Hey I know I'm addicted to working with it but if you own and wear glass jewellery, you know it feels great to wear - it's warm on your skin, reflective, alluring, kind of magical in a way. Is this why it has such a following overseas?
It's interesting though that in New Zealand hardly anyone has heard of "wearable art glass" as a jewellery category. We're all familiar with the usual diamonds & gold we find at the jewellers (and even Pandora, a brand that's been around since the 1970's has only taken off in recent years). And then of course on the polar opposite, inexpensive bling courtesy of "made in China" is everywhere (most of it falling to pieces in due course). But "wearable art glass" - what's that I hear you say?
Some years back, Hoglund Glass made a strong appearance on the radar of Art Glass in New Zealand. We've come to know and love them for their amazing glassblowing but again, their jewellery range is restricted to a small selection of fused glass pieces.
Internationally, wearable art glass is BIG NEWS. The US alone is rife with Art Glass Galleries, as is the UK, Israel, Australia and my country of origin, the Netherlands. And artists who sell their work in these galleries command exceptional prices (prices we would compare with jewellery made from precious stones and metals).
Buyers of wearable art glass are typically looking for something handmade, unique and one-off (as opposed to mass produced). They have an appreciation for the exacting craftmanship that goes into making art glass jewellery. I also believe that in Europe particularly, there's an inherent understanding and appreciation about the history of art glass jewellery and it's esteemed tradition which can be traced back to Murano (Italy).
As an art glass jeweller, it's quite exciting to participate in developing the wearable art glass category in New Zealand. At the same time, it's a tough road to convince New Zealanders how unique and special it is!
So I recommend that you buy a piece of wearable art glass, even if it's a simple pair of earrings. You never know, one day it might be a collector's item!
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