Best magazines for jewelry makers and lovers
I’ve always loved magazines – which is why I decided to focus on magazines when I was in journalism school – and I’ve always loved jewelry. So guess what I really love? Magazines about jewelry!
A lot has changed in the media world over the last decade, but I still love magazines (especially print but I’m warming to digital), and writing about jewelry for magazines is still my favorite gig. If you work with or collect jewelry, you no doubt subscribe to a jewelry publication or two, to keep up and be inspired.
Quite a few have come and gone since I last posted about this. A few were partially reabsorbed into their parent magazines, some went from print to digital. Others have undergone overhauls and even expansion. Here’s an update on what’s out there.
Ornament. I’ve written for this one too, though not for a long time. I profiled Carolyn Morris Bach and Marne Ryan, both cover stories. The editors actually paid for me to spend a day with those amazing women in their studios. So fun! They are exactly the kind of artists this magazine still spotlights – the creative masters of wearable craft, apparel as well as jewelry. Ornament is more fabulous than ever and worth every penny.
Ornament – 4 issues / 12 months – $26.99
Metalsmith. This is a beautiful magazine devoted to the finest handcrafted art jewelry. Published by the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG), Metalsmith presents the most scholarly take on studio jewelry stateside. It focuses on the edgy, provocative world of art jewelry and metal craft, treating it as an extension of the fine arts, complete with reviews of exhibitions. Metalsmith – 3 issues / 12 months – $47.00
Rapaport. This magazine has great articles on everything I love, from antique jewelry at auction and museum to contemporary design trends and colored stones. (You might even find a story by me in this one.) You can get the magazine (6 issues / year) delivered along with their newsletter with a $250 annual membership — or you can read the latest issue via digital flipbook. Find the Rapaport current issue here.
American Craft. Jewelry is just one of the studio arts this magazine covers, but if you appreciate fine, handcrafted wearable art, you’ll appreciate the innovative, beautifully-made furniture, art glass, metalwork, and ceramics you’ll find here as well. Published by the American Craft Council, American Craft is full of compelling, well-written stories and lots of eye candy.
American Craft – 4 issues / 12 months – $48.00
Gems & Gemology. GIA’s quarterly magazine is aimed at those who are serious about gemstones. You’ll get the latest, peer-reviewed research on diamonds and colored stones—where they’re found, characteristics, simulants and synthetics, treatments, and identification techniques – in beautifully-illustrated articles by the world’s leading gemologists.
Gems & Gemology – 4 issues / 12 months – $79.99
Rock & Gem. If you work with gem materials or (like me) are simply fascinated by colored stones, you’ll come away with a new appreciation and understanding of the complexities behind your favorite gems and minerals, and discover many you didn’t know existed. Not to be confused with Rocks & Minerals (although it’s pretty easy, given these titles!), which is aimed squarely at mineral and fossil collectors. Rock & Gem is not a scientific journal, it’s aimed squarely at hobbyists.
Rock & Gem – 12 issues / 12 months – $27.95
