Curiosity Cabinets of Art Jewelry and Windows of Stain Glass as You’ve Never Seen Them Before
Costume jewelry had never been the highest priority in my quest for art until I became dazzled by the collections of a friend, Susan Beech. I had seen her, over the years, donning some amazing, thought-provoking wearables, not to mention savored the art artfully curated around her house. But I have never seen it together in a collection…until now. Stained glass was not on my list either, until I was dazzled by the imagination of Judith Schaechter and what she could fashion with it.
Beech’s collection, titled Wunderkammer: The Collection of Susan Beech, and Schaechter’s work, appropriately labeled Super/Natural, are on display at San Francisco’s Museum of Craft and Design until February 8, 2026.
Wunderkammer: The Collection of Susan Beech
Susan Beech’s collection features more than 80 works from her own Wunderkammeran, 18th Century curiosity cabinets which traditionally displayed not only fine treasures but symbols of humanist philosophies. These are not jewel-encrusted baubles measured by carat weight, but objects of curiosity that drive imagination, knowledge, and otherwise tickle your funny or other bones. Contemporary art jewelry, emerged in the 1950’s as a means to challenge traditional jewelry making.
Consider, for example, a brooch by Lauren Tickle called $160 Converted, constructed from expired US currency on its way to the shredder. It consists of meticulously cut numbers, letters, words, filigrees, and scroll patterns, interlocked in a microscopically detailed kaleidoscope of money and its symbology.
Or Jiro Kamatas, Holon Necklace 3 consisting of twelve camera lenses that reflect the viewer and its surrounding.
Not recommended for a first date, Python by David Bielander is an 8-foot-long continuous snakelace made from titanium that can be tossed around one’s neck in numerous configurations.
Super/Natural by Judith Schaechter
Judith Schaechter’s Super/Natural features 65 stained glass works. These are not churchy panels, but creations of flash glass, which is hand blown, sand blasted and etched to depict a menagerie of fantastical insects, flora, birds and beasts. You can actually walk into Schaechter’s fantasy world and get lost in it.
Worth a trip to San Francisco’s now chic Dogpatch neighborhood, which hardly reflects its Lil Abner name.
At San Francisco’s Museum of Craft and Design through February 8, 2026
Thursday–Sunday: 12:00–5:00 PM
Closed Monday–Wednesday
If you want to “Feast” your eyes on more of Susan Beech’s collection, you can spend hours with her book, which digs deeply into her huge collection. Available at the museum or on Amazon.
