Cora Sheibani pudding ring, jade and coral holly brooch and holly and berry gold bread and butter plate. This set illustrates the Agatha Christie’s short story “The adventure of the Christmas pudding”, published in 1960. The US version is entitled “The theft of the royal ruby”. Hercule Poirot is asked by an Eastern Prince to…
Byzantine inspired brooch and earrings by Gripoix Paris. Mosaic from the Basilica of San Clemente dated of 1130s (Byzantine Empire), in Roma, Italy (1130s)
Byzantine cross by Chanel (vintage). If you like Byzantine jewelry, you should like Chanel jewels, Diego Percossi Papi, Ben Amun, Sylvia Toledano, Gripoix, Ilias Lalaounis and Julie Vos. The background is a detail of a 6th century Byzantine mosaic in the apse of the basilica Sant’Apollinare in Classe (Ravenna, Italy). Source : Wikipedia
Antique jewelry : Greek (-1700 to -30), Roman (From 753 before J.-C to 476 after J.-C) and Etruscan ( From VIII century to 1st century before J.-C) jewelry are sources of inspiration for current jewelers.
In the early 1960s, jewelry was a continuation of the Fifties with the use of gilded metal, pearls, sparkling paste and rhinestones. Then, designers began to use low cost materials : plastic, resin, vinyl and perspex. Influenced by the artistic movement Op art, large geometric shapes (diamonds, hexagons, circles…) and black and white (monochromatic) jewels…
Monet Jewelry was launched in 1937 by the brothers Michael and Joseph Chernow in New York. Before, their company Monocraft Products created handbags with gold-plated appliqués and monograms. With Monet, they wanted to create fine jewels using high quality materials and affordable for all the women. Monet jewels were recognizable by the open metalwork (gold…
Paraiba tourmaline is a copper-bearing tourmaline. The name comes from the location where the stone was discovered : in the Brazilian state of Paraiba (city of Sao Jose da Batalha). This fine gemstone had been found in 1989 by the miner Heitor Barbosa. The vivid blue green colour of the paraiba tourmaline is unique. It is the rarest…
Brushed gold refers to a texturing technique used on metal surface. The brushed gold is matt. Tiny parallel lines are scratched onto the surface thanks to a wire brush or a polishing tool. Among jewelry designers using brushed gold, there is Marco Bicego in his collections “Africa” and “Lunaria”. The Italian jewelry house Buccellati uses also this technique.…
Pomellato is an Italian jewelry house. It was founded by Pino Rabolini in 1967, in Milano. The Pomellato jewels are caracterised by the use of gold and colorful gemstones. The jewels are made by hand by 100 artisans in Milano. In July 2013, Pomellato joined Kering. Nudo, m’ama non m’ama and red passion are my…
Joseff of Hollywood was founded by Eugene Joseff in 1928. The Joseff of Hollywood jewels were worn by the most famous Golden Age Hollywood stars (Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Gene Tierney, Jane Russel, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, Vivien Leigh…). “It was the most prestigious name in on-screen jewelry during the Golden Era of Hollywood.” Some…
Judy Geib is an American jewelry designer who launched her own line in 2002. She creates exquisite handcrafted jewels with the finest precious metals and gemstones. Inspired by calligraphy and geometry, Judy Geib designs unique pieces of jewelry. Besides, through her creations, she transmits her passion for South America in using magnificent gemstones from there,…
Ila Collection was founded by the Indian brother and sister Vikas and Ila Sodhani in 2007. They draw their inspiration from Indian culture, designs, architecture, ornaments and craftmanship. For 8 years, Ila had been designed high-end diamond jewelry with her mother and father. Regarding Vikas, he trained in Indian design houses and handmade fabrication shops…
Founded in 2003 by designer Irene Neuwirth and business partner Tracy Stoll, the brand is an independent fine jewelry company based in Los Angeles. Irene Neuwirth creates unique, modern and sophisticated jewels decorated with stunning gemstones. Her style is immediately recognizable : superb colorful gemstones, geometric shapes, mix of different forms and colours, use of…
The London-based jewelry designer Pippa Small creates beautiful “organic, ethnic and ethical” jewels. The shapes are unregular because she works on the original shape of the stones. Respecting the organic nature of the stones characterizes her work. Very careful to the details, each stone is personally chosen by Pippa Small. Each piece of jewelry is…
The Greek jewelry designer Ilias Lalaounis creates exquisite gold and antique inspired jewels. He is the fourth generation of a family of goldsmiths and watchmakers from Delphi in Greece. The gold is magnificent and luminous. Passionate by art and history, he creates jewelry inspired from different times and lands (Hellenistic, Paleolithic, Neolithic, Amerindian, Arabesques, Celtic,…
Alice Cicolini is a British jewelry designer inspired by Indian designs and using the Meenakari traditions. She had been Director Arts & Culture for the British Council in India. She used the sacred architecture and patterns of the Silk Route as an inpiration for her jewelry. All the jewels are handmade in India ; the…
This jewelry house was found in 1986 by Temple St. Clair Carr in Florence, Italy. Collaborating with the finest goldsmiths, she creates gold jewels decorated with colored gemstones (blue moonstones, sapphires, tourmalines, colombian emeralds, rubies…). Her jewelry is also characterised by the crystal amulets, the ancient jewelry’s inspiration, the triple granulation and the archer’s granule.…
Tourmaline is an important group of complex gem-quality boron silicate minerals. This fine stone can be found in a multitude of colours : “from black to bluish-black, dark brown, yellow, medium brown, blue to neon blue, lime to dark forest green, red and reddish purple, yellow, pink, and colorless”. Most of the tourmalines are natural,…
Bakelite is a castable, fire resistant plastic invented by Leo Baekeland in 1909 for industrial purposes. However, jewelry makers used it to create jewels ; it was very popular in the 1930’s and 1940’s. The jewelry designer Mark Davis uses bakelite for his designs : Source : http://jewelry.about.com/od/bakelitejewelry/a/care_id.htm