Results matching “Jewelry”

As promised in the previous entries on Adler, I have some pictures of their recent experiments in Titanium. Although relatively common on Earth, Titanium was only purified and used in bulk in the second half of the 20th century. It is commonly used in watches, but rarely in jewelry. One of the aspects of it that Adler leverages is the ability to anodize the normally gray metal to a rainbow of colors. All pictures from Adler, unless noted

Fiocco broach, set 826 diamonds, totaling 38ct. Here the Titanium was probably chosen to produce the bright fuchsia color. Notice how the strips of the ribbon are constructed of separate strips of metal, similar to the sapphire ring.

Autumn Leaf broach, set with 20ct of white and 40ct of brown diamonds. Here the lightness of the Titanium allow for a shape that would have been otherwise too weak to support itself

Ventaglio (Fan) broach, set with white and cognac diamonds, and a 5ct pear-shaped white diamond drop. The Titanium's strength permitted less structural metal than would have been needed with Gold or Platinum, allowing the diamonds to entirely obscure the structure.

Sail earrings, set with 73ct of pink sapphires and 7ct of white diamonds. Here all of the properties of the metal are on display: it has been anodized to highlight the pink of the sapphires, no other metal could permit such a fine structure support the stones and no ear could support even that much Platinum or Gold without drooping to the floor.

Here you can see their size and a more accurate view of their color, worn by Georgina Robertson

(picture source)

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Focusing on a selection of rings for this post.  Necklaces were previously featured, and there's an unusual collection of jewelry in Titanium, where the metal has been anodized to color as part of the design, still to come.

Unusual, but not actually attractive. The setting of a stone that large with only four prongs worries me, and I find the underside of the pedals, where the cutout structure from the casting is apparent, unimpressive
Purple Rose ring, set with a 10ct Burmese ruby

These next two are clearly to show off the primary stones which are, admittedly, impressive

Pink Volute ring in 18kt pink gold supporting a 10ct yellow-brown diamond. The smaller stones are Top Wesselton diamonds, an archaic European term for F/G white stones, referring to a long-closed diamond mine.

Catch Me ring in 18kt pink gold. The primary stone is a 20ct pink-brown monster

Finally an unusual piece, showcasing Adler's motif of multiple courses of stones, in this case a diamond border with tendrils of sapphire leading to the central stone.

Harmony ring with a 25ct cushion-cut sapphire as the main stone

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The house of Adler is one of the less well-known jewelry houses today.  It was founded in the late 19th century in Istanbul, and moved its base of operations to Geneva in the 1970s.  Their current collection is modern, but strongly classical in many ways.  They tend to build, using multiple layers of repeated design or multiple strands in a necklaces, or multiple courses of stones. 

Here are some samples of their current top-of-the-line collection, there will be another post later with more

Clef de Sol necklace, 18kt white gold set with 35ct of Emeralds and 99ct of Diamonds surrounding a 30ct Colombian Emerald

Precious Ebony ring, a 10ct oval diamond set in 18kt white gold flanked with two pieces of carved Ebony and about 1ct of other diamonds

Jodhpur earrings, pink gold set with 55ct white and brown diamonds in the dangles and two 5ct brown stones at the top

Amazonie necklace, 21ct of brown diamonds, 66ct of white and 11ct of black diamonds surround the 5ct pear-shaped brown diamond set in the snakes head. For an example of how large that piece really is, and what it looks like on a person, rather than a while background, this is that same necklace on Francesca Eastwood, Clint's daughter at a 2009 debutante ball

(picture from)

Blue Dreams necklace, set with diamonds and sapphires, the three primary stones are a 30ct cushion-cut Madagascar sapphire (upper) and a 25ct pear-shaped Sri Lanka sapphire (lower), with a pear-shaped diamond between

Except where noted, all pictures from Adler
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As part of their 150th birthday, Chopard has release a animal-themed watch collection alongside the jewelry, previously mentioned; All three of these pieces are within the "Happy Diamonds" collection, so the small round diamonds on the dial are actually mobile, free to bounce around the face of the watch. All are quartz (sigh) movement, in 18kt gold cases with white diamonds set in the bezel. The dials are painted mother-of-pearl.

First is the penguin, set with white, black and yellow diamonds. The dial has the rest of his flock as a background.

A polar bear follows, in white gold set entirely in white diamonds except for onyx eyes over a painted ice floe.

Finally a monkey, in white gold set with white diamonds, climbing on a yellow-diamond set branch passes a green leaf. In this one the branch and the monkey separate the three mobile diamonds, each cannot leave its allotted third.
(All pics from TimeZone)


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Chopard celebrates 150 years in the watch and jewelry industry with a collection of animal-themed pieces for both categories.  First in the arena of jewelry

Turtle ring in rose gold, composed of a pear-cut yellow diamond surrounded by brown diamonds, cognac-colored diamonds and yellow diamonds

Antelope earrings in yellow gold set with brown diamonds, yellow diamonds and emeralds

Clownfish plastron necklace in white gold set with 105 carats of moonstones, aquamarines, blue sapphires, pastel blue sapphires, blue topazes, icy quartz, Paraiba tourmalines, pear-cut diamonds, diamonds, amethysts, apatites, chalcedonies and tsavorites

Frog ring in white gold set with emeralds, black diamonds and white diamonds, holding a crown featuring a stunning brilliant-cut yellow diamond entirely surrounded by yellow diamonds

Monkey pendant in white gold set with brown diamonds and tsavorites, on a white gold chain set with briolette-cut rubellites

Stork earrings in white and red gold, set with two briolette-cut kunzites totalling 51 carats, as well as white, black and yellow diamonds

(Pictures from TimeZone)

Bear ring in white-gold, pave set with diamonds and set with sapphire eyes and a onyx nose.

Broach in the form of a bee, yellow and white gold set with black and yellow diamonds.

Seahorse earrings, diamonds set in white gold with onyx accents

Drawing of a frog necklace

Necklace with a pair of monkeys in white and yellow gold, set with emeralds, sapphires, tsavorites, onyx and brown diamonds.

Cat ring, in white gold set with white, yellow, brown and black diamonds
(Pictures from Paris Joaillerie)

It looks like I'll hold off the watches until tomorrow, there's enough here already

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In the Boutique district of NYC (Madison Ave between 55-70, not to be confused with the Diamond district on 47th st) I came across two different high-end jewelers selling watches.  First is Buccelatti, whose somewhat classical designs in jewelry I've referenced before, with a heavily bejeweled piece.  I find it unattractive, but somewhat in keeping with their designs

Here is more of the jewelry from the Cartier in America exhibit previously referenced, twice. 

First the "Tutti Frutti" Necklace from 1936, altered in 1963

The first store on your left as you walk into the Place Vendome is that of Gianmaria Buccelatti, one of the top names in contemporary Italian jewelry.  They veer more towards classical styling, frequently using unusually shaped pearls as the central element, a technique popular in the late Renaissance. 
Several pieces in that style follow:


Third in the formed pearls is this piece, using irregular ovoid pearls as grapes

All these pictures, and more, are mine.
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in 1999 the SWATCH Group bought the small Parisian jewelry label Leon Hatot, but it was about the same time they bought Breguet so nobody really cared.  It was founded in the first decade of the 20th century, and became popular enough between the wars that the eponymous jeweler was awarded the Legion d'Honnour in his native France.  Post WWII fashions changed and the brand dwindled until Leon's death in 1953.

Swatch acquired not only the rights to the brand in 1999, but also a bank vault of sketches, which they claim underlay all their current designs.  The following are a sampling from the windows of their boutique in Paris, in the Place Vendôme.

Starting with some rather plain, but nicely done articulated diamond earrings

From their windows in Place Vendome, Christian Dior Joaillerie shows rings decorated with flowers.  I must apologize for the photos, there were some technical problems, including a new camera I wasn't quite familiar with yet.


Rosebud in white gold and diamonds

Open flower in black and white diamonds, some of the white ones are quite impressive stones

A smaller ring from the Doirette collection, constructed of several smaller flowers

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I've begun the sorting of pictures from a recent trip to Paris and am starting on the jewelry ones.  Here are some pieces from the window of Pasquale Bruni, on the way into Place Vendome proper.  Her pieces seem to focus less on small details that overall shape, frequently using pave set stones to create a shimmering surface.  There is also the use of almost tessalated forms, though slightly less regular than that would imply, but significant repetition of small forms.

First is a Star and a Moon pendent, both in 18kt gold.  The Moon is pave in diamond with a single set sapphire, the stars are pave in a mix of diamonds and rubies


Above the Moon was a pendent named 'snowflake' also in diamonds and 18kt gold


Finally we have a pair of overlapping rings from the Prato Fiorito (flowery meadow) collection.  These are decorated with a profusion of small gold elements, each set with a small diamond set upon a lattice of gold.  The edge has a series of the same flowers dangling, free to wiggle with the wearers movement.  A pendent from the same collection can be seen at the bottom of the frame, alas out of focus.

All images are mine, 11-2009

One of the most unusual settings I've seen recently, with the pavilion of the outer stones providing a backdrop for the main, inner stone.  The piece, named Coupelle Piége (cup trap, or the like), is from the Architecte collection by Lorenz Baümer (featured before) and consists of a tourmaline (central stone), fire opals and Citrines (the stones in the side, and small diamonds set in 18kt rose gold.  There is red Spinel somewhere in the piece, according to his website, but I'm not sure where.
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More of Van Cleef and Arpels' California Rêverie collection (previewed before).

National Jeweler awarded Shaill Jhaveri their "Best of..." award for gold this summer.   The actual award winning piece was a large cuff bracelet from their "Couture" collection, done in 18k gold, a slightly warmer hue than common 18kt yellow gold, diamonds and champleve enamel.  As is his custom, part of the design is a word, Ankurit -- Sanskrit for "a spiritual awakening". 

To my taste, I find another piece in the same collection, a more traditionally shaped eastern bangle, more interesting

All photos from his website 

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(Or why professional photographers are professional photographers)
On a recent trip to NYC, I took some pictures of pieces of jewelry in Chanel's window, including a bracelet and pair of earrings, flowers in black and white diamonds.

While walking up Madison Ave, we chanced upon the Solange Azagury-Partridge boutique at 68th street.  She's a British jewelery designer who recently opened this boutique, her first in the US.  In the window were some examples of the "Platonic" line of mathematically inspired pieces, including the "Lonestar" earrings in one and two ball models.


(picture source)
That same set of wireframe solids appears, augmented with other shapes and a smaller star-ball, in more earrings, a overwrought necklace and a fantastic bracelet.

(Picture from her website)
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More on the theme of animals in jewelry, this time from Dior Joallerie.

Idylle a Valparaíso bracelet.

Idylle Dans la Baie d'Along bracelet.

Idylle aux Fidji bracelet.
All designed by Victoire de Castellane

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I would never be so foolish as to claim that watch companies have a monopoly on arrogance, but I'd like to point out these three quotes.  All are from winners of the 2009 Couture Design awards that I have discussed before (Sevan Biçakçi, and Couture Design Awards), 2 in various Jewelry categories and one for watchmaking. 

Jewelry: Pearls

We won! Peter Schmid accepted the 2009 Couture Design Award for Best Pearl Jewelry in Las Vegas, United States on May 31, 2009. The Couture Design Awards, the signature event of the Couture Show, exists to recognize the world's most visionary designers, uncover new and emerging talent, and promote the appreciation of jewelry and timepiece design worldwide. Over 200 elite jewelers competed in this international competition, and Atelier Zobel is honored to have been selected for this prestigious award among so many talented artists and designers.

Thank you to all those who voted on-line as well as those who attended the Couture Show in Las Vegas this year and voted in person. We are truly grateful for your support. We look forward to seeing you next year, June 2nd to 7th, 2010.
[source]

Jewelry: Haute Couture

"I was so excited to win the Haute Couture award at this year's show. I have been a part of Couture for many years and receiving this prestigious award for the second time will inspire me to keep designing pieces that reflect the haute couture tradition. Winning this year was even more special because my dear friend Rachel Zoe presented the award to me! I look forward to many more years as a competitor in this category."
[source]

Timepiece

"It is appropriate for the Brand [Milus] to have been selected at this moment as we feel that all the key ingredients are in place increasing the aesthetic value. Even the economic situation has presented opportunities to improve our positioning within the pure Swiss universe. This was a very fortuitous moment and a great honor to win Best in Timepiece we thank Couture and our colleagues for their support."
[source]

I can't think of many examples of a award winner receiving their award with the phrase "It is appropriate for ...[us] to have been selected"

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Couture Design Awards - An set of awards given out annually for excellence in jewelry design.

• Stephen Webster's Jules Verne necklace, previously referenced, won for Diamonds
• Atelier Zobel won for a Conch pearl ring, a rarely seen gem (right)
• Yossi Harari won in haute couture for some unusual work with a polished, but not cut, fire opal (bottom)
• Elena Votsi won the best new designer with a standing spiral worked in 18k gold. (left)

[ All pictured from Couture 2009 Winners]

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• Somewhat dull reporting and images from London's recent Jewelry Week
• Much more exciting, finally a name to go with some pictures of uncut diamond jewelry I photographed in Paris, it is the work of Patrice Fabre. 
  

• A fantastic watch blog, entirely in Hungarian.  Even not able to read a single word, the movement section provided a fantastic collection of photos.
• From the New York Times, a review of a contemporary furniture exhibit at the V&A, including the fantastic "Robber Baron" wardrobe. More information and some close-up shots of the detailed, if a bit disturbed, bronze castings available from Moss (below, closed from Moss, open from the V&A website)

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