[Necklace] This necklace demonstrates Earl Pardon's ability to combine a painter's eye with a jeweler's skills. On sterling silver plaques, Pardon soldered together flat sections of gold with enamel, ivory, ebony, and bezel-set gems to create intricate collages with subtly different combinations of forms.

Pardon once referred to his jewelry as "portable art." A major influence on the development of American studio jewelry, he served as a professor of art for 38 years.

Courtesy of the Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art, gift of Eugene Kaplan in memory of Pearl Rappaport Kaplan.

Necklace #1057, 1988, by Earl Pardon (1926-91), United States, sterling silver, 14k gold, ebony, ivory, enamel, shell, ruby, garnet, blue topaz, rhodolite, amethyst, and spinel

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