Managing Collections

AJF was started by a group of collectors who wanted to join with others in learning more about contemporary art jewelry, and to show their support for jewelers and the wider field through various grants, purchases and programs. We remain committed to collectors as an important sector of the contemporary art jewelry scene. In this section of the website, you will find articles about the challenges, opportunities, issues and implications that come with acquiring contemporary art jewelry and being a collector.

08 January 2012

Jewelry: The Appraiser and the Appraisal

Karen Lorene

Appraisals are written for several different purposes and the values of each appraisal will differ, depending upon that purpose. When making an inquiry, be clear about what you need. The appraiser can assist you in determining the purpose. It is not unusual for someone to have more than a single purpose, such as insurance and liquidation, or donation and dispersal. Be clear about your needs or, if you are undecided or confused, share that information with your appraiser. more...
14 October 2011

Collective Efforts: Donating Contemporary Jewelry to a Museum

Nancy Worden

Collect as much information about the work as possible when you acquire it, especially a good photograph taken shortly after it was made. Keep receipts, publication credits, exhibition credits, sketches, correspondence with the artist and so on. Have the work cleaned or repaired if necessary, but leave the scratches created by wearing. Build relationships with museums that collect jewelry and make sure the museum you want to make the gift to wants the work. Find out when the acquisition committee meets if you want to claim the gift in a specific tax year. more...
25 November 2010

And Viewers Like You

Susan Cummins

Often the collector, who plays a major role in keeping the wheels turning in the whole system, is the most uninformed of all the viewers. Why is this? Because they don’t have the luxury of time to spend studying their jewelry passion and instead work at making the money that is required to buy it. Or perhaps they are busy with other occupations like social events, family and philanthropic pursuits. Or perhaps there are very few ways for them to access information. Whatever the case, it is often true that they don’t know as much as the other types of viewer. more...
31 January 2010

So You Wanna Give Something Away?

Ron Porter

One size does not fit all and a beautiful piece of jewelry that adorns your body so specially may have no place in the curatorial agendas of an institution. This is especially true for jewelry because one of the key components in the personal collection, the connection to the body, will never be duplicated in a museum setting. The extension of yourself that jewelry provides is not possible in an institutional exhibit. It is critical for you to gain the objectivity to look at your pieces with a museum’s eye. You can begin by looking critically at a museum’s collection, reading its curatorial statements and by speaking to others who have been successful in lending or donating to the institution. more...
31 July 2009

The Art of Collecting

Sally von Bargen

Collectors and curators need each other: collectors for the work a museum desires and curators for bringing the work to the museum. For both the museum and donor there may be tax and legal considerations. For these reasons, most museums offer highly personalized, full-service consulting resources for all types of charitable giving. more...