Contemporary wood jewelry lies at the intersection of two distinct trends: the vogue for all things eco-chic and the embrace of materials less costly than precious metal.

An Arch ring by Anthony Roussel in birch wood. Photo: Rob Popper

“We take three things from the earth — metal, stones and wood — and they’re all natural things, which is why they have harmony together,” said Axel H. M. Scheffel, principal of Scheffel-Schmuck in Munich, which began manufacturing a line of wood jewelry using computer-controlled mills.

A Branch bangle by Anthony Roussel in birch wood. Photo: Rob Popper

This summer, the Goldsmiths Company of London is holding a landmark exhibition of contemporary jewelry. With a focus on leading silversmiths, it brings together twelve of the most distinguished artist-jewelers working in Britain today.

Wendy Ramshaw's Symbol and Sign series of lapel pins. Photo: The Goldsmiths Company

Artist-made jewelry is a relatively recent category of creative endeavor. Since the birth of the New Jewelry Movement in the 1950s, independent artists in Europe are finding in jewelry not just a satisfying technical and design challenge but a stimulating medium for the expression of their own ideas.

An 18-carat yellow-gold brooch by Daphne Krinos. Photo: The Goldsmiths Company

From the pious gold stirrup rings of the Gothic period to the flashy, bezel-set jewels worn by Byzantium’s wealthiest merchants, the myriad rings of the Middle Ages form a complicated taxonomy.

Renaissance merchant's ring from Germany, dated 1564. Photo: Galerie Les Enluminures, Paris

Unlike today’s rings, which can fairly easily be divided into just two categories, bridal or fashion, wealthy members of medieval society had a ring for every occasion, such as marriage rings, signet rings, iconographic rings, merchant rings, bishop’s rings, mourning rings and posy rings.

An early Christian marriage ring from Rome, circa 500. Photo: Galerie Les Enluminures, Paris

The Finnish artist Janna Syvanoja makes jewelry out of recycled paper, such as old phone directories and newspaper, to make “something beautiful, valuable from something that had been thrown away.”

A brooch made of recycled and black paper. Photo: Janna Syvanoja/Alternatives Gallery

Ms. Syvanoja makes her paper jewelry in her own method, which she has perfected to an art form. She slices the paper very thinly and then curves each slice of paper around steel wire, piece by piece. “It is a slow, natural technique,” she explains. “It is as if the piece grows by itself.”

Another brooch made of recycled and black paper. Photo: Janna Syvanoja/Alternatives Gallery

Paris-based Eric Lopez, owner and designer for the brand Appartement à Louer, doesn’t follow fashion. His inspiration is fed by his visits to museums and auction houses, and by vintage costume jewelery from all the different eras.

Photo: Appartement à Louer