical listing of each artist.

As a jewelry designer this book was not my cup of tea for the reasons I mentioned above. However, if you are a student of the jewelry form or an artist who appreciates work in mixed media this book would make a fine addition to your library.

Link to Amazon for 500 Necklaces.

As an aside - the necklace on the front cover of the book and the four necklaces on the back cover were spectacular examples of fine art jewelry construction. I wonder how many copies of the book would have sold had the strawberry pin cushion necklace been on the front cover.