Jack Ogden (jewellery historian)

Jack Ogden, FSA, FGA, is a British jewellery historian with a particular interest in the development of Materials and technology. He is considered one of the foremost experts in his field. He is the current President of The Society of Jewellery Historians, having held the position since February 2018, and was appointed visiting professor of Ancient Jewellery, Material and Technology, at the Birmingham School of Jewellery Birmingham City University in 2019

Academic life
Ogden was born into the fourth generation of a well-known family retail jewellery company based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, but showed a strong interest in archaeology, particularly egyptology, from about the age of seven. A visit to the exhibition Tutankhamun and His Time at the Petit Palais, Paris in 1967 inspired him to study Egyptian jewellery techniques, thus blending his archaeology and jewellery backgrounds.

His first academic article, on Roman imitation diamonds, was published in 1973. A detailed study of platinum group element inclusions in ancient gold objects followed in 1977, that same year conversations with the late John Goodall FSA on ways to bring together academics from around the world who had an interest in the history of jewellery led to the founding of the Society of Jewellery Historians. His vision here was to bring together specialists to create better understanding and dialogue between scientists and the art historians.

Ogden has written and lectured extensively on the materials and technology of ancient and historical gold jewellery and various aspects of gem history. His 1982 book, Jewellery of the Ancient World, (Trefoil and Rizzoli), a study of ancient Old World jewellery technology and materials, received high praise and is still considered the standard work on the subject. Since then, publishers of his writings include The British Museum Press, University of California Press, Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Yale University Press, the Getty Conservation Institute and several peer-reviewed journals. His books and articles are widely cited in the academic literature dealing with jewellery history and precious metals. Although primarily focussing on jewellery he has a wide interest in ancient Metals and contributed the chapter on metals in Ancient Egyptian materials and technology (Cambridge University Press, 2000). He has taught short courses on the history of jewellery materials and technology in London, New York, Washington D.C., Malibu, and Stuttgart.

Ogden has made various TV appearances and radio broadcasts, including interviews on historical aspects of jewellery, and acted as a historical consultant and a presenter for a multi-part documentary series on sapphires by China state broadcaster Central China Television (CCTV).

Career
After leaving Tonbridge School at the age of 16, he joined the family jewellery company founded by his great-grandfather, James R Ogden and Sons Ltd. He worked at both the Harrogate and London businesses until purchasing the London side of the business and the final few years of the lease in 1982, by which time he had established the Duke Street, St James's premises as a gallery specialising in ancient and historic jewellery. In 1985, with the expiry of the lease, he gradually wound down his business to concentrate on consultancy work and research. He also started work on his PhD with Durham University. Although leaving formal education at sixteen and with neither A levels nor a university degree, Durham was happy to accept his 1982 book as 'equivalent qualification'. His supervisor was Prof John Harris, then Chair of Egyptology and the Director of the School of Oriental Studies at Durham. As a consultant, Ogden advises Museums, collectors, Auction houses and others, mainly on questions of authenticity of ancient and historic precious metal objects. He approaches this work holistically believing it essential to consider style, technology and composition. He has also retained his links with the jewellery industry and served as the Secretary General to the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) and Chief Executive of the National Association of Goldsmiths (now part of the National Association of Jewellers ), a combined position (1995–2000) and as Chief Executive of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (2004–2012).

He was appointed to the Treasure Valuation Committee (responsible for agreeing a value on UK archaeological treasure finds) in 1996 – 2013, serving as vice-chairman 2007 – 2013 He was on the Governing Board of the Egypt Exploration Society 1983 – 1990. Ogden is the current Chair of British Standards (BSI) Committee STI/53 (Specifications and test methods for jewellery and horology) on which he has served from 1995 to 2000 and 2005–present. He was a Trustee of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (2015–2018).

Qualifications and honours
His qualifications include a doctorate from Durham University (thesis topic Gold Jewellery in Greek, Roman and Byzantine Egypt), The Gemmology Diploma (FGA) (with distinction) from the Gemmological Association of Great Britain and the Diploma in Art Profession Law from the Institute of Art and Law (with distinction). He was Elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA) in 1980 and a life Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain in 2014.

Personal life
Apart from research in his field, his interests include playing the 5-string banjo and 3-D computer graphics. Before a knee injury he was an accomplished skier and briefly an instructor. He lives with his partner, Sara Abey in Henley-on-Thames, South Oxfordshire, and has three daughters.

Selected bibliography
Ogden is an author or co-author of several books and numerous articles on various aspects of the history of jewellery technology and materials, from scientific to popular. A full bibliography is available. Many of his articles are available online.

Books and chapters in books include
1982 1987 1992 1994 1995 1998 2000 2003 2004 2007 2009 2010 2013 2013 2018
 * Jewellery of the Ancient World: The Materials and Techniques of Ancient Jewellery, Trefoil, London. OCLC No: 929802319
 * Islamic goldsmithing techniques in the early medieval period: the Benjamin Zucker collection, in ed. D.J. Content, Islamic Rings and Gems, Philip Wilson, London. OCLC No: 908849111
 * Interpreting the Past: Ancient Jewellery, British Museum Press, London and University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles. ISBN 0520080300 ISBN 978-0520080300 OCLC No: 716103810 Google books, Jack Ogden – Ancient Jewellery
 * With D. Williams, Greek Gold: Jewellery of the Classical World, British Museum Press, London. OCLC No: 875379733 Google books, Jack Ogden – Greek gold
 * The Technology of Medieval Jewellery. in eds. D. A. Scott, J. Podany and B. B. Considine, Ancient and Historic metals: Conservation and Scientific Research, Getty Conservation Institute Malibu. OCLC No: 802967527 The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) Publications
 * The Gold Jewellery, In ed C.-M. Bennett and P. Bienkowski, Excavations at Tawilan in Southern Jordan, Oxford University Press. OCLC No: 879106095
 * The Jewellery of Dark Age Greece: Construction and Cultural Connections. Ed.D. Williams, The Art of the Greek Goldsmith, British Museum Press, London. OCLC No: 39820658
 * Ancient Egyptian Metals, Eds. P.T. Nicholson & I. Shaw, Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology, Cambridge University Press. OCLC No: 449825743
 * Connections between Islam, Europe, and the Far East in the Medieval Period: The Evidence of the Jewelry Technology, Eds P. Jett, J Douglas, B. McCarthy, J Winter. Scientific Research in the Field of Asian Art, Fiftieth-Anniversary Symposium Proceedings. Archetype Publications, London in association with the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution. Link to article OCLC No: 615473193
 * Revivers of the Lost Art: Alessandro Castellani and the Quest for Classical Precision in the exhibition catalogue: Castellani and Italian Archaeological Jewelry, edited by Susan Weber Soros and Stefanie Walker, Yale University Press and the Bard Graduate Center. (Also Italian translation 2005) OCLC No: 907117272
 * Brainbiter: The saga of Hereward the Wake. Penpress. (Fiction) OCLC No: 170956559 Google books, Jack Ogden – Brainbiter
 * A History of Enamelling Techniques in Enamels of the World 1700 – 2000, Ed. Haydn Williams, The Khalili Family Trust, London. OCLC No: 262894331
 * Gold’ in Tutankhamun's Footwear: Studies of Ancient Egyptian Footwear, Ed. André J. Veldmeijer, Drukware. OCLC No: 760141408 Google books, André J. Veldmeijer – Tutankhamun's Footwear
 * With Michael Spink, The Art of Adornment: Jewellery of the Islamic Lands, The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, xvii (London: Nour Foundation in association with Azimuth Editions, 2013). OCLC No: 913073688 The Khalili Collections
 * Gems and the Gem Trade in India in Beyond Extravagance: a Royal Collection of Gems and Jewels, ed. Amin Jaffer, Assouline, New York. OCLC No: 839389448 Google books – Beyond Extravagance
 * In Press. Diamonds: The early history of the king of gems, Yale University Press – 'This richly illustrated history of diamonds illuminates myriad facets of the “king of gems,”'

Articles include

 * 1977 Platinum group metal inclusions in ancient gold artefacts, Journal of Historical Metallurgy, 11, 2. pp. 53 – 72.
 * 1990 With S. Schmidt. Late Antique Jewellery: Pierced Work and Hollow Beaded Wire, Jewellery Studies 4. pp. 5 – 12.
 * 1990/1 Gold in a time of Bronze and iron, The Journal of the Ancient Chronology Forum, 4. pp. 6 – 14.
 * 1991 Classical Gold wire: Some Aspects of its Manufacture and Use, Jewellery Studies, 5. pp. 95 – 105.
 * 1992 Gold in Antiquity, Interdisciplinary Science Review, 17/3.
 * 1993 Granulation and a Greek Astronaut (a reinterpretation of Lucian) Jewellery Studies, 6. p. 73.
 * 2005 Diamonds, Head Hunters and a Prattling Fool: The British Exploitation of Borneo Diamonds, Gems and Jewellery, 14, 3, September 2005. pp. 67 – 69.
 * 2005 The Great American Platinum Controversy’. Gems and Jewellery, 14, 3 December 2005. pp. 86 – 87.
 * 2016 A Matter of Opinion, Art Antiquity and Law. 21/3, 269 – 279.