OPENING: International art jewelers bring their work (including glass jewelry) to West Palm Beach

Among the jewlery on display will be Nirit Dekel's glass necklaces which bring a refined color sensibility to textured glass beads. image courtesy: morgan contemporary, pittsburgh

Contemporary art jewelry sale BIJOUX! is offering the public a chance to purchase one-of-a-kind art jewelry directly from the artists who created them. Opening Thursday, March 1st, and continuing through March 4th, 2012, The Norton Museum of Art will feature the work of international art jewelers including Israeli glass jeweler Nirit Dekel. Half the artists whose work will be represented at the sale will also be attending the event.

The chair of the BIJOUX! event is secondary market art dealer Donna Schneier, who reportedly traveled to annual art jewelry fairs abroad including places like Munich, Germany to study the work of leading world jewelers. Schneier will moderate a panel discussion at 3 PM on March 2nd at the Museum with artists Ela Bauer and Gloria Lieberman, as well as Metalsmith magazine editor Suzanne Ramljak and art critic Davira Taragin.

The artists showing their work come from all over the world including The Netherlands, Israel, Japan, Canada, England, France, and Germany as well as the U.S. They work in a spectrum of mediums including gold, silver, porcelain, beads, acrylic, glass, iron, steel, diamonds and other materials. Stylistically, their designs range from very conservative to avant garde, Schneier said in a prepared statement.

Israeli jeweler Nirit Dekel is well-known for her beaded glass jewelry. The beads are created in traditional lampworking technique using Italian Moreti glass. Her finished pieces are frequently colorful and animated. Dekel often compares the uniqueness of her beads with that of people. “They look awake, moving, bubbling, winking, and restlessly jumping. There is no stability or fixation about them and each one is a bit different and has its own personality.”

She writes on her professional website about her experience in glass, “I’m fascinated by glass because I find it a manifold material. It’s a daily life casual material yet has the ability of becoming delicate, refined and elegant and can be played with in an infinite possibilities.”

Dekel will be the only artist hosting a workshop at BIJOUX! on Saturday, March 3rd, where she will participate in a demonstration revealing her working techniques.The jewelry sale with operate during regular museum hours and the proceeds will go to the Norton Museum of Art’s exhibition and education programs.

—Suzann Caputo