Abstract

The author has made a study regarding the place and the role of the jewel at the contemporary stage. The study is mostly based on the results of the first survey in the domain of jewellery art, carried out in the Republic of Moldova in March-April 2011, and compared to similar surveys from European countries and the USA. On the pages of the text, an analysis is made of the priorities and preferences in the way contemporary jewellery is worn, the main focus being placed on the study of the trends from the jewellery design domain, the developing conditions of the decorative art and the possibilities of affirmation of the jewellery autochthon school. According to our opinion, the description and analysis of the art of jewellery at the contemporary stage is very difficult, due to several reasons, though it is achievable. The new models elaborated by the young jewellers from the country, which go hand in hand with the fashion of the clothes and stylish accessories, the appearance of new names in the decorative autochthon art allows to conclude that in the Republic of Moldova, there are artistic and economic perspectives to rehabilitate the jewellery production domain. The author comes with certain recommendations and solutions, capable of restructuring and reviving the jewellery domain. These masterpieces, based on century-old traditions from the domain of artistic processing of the metal, need an analysis and appreciation now, in order to become in time a true history of the jewellery from Moldova.