Last we checked, around 90% of Art Jewelry readers are women. And if you've looked at our Contributors page in the magazine, you've no doubt noticed that most of the projects we publish are by women as well. It's easy to assume that women have always been attracted to this craft, and while I was doing some routine surfing online to keep in touch with what's going on in the art jewelry world, I was reassured that my assumption is correct. I found an amusing article in the archives of The New York Times. The following was published on the Society page on April 3, 1910:

"ART JEWELRY. An interesting occupation for women, either as a pastime or a profession, is the study of art jewelry. This should go beyond the so-called arts and crafts jewelry, belt buckles, pins, and hatpins with which the country has been flooded. Women are doing excellent work in enamels, having produced bits of unusually rich coloring and bold designs. Antiques are faithfully reproduced and original designs that are out of the beaten track have been exhibited. New and unusual settings for brooches, necklaces, hatpins, and belt buckles are attributed to women. Not only are they responsible for the design but for the workmanship.

"From a professional standpoint no one should go into it who has not deft fingers, patience, and originality. The woman who can get away from stock patterns, who makes her settings and designs individual as well as beautiful, has prospect of success in a new field. Englishwomen have been particularly successful in this field, and in a recent exhibition in London several of them have received praise for the exquisite workmanship and originality of their jewelry."

To see the actual text, which is curiously sandwiched between info on "Society at Pinehurst" and "A Good Deodorizer," go here. (You may have to register to use The New York Times Web site, but registration is free.)