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The Compendium Finale of Contemporary Jewellery Makers
Cologne: Darling Publications, 2009

Technical data: 2 Volume Hardcover in the Lim-slipcase, 13,5 Kilo, 2400 pages

Not for sale at Klimt02

This 13,5 Kilo, 2400 pages Opus Maximus was released 14 March 2009 during the International Schmuck 2009 Fair in Munich and already nicknamed by many jewellers as "the Messiah" as it was eagerly awaited since a year and was expected to bring great relief in the sleepless nights of jewellers from 54 nations.
At the Compendium Party during the release, over 1000 visitors could catch a glance at the most rumoured and gossiped about publication of 2008, and managed to empty over 180 bottles with alcoholic content within a couple of hours (at daytime!).
132 lucky jewellers could carry their boxed copies home (although quite many of them somehow underestimated the physical weight of 14 kilos!). During the waiting time for the rest of the edition to be bound (by hand!) it is expected that the nickname "Messiah" will be still valid, although a big difference is that The Compendium did show up.

The Compendium will show on a never done before scale and manner what is happening in 2008 in the entire worldwide Contemporary Jewellery scene.
Jewellery Artists from 54 nations has been nominated by Jewellery Artists.
The 1st purpose of Andy Lim, the publisher and editor, is to try to establish Contemporary Jewellery as an equally respected art form in the Contemporary Art and to create a platform, not to be neglected, which will be reached already by its sheer volume and power of 1044 artists, united in one single publication. It is not only a book about 1000+ jewellers, it is a book created by 1000+ jewellers, as every jeweller have the full freedom of a 2-page presentation a person. The alphabetical order of presentation secures a non hierarchical and non political ranking. The publishers 2nd purpose is to discover beyond the already wellknown and established artists (ca. 300) interesting positions of contemporary jewellery. And who are better „talent scouts“ than the artists themselves? Who are more aware than anybody else of what collegues are doing? They are at the cradle of the work process. And as 3rd, but not least goal: to present an astonishing bibliophile book in an unsurpassed quality of the highest standards in the Art of Bookmaking.

- 2 Volume Hardcover in the Lim-slipcase with separate pull out system.
- Bound in the Final Edition of the stunning Techno Fabric.
- Print and handbinding entirely in Germany, as always with Darling Publications.
- A stunning book where you discover everything your heart desires and covets.
- An already legendary reference book, and that´s why a MUST for libraries, museums, galleries, design lovers and the serious art and book collectors. 

The Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim is co-editor.

As Bruce Metcalf explained to somebody during the making of the Compendium:

"It's true there's no overarching curatorial viewpoint - by design. Lim wanted to make the selection process more open & democratic than the usual methods used for an omnibus volume like this. That's why he put the power into the hands of the jewelers themselves. Why shouldn't jewelers be qualified to select other jewelers? They are no less expert than curators or writers. In effect, the book will show what jewelers think, collectively, about their own field. I think of the selection process as similar to a work of conceptual art. Lim set up a structure, and then let it operate like clockwork. No doubt there will be dogs, but there will also be surprises. Think of it as an exhibition with 1000 curators. You have to be elected first. Lim makes no exceptions to this rule; he has been quite firm about it. Nobody can offer to write a check and thus be accepted. Certain notable jewelers have demanded exceptions to the rules, and Lim refused. Those notables - and there are two that he told me about - then refused to participate. Lim did not relent. I admire the integrity with which he has protected the selection process. To be credible, the structure has to be incorruptible. There‘s also an element of chaos that Lim designed into the book. Every jeweler is in charge of designing their own pages, and every invited jeweler gets two pages. What‘s fascinating is that everybody gets two sides of a single page - no facing pages. That means every jeweler is thrown cheek-by-jowl against two others, in alphabetical order. A clockwork system that produces chance encounters... and nobody can exercise control! I don‘t know about you, but I think that‘s pretty great. Very subversive of the jewelerly demand for control. Very Duchampian."

Karl Fritsch about the Compendium:

"The Compendium is unbelievable! It is a mad idea that came to an unbelievable / unforseeable result that is unexpectedly fascinating to look at. I would not like to be in the shoes of jewellers who are not in this book, as it seems by the sheer mass of amazing stuff in these non-stop pages that nobody is missed. I am sure that those jewellers who are not in the book, will bite their own ass off!" Thank you Dr. Lim for your enthusiasm in heavy entertainment. You show us mercilessly the multi-facetted face of the unexploited legendary but widely undiscovered world of contemporary jewelry.


Or in short: The ultimate publication on contemporary jewellery, for very, very long (actually more likely: ever) not to be rivalled in size, weight, and quality (both contents and production).