Art jewelry is created with a variety of materials, not just precious metals and gems. In the late 19th century, René Lalique

René Lalique

René Jules Lalique was a French glass designer known for his creations of perfume bottles, vases, jewellery, chandeliers, clocks and automobile hood ornaments. He was born in the French village of Ay on 6 April 1860 and died 5 May 1945...

 revolutionized jewelry design through his emphasis on imagination and technical virtuosity over precious materials and the imitation of past styles. Additionally, he experimented with industrial techniques, plastic and glass. Art jewelry should be compared to expressions of art in other media such as glass

Glass

Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...

, wood

Wood

Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...

, plastics and clay

Clay

Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...

. Art jewelry however has not yet created such a large following and is a relatively small niche, where jewelry is mostly bought by collectors and museums.
Though many consider art jewelry still part of crafts as opposed to real "Arts" (with its appropriate art critics) things are changing considerably, in particular in Germany. In the 1960s and 1970s the German Government and the commercial jewelry industry decided to foster and heavily support modern jewelry designers, and thus creating a new marketplace. They focused in particular on combined contemporary design with their goldsmithing tradition and jewelry making. At present art jewelry is no longer a niche market and many designers are sold in regular jewelry stores.

An example of current trends in art jewelry is the use of modern synthetic materials such as polypropylene

Polypropylene

Polypropylene , also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications including packaging, textiles , stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes...

, nylon

Nylon

Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...

 and acrylic. Art jewelers have developed techniques for using these materials to dramatic effect. One example of this is award winning jeweler Gill Forsbrook a designer working in the UK. Further notable makers and artists include Hermann Jünger, Swiss-born Pierre Degen, Caroline Broadhead, Naomi Filmer, Otto Kuenzli and Florian Ladstaetter .

Fashion labels such as Bless, Martin Margiela, Comme des Garcons, etc. have had a strong reference and input in the field of contemporary jewelry.

The acceptance of jewelry as art was fostered in the United States very quickly after World War II by major museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, each of which held major shows of art jewelry in the 1940s. The Museum of Arts and Design formerly The American Craft Museum, started their collection in 1958 with pieces dating from the 1940s. Other museums whose collections include work by contemporary (American) jewelry designers include: the Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art is an art museum situated in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000...

, The Corning Museum of Glass

Corning Museum of Glass

The Corning Museum of Glass, in Corning, New York, explores every facet of glass, including art, history, culture, science and technology, craft, and design....

, the Mint Museum of Craft & Design in Charlotte, NC, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...

, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian museum.

Some famous artists who created art jewelry in the past were Calder

Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs, toys, tapestry, jewelry and household objects.-Childhood:Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton,...

, Picasso, Man Ray

Man Ray

Man Ray , born Emmanuel Radnitzky, was an American artist who spent most of his career in Paris, France. Perhaps best described simply as a modernist, he was a significant contributor to both the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal...

, Meret Oppenheim, Dalí

Salvador Dalí

Salvador Domènec Felip Jacint Dalí i Domènech, Marquis de Púbol , commonly known as Salvador Dalí , was a prominent Spanish Catalan surrealist painter born in Figueres,Spain....

 and Nevelson

Nevelson

Nevelson is the name of:* Louise Berliawsky Nevelson , a Ukrainian-born American assemblage artist* Neith Nevelson , an American painter...

. Some of which represented at Sculpture to Wear Gallery in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 which closed in 1977.

Artwear Gallery owned by Robert Lee Morris

Robert Lee Morris

Robert Lee Morris is a jewelry designer and sculptor who attributes much of his inspiration to forms he admires in nature. His designs have been made in gold, silver and bronze. He is an acknowledged leader of the art jewelry movement...

 continued in this endeavor to showcase jewelry as an art form.

A collection of art jewelry can be found at the Schmuckmuseum in Pforzheim

Pforzheim

Pforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...

 Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

.

1940s

• Margaret Da Patta, United States, 1903–1964
• Sam Kramer, United States, 1913–1984
• Paul Lobel, Romania, 1899–1983, United States
• Art Smith, United States, 1923–1982
• Ed Weiner, United States, 1918–1991

1950s

• Betty Cooke, United States, 1924-
• Margret Craver, United States, 1907-
• Claire Falkenstein
  Claire Falkenstein
  Claire Falkenstein was an American sculptor, painter, printmaker, jewelry designer, and teacher, most renowned for her often large-scale abstract metal and glass public sculptures.-Early life and education:...
  
  , United States, 1908–1998
• Henning Kopel, Denmark, 1918–1981
• Ronald Hayes Pearson, United States, 1924–1996

1960s

• Joe Reyes Apodaca, United States, 1942-
• Friedrich Becker, Germany, 1922-1997
• Gijs Bakker
  Gijs Bakker
  Gijs Bakker was trained as a jewellery and industrial-designer at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and the Konstfackskolan in Stockholm, Sweden....
  
  , The Netherlands, 1942-
• Irene Brynner, Russia, 1917–2003, United States
• Vivianna Torum Bulow-Hube, Sweden, 1927–2004
• Ken Cory, United States, 1943–1994
• Alma Eikerman, United States, 1908–1995
• Philip Fike, United States, 1927–1997
• Arline M. Fisch, United States, 1931-
• Hermann Juenger, Germany, 1928-2005
• Stanley Lechtzin
  Stanley Lechtzin
  Stanley Lechtzin is an American Jewelry and metals artist noted for his work in electroforming and Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacture.- Life :...
  
  , United states, 1936-
• Emmy van Leersum, The Netherlands, 1930–1984
• Charles Loloma
  Charles Loloma
  Charles Loloma was an American artist of Hopi ancestry. He was born in Hopi Third Mesa to Rex and Rachael Loloma. He served in the military in 1941 to 1945, where he was stationed in the Aleutian Islands. Thanks to the GI Bill, Loloma was able to go the Alfred University in New York. In 1954 he...
  
  , United States, 1921–1991
• John Paul Miller, United States,1918-
• Dieter Pieper, Germany, 1937-
• Gio Pomodoro, Italy, 1930–2002
• Ruth Radakovich, United States, 1920–1975
• Merry Renk, United States, 1921-
• Olaf Skoogfors
  Olaf Skoogfors
  Olaf Skoogfors was an artist, metalsmith and educator until his death in 1975. He was born in a backwoods iron center in Sweden, 1930. He and his family came to the United States and settled in Wilmington, Delaware, and later in Philadelphia while he was a small child. He thought he would follow...
  
  , Sweden, 1930–1975
• Ramona Solberg, United States, 1921–2005
• Klaus Ulrich, Germany, 1927-
• Bob Winston, United States, 1915–2003
• J. Fred Woell, United States, 1934-

1970s

• Gilbert Albert, Switzerland, 1930-
• Caroline Broadhead, England, 1950-
• William Claude Harper
  William Claude Harper
  William Harper is an American jewelry artist who was born in Bucyrus, Ohio, in 1944. He received a BS in 1966 and an MS in education in 1967, both from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He also studied advanced enameling techniques at the Cleveland Institute of Art.Harper began...
  
  , United States, 1944-
• Susanna Heron, England, 1949-
• Otto Kunzli, Switzerland, 1948- Germany
• Ibram Lassaw, Egypt, 1913–2003, United States
• Richard Mawdsley, United States, 1945-
• Robert Lee Morris
  Robert Lee Morris
  Robert Lee Morris is a jewelry designer and sculptor who attributes much of his inspiration to forms he admires in nature. His designs have been made in gold, silver and bronze. He is an acknowledged leader of the art jewelry movement...
  
  , Germany 1947- United States
• Mary Ann Scher, United States, 1921-
• Bernd Munsteiner, Germany, 1943-

1980s

• Jamie Bennett, United States, 1948-
• Peter Chang
  Peter Chang (jewelry artist)
  Peter Chang is a British artist who works in silicone. His artwork primarily takes the form of jewellery. Chang's work had attention to detail and bright colors.-Biography:...
  
  , England, 1944-, Scotland
• Sharon Church, United States, 1948-
• Cara Croninger, United States, 1939-
• Eric W. Ebendorf, United States, 1938-
• David Freda, United States, 1953-
• Lisa Gralnick, United States, 1956-
• Hermann Junger, Germany, 1928–2005
• Esther Knobel, Poland, 1949-, Israel
• Julia Manheim, England, 1949-
• K. Lee Manuel, United States, 1936–2003
• William Tasso Mattar, Germany, 1946-, Mallorca
• Bruce Metcalf
  Bruce Metcalf
  Bruce Metcalf is an American artist who uses different materials like wood, metal, and plexiglass....
  
  , United States, 1949-
• Mira Mimlitsch-Gray, United States, 1942-
• Pavel Opocensky, Czechoslovakia, 1954, Czech Republic
• Earl Pardon, United States, 1926–1991
• Hiroko Sato Pijanowski, Japan, 1942-, United States
• Gretchen Raber, United States, 1943
• Wendy Ramshaw, England, 1939-
• Vernon Reed, United States, 1948-
• Richard Reinhardt, United States, 1921–1998
• Ivy Ross
• Marjorie Schick, United States, 1941-
• Verena Sieber-Fuchs, Switzerland, 1943-
• Kiff Siemmons, United States, 1944-
• Rachel Thiewes, United States, 1952-
• David Tisdale, United States, 1958-
• David Watkins, England, 1940-
• Beatrice Wood
  Beatrice Wood
  Beatrice Wood was an American artist and studio potter, who late in life was dubbed the "Mama of Dada," and served as a partial inspiration for the character of Rose DeWitt Bukater in James Cameron's 1997 film, Titanic...
  
  , United States, 1893–1998
• Lam de Wolf, The Netherlands, 1949-
• Michael Zobel, Germany, 1943-

1990s

• Julia Barello, United States, 1957-
• Keith Lo Bue, United States, 1964-, Australia
• Andrea Cagnetti - Akelo
  Andrea Cagnetti - Akelo
  Andrea Cagnetti, also known in the artistic world as Akelo is an Italian goldsmith, designer, and sculptor...
  
  , Italy, 1967
• Pierre Cavalan, France, 1954-, Australia
• Claude Chavent, France, 1947-
• Francoise Chavant, France, 1947-
• Ramon Puig Cuyas, Spain, 1953-, United States
• David Damkoehler, United States, 1943-
• Marilyn Druin, United States, 1941–2001
• Eva Eisler, Czechoslovakia, 1952-, Czech Republic
• Pat Flynn, United States, 1954-
• Rosemary Gialamas, United States, 1962-
• Thomas Gentile, United States, 1935-
• Svenja John, Germany, 1963-
• Daniel Jocz, United States, 1943-
• Enid Kaplan, United States, 1954–2002, Israel
• Danielle Kerner, Israle, 1952-, United States
• Jacqueline Lillie, France, 1941-, Austria
• Linda MacNeil
  Linda MacNeil
  Linda MacNeil is an American artist specializing in contemporary jewelry that combines metalwork with glass and sometimes precious stones to create miniature sculptures.-Education, influences and characteristics of the work:...
  
  , United States, 1954-
• Bruno Martinazzi, Italy, 1923-
• Julie Ann Mihalisin, United States, 1962-
• Tom Munsteiner, Germany, 1969-
• Ted Muehling, United States, 1953
• Zach Peabody, United States, 1968-
• Oliver Pieper, Germany, 1967-, Japan
• Kim Rawdin, United States, 1950-
• Gerd Rothmann,Germany, 1941-
• Joyce Scott, United States, 1948-
• Lisa Spiros, United States, 1959-
• Janna Syvanoja, Finland, 1960-
• Tony Vigeland, Norway, 1938-
• Jeff Wise, United States, 1953-
• Nancy Worden, United States, 1954-
• Kee-ho Yuen, China, 1956-, United States
• Alberto Zorzi, Italy, 1958-