Let’s stipulate right off the bat that this story on American jewelry artists doing exciting work today could have run hundreds of pages – or more. Art jewelry is a rich, dynamic field, and there is almost no end to the innovation demonstrated by jewelers working now.

Given that time and space are finite, however, we approached the topic by inviting nine jewelry experts to name some of the most exciting and imaginative contemporary artists.

The people they chose represent a wide range – of ages, approaches, materials. Think of them as a sampling, if you will, of the thousands of skilled artists fashioning tantalizing jewelry today.  ~The Editors

The jewelry makers in this feature were selected by:

Gail M. Brown, an independent curator of contemporary craft
Stefano Catalani, director of art, craft, and design at Bellevue Arts Museum in Washington state
Sharon Church, professor of jewelry and metalsmithing in the Craft and Material Studies program at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia
Susan Cummins, board chair of Art Jewelry Forum, vice chair of California College of the Arts board of trustees, and a former gallerist
Ulysses Grant Dietz, interim co-director, chief curator, and curator of decorative arts for the Newark Museum in New Jersey
Andrea DiNoto, contributing editor of Metalsmith magazine
Ursula Ilse-Neuman, jewelry curator at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York
Marthe Le Van, an independent curator, consultant, and writer and editor of more than 50 jewelry books
Lena Vigna, curator of exhibitions at Racine Art Museum in Wisconsin

Click below to view photos and read profiles of the jewelry makers they selected.

Lola Brooks
Emiko Oye
Daniel DiCaprio
Jennifer Trask
Kiff Slemmons
Karen Gilbert
Christine J. Brandt
Nicole Jacquard
Thomas Gentille
Nikki Couppee
Biba Schutz
Sandra Enterline
Jamie Bennett
Bruce Metcalf
Steve Ford & David Forlano