James Frew Arnold (1912–2008) was a pioneering figure in American modernist cooperage. Educated at Pasadena State College, he founded his workshop in the Arcadia area and later worked in Monrovia and Los Angeles.
He created exquisite pieces of jewelry that borrowed motifs from natural forms. In his work, Frew favored the combination of yellow gold and silver, as well as the use of diamonds and baroque-style textured pearls to achieve the uniqueness of his pieces.
In 1958, his work was advertised as “Costume Jewelry for Movie Stars” in Craft Horizons magazine. In 1965, he had an exhibition at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena.
Frew’s jewelry features his last name stamped into the metal. Some pieces are also stamped with a lion.
Frew died in 2008 at the age of 86.
