Harriete Estel Berman
Golden State Bracelet 2006
Bracelet fabricated from recycled tin can; 10k gold; brass detail; plastic core.
1.5 cm depth x 27 cm diameter
ARTIST STATEMENT
This bracelet is an ironic commentary on the use of gold granulation for contemporary jewelry.
Gold granulation carries a message about “value” through the use of intrinsically valuable material
and an archaic technique.
Today, a more familiar sense of value is created through brand name products.
The name promises to enhance the consumer’s life by association with the product. Buying a premium
brand of oatmeal labeled with “Uniformity of Granulation” (as displayed on the bracelet) identifies the
buyer as part of an elite group; those who can afford “uniformity.” I can afford quality, therefore I am elite.
In a society so transitory and hyper-marketed one may wonder who we really are. Is our only sense of
value defined by our material culture?
