Rago Auctions

Daniel Jocz began his career as a sculptor and turned to making jewelry in the 1980s due to his interest in both metal and working in miniature. He never took a formal metalsmithing class, preferring to learn his skills through trial and error. Jocz often works in series, each drastically different in style, from geometric abstraction, to lifelike forms, to pop art-style “candy wear”. If there is one theme connecting all of his work, it is an overarching joie de vivre. He admires the improvisational rhythms of jazz music and feels a similar “chaotic order” lives within his own oeuvre.

Jocz has utilized a number of techniques in his jewelry, from flocking to enamel, and masters them equally. He stated early in his career: “I made a conscious decision: I wanted to follow my artistic ideas. And so my jewelry sometimes sways from wearability to exploring experiments.” Indeed, Jocz is wholly dedicated to experimentation and has created everything from classic work with precious metal and gemstones to voluminous, sculptural, futuristic pieces of formed aluminum.

His work has been exhibited at galleries, universities, and museums across the United States and can be found in many important permanent collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Smithsonian Design Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Yale University Art Gallery.