Jewelry is the art medium explicitly connected to wealth. Since antiquity, representatives of the ruling and spiritual classes wore special rings; kings and queens were buried with crowns encrusted with precious gems and other wearable treasures; talismans protected riches from the covetous 'evil eye'. Even when contemporary jewelry challenges the notion of status, it still echoes – and contrasts – the ornament's archetypical function.
Being 'anti-capitalist' as a jewelry artist – the latest trend – is like shooting yourself in the foot. Communism never cared for jewelry and never had any use for ornaments or spirituality, another ancient heritage of jewelry.
Academics and jewelry theorists who rail against the markets and inculcate students to detest the market may not know how to explain its potential to young designers. The latter have invested time, energy, and money to study a craft – this is their capital. They should not neglect or negate it; on the contrary, they should reject mind-controlling and life-impoverishing ideologies and use their capital creatively to design their own professional success.
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