Christianne Weber-Stöber – författare

The discovery of the Oberstein company Jakob Bengel as a prominent jewellery manufacturer has liberated Oberstein from the stigma of being the “underdog” of the German jewellery industry. Wilhelm Lindemann and Christianne Weber-Stöber document in this current study its independent contribution to the evolution of early German jewellery design between 1910 and 1933 using Bengel as an example. Highlights from the collection of Drs. Margarete and Heribert Händel, hitherto unpublished pieces of Bengel jewellery, and contemporary designs attest to the exceptional level of production as part of the reformist ideas of the Deutscher Werkbund, the German Schools of Art and Crafts, and the Bauhaus. With this book, the industrial monument Historische Uhrketten und Bijouteriewarenfabrik Jakob Bengel, Idar-Oberstein together with the Jakob Bengal Foundation marks the factory’s 150-year anniversary.Text in English and German.

Christian Dell (1893–1974), silversmith, Bauhaus master craftsman, and head of the metal workshop of the Frankfurter Kunstschule [Frankfurt Art School], is one of the lesser-known designers of the 20th century. Yet his diverse oeuvre and his impact on design—from the 1930s to the present—deserves to be reappraised. This publication provides a first comprehensive overview of Dell’s work and career, including his training in Hanau, teaching in Weimar and Frankfurt am Main, and contacts to the lighting industry. One of Dell’s iconic lamp designs is the KAISER idell™, an office lamp which is back in production today. Moreover, he was an inspiration to numerous students, whose works are introduced here in more detail. Conceptual sketches, series products, and exquisite individual objects in a wide range of materials are also presented—for Dell’s early work with new types of plastic would go on to inform consumer tastes for decades to come. An exciting monograph on a significant, visionary, and hitherto unrecognised designer of the 20th century.Text in German.

Embossing, punching and guilloche engraving are techniques that have almost faded into oblivion. Today they are experiencing a new lease of life in contemporary jewellery. The Manufactory-Style Jewellery Design project fosters the passing down of experiential knowledge through the collaboration of artisans and designers from three generations. The book presents an excerpt of this success story by means of archive material and interviews with former masters, explains how the machines work, and illustrates contemporary examples.Text in English and German.