Urban Fetishes vintage costume jewelry

27.01.2021

97 1 minute read

Urban Fetishes vintage costume jewelry
New Mexico based artist, writer, sculptor and jewelry designer, Alice Warder Seely (b. 1943) began creating her own “Urban Fetishes” jewelry in 1980s. Officially registered in 1991, the company Urban Fetishes Jewelry Inc. ceased to exist in 2003.
A hereditary artist, Seely made pewter jewelry in her workshop in New Mexico. The designs of her brooches, pendants, pins and bracelets are unique and easily recognizable – these are petroglyphs, fossils, friends, angels and Egyptians. The most interesting is her collection “Petroglyphs” created in 1989-1990. She dedicated it to rock art, culture and beliefs of the indigenous people of America. Wearable art, each piece is eye-catching and arouses interest in the history of this decoration. This is probably why each piece of jewelry is packed in a matchbox, accompanied by a description, and sometimes even a poem written by her. Traditionally, the designer signed her decorations “Urban Fetishes” and the year of manufacture, mostly 1989 or 2000. Sometimes the labeling includes the artist’s name Alice Seely.
Presented in over 350 stores and galleries across the country, her artwork adorns galleries in Santa Fe, Scottsdale, New York, Michigan and Florida. Alice Warder Seely’s blended Indian, Spanish, and Anglo-Indian heritage reflects New Mexico’s rich cultural diversity.