I recently received an unusual order — a bas-relief with the face of Jesus, decorated with precious stones. As an example, the customer sent a photo of a similar piece. Frankly, after seeing it, I again wondered: why do many very expensive pieces of jewelry look so tasteless, and their artistic value is deliberately emphasized terrible?
I identified two main reasons for myself.
- Saving on the artist
This reason is banal, but inevitable. Small workshops often save on the artistic part.
Imagine: the budget for the work is $ 10,000. It seems like an impressive amount, but in fact almost all of it goes to materials — gold and diamonds. Let’s add to this the costs of making a prototype, the work of a caster and a jeweler, as well as the share of the intermediary workshop. And what is left? Almost nothing to pay for the artist’s work.
But it is the artist who creates the image, the very value that distinguishes a real work of art from a banal set of shiny stones. But most often, the customer is not interested in the meaning and beauty, but in the very fact of owning a luxury item: “I have gold and diamonds.” Everything else is secondary.
- The influence of brands
My experience working with famous brands only confirmed the second reason. In an expensive product, the client is not buying a piece of jewelry, but a brand. A person is buying a thing in which millions have been invested in advertising. This is not about aesthetics, but about a signal to society: “I can afford it.”
Therefore, such jewelry is often deliberately tasteless - it must catch the eye. The logic is the same as in fashionable clothes with huge brand inscriptions: bright, noticeable, but devoid of elegance.
These are my thoughts. Often, emptiness is hidden behind the shine of precious stones, and true art ends up in the shadow of commerce.
