Relay Column: An Essay on Jewelry × Technology - A Response From Contemporary Jewelry (Makiko Akiyama)

If a person from the jewelry field were to tackle the theme of fashion × technology, it would only make sense to approach it as jewelry × technology at this stage of receiving the baton for this relay column. However, the problem is that I am rather weak when it comes to technology in the realm of craftsmanship, and moreover, even within the subset of jewelry, my expertise lies in a specialized area known as contemporary jewelry that professes self-expression and artistic expression. Many of its creators react with aversion to the mention of digital technology. In essence, what I want to convey is that I, like many in this field, generally struggle with technology.

If I were told to choose a different theme, that would be the end of it. However, I couldn’t resist the temptation of challenging a genre I’ve neglected, fueled by a modest desire for improvement and a more selfish desire to showcase something valuable since there seem to be few in Japan who can discuss contemporary jewelry intertwined with jewelry × technology. Thus, I ultimately decided to go with jewelry × technology. All of the preceding discussion is a form of excuse for this somewhat ambitious theme setting, so please allow for a few shortcomings. With that, I can confidently dive into the main topic.