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| Wearable or not? From http://bit.ly/Q3EWq6 |
'Wearability' is the focus of this week's blog and it is the 7th blog in my series on criteria in beading competitions. If you are entering your beadwork in a jewelry competition you may want to 'wow' the judges but a key question they will ask is, 'Can you wear it?'. A deceptively simple question until I began to muse about it for this blog.
What makes jewelry wearable? I have a necklace I made some time ago that 'wowed' me when I made it. However, I've never managed to wear it for a whole day. The wonderful turquoise and vintage glass beads that 'wow' me are so heavy when strung together that wearing it for any length of time is just plain uncomfortable and it begins to irritate me. Musing further reminded me of the various non-wearable pieces of jewelry I owned or had made. The Cellini spiral necklace whose crystals scratched me, the assymetrical fringed amulet bag that always hung off-centre, the silver bracelet whose clasp pinched me because the bracelet was too tight, the necklace whose chain made my skin itch, etc, etc.
So, based on my experience of the non-wearable in my jewelry box here's some questions that might help you reflect on the extent that those 'wow' designs are also 'wearable' designs.
- Weight - is it too heavy, too light or just right?
- Fit - does it drape well or is it too stiff or rigid? Is it too tight or too loose or just right?
- Movement - can you move in it or does it restrict your movement in some way?
- Safety - do any components scratch, prick, pinch or prode you or others?
- Does anything irritate the skin or rub uncomfortably against it?
To help you muse further about wearablity you might enjoy following the fun links below to some jewelry that has the 'wow' but ? wearability factor.
- Stroke neckpiece: hanji (Korean mulberry paper), ink, sterling silver, lacquer: http://www.wearableartblog.com/my_weblog/2011/06/myung-urso.html
- Large and chunky necklace - http://trendnstylez.com/jewelry/top-10-jewellery-trends-2012-jewellery-fashion-2013-910.html
- Oversized necklace - http://planetfashiontv.com/fashion-style/fashion-news/style/2673-the-top-10-fashion-styles-for-2011
- Ring Bling - http://www.stylesaint.com/tear/4fe338c65341f9767c0002ff
- Land of Odds Jewelry Design notes: http://www.landofodds.com/store/goodjewelrydesign.htm
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3 comments:
Thanks Rudraksha - glad it was of interest and use to you.
A great post with excellent points to consider. As jewelry makers, we can often get cared away by the possibilities of our craft, and it's important to keep the functionality in mind to. After all, a necklace is made to wear, not hang on a wall like a tapestry might be.
Love this post. It is funny to think back to some of the crazy pieces I have made especially for my sisters and their faces when they see that it was meant to be worn.
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