CONTENTS Introduction
9
Arts and Crafts
12
PART I — Between the Wars: The Awakening Setting the Scene Alma Pihl Coco Chanel Suzanne Belperron Juliette Moutard Olga Tritt Elisabeth Treskow Margaret de Patta Jeanne Toussaint
18 24 28 36 50 62 66 72 74
PART II — Post-war to 1980s: Full Steam Ahead – The Search for the Perfect Design Setting the Scene Line Vautrin Margret Craver Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe Nanna Ditzel Marianne Ostier Barbara Anton Gerda Flöckinger Astrid Fog Cornelia Roethel Catherine Noll Angela Cummings Elsa Peretti Wendy Ramshaw Marina B Marie-Caroline de Brosses Marilyn Cooperman Paloma Picasso
86 92 98 100 108 116 122 124 126 128 130 134 140 148 156 164 172 178
PART III — What is Happening Now in the Field of Jewellery Design Setting the Scene Colour and Light Victoire de Castellane Alexandra Mor Ornella Iannuzzi Neha Dani Paula Crevoshay Designing for the Brands Nathalie Castro Claire Choisne A Sense of Place Bina Goenka Carla Amorim Monique Péan Michelle Ong – Carnet Stories to Tell Kara Ross Lydia Courteille Suzanne Syz Sylvie Corbelin The Natural World Kaoru Kay Akihara – Gimel Katey Brunini Luz Camino Cindy Chao Aida Bergsen Anna Hu The Past is the Future Barbara Heinrich Jacqueline Cullen Cynthia Bach
182 186 190 198 204 210 216 222 226 230 236 238 244 250 256 262 264 270 276 282 288 290 296 302 310 316 322 328 330 336 342
Appendix 1: The Designers – extra information Appendix 2: Toussaint
354
Appendix 3: L’Affaire Chanel
356
348
CONTENTS Introduction
9
Arts and Crafts
12
PART I — Between the Wars: The Awakening Setting the Scene Alma Pihl Coco Chanel Suzanne Belperron Juliette Moutard Olga Tritt Elisabeth Treskow Margaret de Patta Jeanne Toussaint
18 24 28 36 50 62 66 72 74
PART II — Post-war to 1980s: Full Steam Ahead – The Search for the Perfect Design Setting the Scene Line Vautrin Margret Craver Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe Nanna Ditzel Marianne Ostier Barbara Anton Gerda Flöckinger Astrid Fog Cornelia Roethel Catherine Noll Angela Cummings Elsa Peretti Wendy Ramshaw Marina B Marie-Caroline de Brosses Marilyn Cooperman Paloma Picasso
86 92 98 100 108 116 122 124 126 128 130 134 140 148 156 164 172 178
PART III — What is Happening Now in the Field of Jewellery Design Setting the Scene Colour and Light Victoire de Castellane Alexandra Mor Ornella Iannuzzi Neha Dani Paula Crevoshay Designing for the Brands Nathalie Castro Claire Choisne A Sense of Place Bina Goenka Carla Amorim Monique Péan Michelle Ong – Carnet Stories to Tell Kara Ross Lydia Courteille Suzanne Syz Sylvie Corbelin The Natural World Kaoru Kay Akihara – Gimel Katey Brunini Luz Camino Cindy Chao Aida Bergsen Anna Hu The Past is the Future Barbara Heinrich Jacqueline Cullen Cynthia Bach
182 186 190 198 204 210 216 222 226 230 236 238 244 250 256 262 264 270 276 282 288 290 296 302 310 316 322 328 330 336 342
Appendix 1: The Designers – extra information Appendix 2: Toussaint
354
Appendix 3: L’Affaire Chanel
356
348
INTRODUCTION It has always surprised me that throughout history the world of jewellery making has been dominated by men, even though it is women who on the whole wear their creations. Certainly there have been periods in the past when men have been equally adorned but these have only been fleeting moments in the time-scale of history. My reason for writing this book has been to look at what women have been able to do since they gained emancipation through the suffragette movements towards the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, and afterwards the change in society’s attitudes to the role of women by the end of the WWI. I have deliberately kept the Arts and Crafts movement to a brief essay; to try and cover the women jewellery designers who created the unusual and extraordinary creations of this period would be a tome in itself. I have divided the book into three parts: Part One addresses the extraordinary effervescence of talent between the two World Wars. Some are well-known designers and others less well known. I investigate Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s role as someone of huge influence in the fashion world and beyond. It seems evident that the International Diamond Corporation (part of De Beers) had hopes of kick starting a new fashion for diamonds in their choice of Coco Chanel, to whom they had supplied a huge collection of diamonds during the depression years at the start of the 1930s; the result was her 1932 Exhibition.You will see that by kind permission of the department for patrimony and archives at Boucheron, Paris, I have been able to include a document on the ‘Chanel Affair’, which erupted after the Diamond Corporation’s choice of designer. (See Appendix 3, page 356). This is an historical document which under no circumstances reflects the attitudes of the Jewellery Houses today. In fact, through the Comité de Colbert there is collaboration between the Houses as they work to help support each other and to promote the extraordinary savoir-faire and knowledge of the Place Vendôme to other parts of the world. Also included is the incredible story of Jeanne Toussaint for Cartier, the daughter of lace-making parents who left her home in Belgium as a young girl to be swept off her feet in the demi-monde of Paris before the First World War and where she met Louis Cartier. Alma Pihl was an exciting personal discovery for me, even though she is well known to many Fabergé enthusiasts. Pihl was responsible for Fabergé’s wonderful ice jewel collection. Olga Tritt was another, a Russian émigré who ended up in The States; starting from nothing, she became the quintessential New York jeweller. On a special note, I was fortunate enough to be afforded in-depth interviews with experts on the work of Suzanne Belperron and Juliette Moutard for the famous jewellery house, René Boivin. It has not been easy to thread all the stories together and to find out who did what, as the archives for Boivin seem to have been spread to many different places. Olivier Baroin; Marie-Caroline de Brosses; Françoise Cailles; Ward and Nico Landrigan; Sam Loxton; Claudine Seroussi Bretagne; have all been extraordinary in their generosity, giving me the keys to their world of knowledge.
RIGHT, FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: Line Vautrin’s hands, 1944 Vautrin putting the finishing touches to the moulding for a brooch. In the foreground are three finished brooches. IMAGE COURTESY OF MARIE-LAURE BONNAUD
Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel’s hands, 1938 PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDRÉ KERTÉSZ; IMAGE COURTESY OF RMN-GRAND PALAIS © MINISTÈRE DE LA CULTURE
Margaret de Patta’s hands, 1941 Margaret de Patta working on a brooch in her San Francisco studio. PHOTOGRAPH BY ROMEO ROLETTE; IMAGE COURTESY OF THE MARGARET DE PATTA ARCHIVES, BIELAWSKI TRUST
OPPOSITE PAGE: Neha Dani: Amarante bracelet, 2015 – pink and deep purple-pink fancy coloured diamonds, rose gold
9
INTRODUCTION It has always surprised me that throughout history the world of jewellery making has been dominated by men, even though it is women who on the whole wear their creations. Certainly there have been periods in the past when men have been equally adorned but these have only been fleeting moments in the time-scale of history. My reason for writing this book has been to look at what women have been able to do since they gained emancipation through the suffragette movements towards the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, and afterwards the change in society’s attitudes to the role of women by the end of the WWI. I have deliberately kept the Arts and Crafts movement to a brief essay; to try and cover the women jewellery designers who created the unusual and extraordinary creations of this period would be a tome in itself. I have divided the book into three parts: Part One addresses the extraordinary effervescence of talent between the two World Wars. Some are well-known designers and others less well known. I investigate Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s role as someone of huge influence in the fashion world and beyond. It seems evident that the International Diamond Corporation (part of De Beers) had hopes of kick starting a new fashion for diamonds in their choice of Coco Chanel, to whom they had supplied a huge collection of diamonds during the depression years at the start of the 1930s; the result was her 1932 Exhibition.You will see that by kind permission of the department for patrimony and archives at Boucheron, Paris, I have been able to include a document on the ‘Chanel Affair’, which erupted after the Diamond Corporation’s choice of designer. (See Appendix 3, page 356). This is an historical document which under no circumstances reflects the attitudes of the Jewellery Houses today. In fact, through the Comité de Colbert there is collaboration between the Houses as they work to help support each other and to promote the extraordinary savoir-faire and knowledge of the Place Vendôme to other parts of the world. Also included is the incredible story of Jeanne Toussaint for Cartier, the daughter of lace-making parents who left her home in Belgium as a young girl to be swept off her feet in the demi-monde of Paris before the First World War and where she met Louis Cartier. Alma Pihl was an exciting personal discovery for me, even though she is well known to many Fabergé enthusiasts. Pihl was responsible for Fabergé’s wonderful ice jewel collection. Olga Tritt was another, a Russian émigré who ended up in The States; starting from nothing, she became the quintessential New York jeweller. On a special note, I was fortunate enough to be afforded in-depth interviews with experts on the work of Suzanne Belperron and Juliette Moutard for the famous jewellery house, René Boivin. It has not been easy to thread all the stories together and to find out who did what, as the archives for Boivin seem to have been spread to many different places. Olivier Baroin; Marie-Caroline de Brosses; Françoise Cailles; Ward and Nico Landrigan; Sam Loxton; Claudine Seroussi Bretagne; have all been extraordinary in their generosity, giving me the keys to their world of knowledge.
RIGHT, FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: Line Vautrin’s hands, 1944 Vautrin putting the finishing touches to the moulding for a brooch. In the foreground are three finished brooches. IMAGE COURTESY OF MARIE-LAURE BONNAUD
Gabrielle (Coco) Chanel’s hands, 1938 PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDRÉ KERTÉSZ; IMAGE COURTESY OF RMN-GRAND PALAIS © MINISTÈRE DE LA CULTURE
Margaret de Patta’s hands, 1941 Margaret de Patta working on a brooch in her San Francisco studio. PHOTOGRAPH BY ROMEO ROLETTE; IMAGE COURTESY OF THE MARGARET DE PATTA ARCHIVES, BIELAWSKI TRUST
OPPOSITE PAGE: Neha Dani: Amarante bracelet, 2015 – pink and deep purple-pink fancy coloured diamonds, rose gold
9
“My style is my signature”
SUZANNE BELPERRON A Cut Above Suzanne Belperron (née Vuillerme, 1900-1983) is truly one of the greats of 20th-century jewellery design. Strong minded and wilful, Belperron had a confidence and a conviction in her own style that belied her age, allowing her to trace a path independent of the dictates of the period. For years her work remained anonymous as, following Jeanne Boivin’s example, she rarely signed any of her jewels, stating simply: “My style is my signature”. Her star has shone all the brighter since her very special jewels designed for the Duchess of Windsor came to the public’s attention at Sotheby’s sale in Geneva in April 1987. Belperron was born in the small town of Saint-Claude in the Jura Mountains of east France, a centre for gemstone cutting. She trained at the School of Fine Arts in Besançon, winning first prize in the decorative arts section in 1917-1918 for a yellow gold pendant watch decorated with white and black champlevé enamel work. The school was in the archaeological museum, giving her easy daily access to an extraordinary Egyptian collection, leading to her fascination with Egyptology.
The Belperron Style Belperron’s was a style that went against the main tendencies of the day. The silver bangle set with citrines in contrasting gold collet settings was made at the end of her training and was completely opposed to the diamond art deco jewels of the time; her jewels were curvaceous and round, they had an uncluttered simplicity about them. Her jewels were made by many workshops in the early years. However, the main atelier with which she collaborated throughout her career was ‘Groëné et Darde’, from 1932 to 1955. In 1955, ‘Groëné and Darde’ changed its name to ‘Darde et Fils’ and then again in 1970 to ‘Darde et Cie’. In effect, she worked with the same atelier from 1932, when she left Boivin, until 1974.
LEFT: Belperron for Herz-Belperron: Spire (Spiral) cuff, 1936 – calibré sapphire, diamond, platinum IMAGE COURTESY OF PAT SALING, NEW YORK
OPPOSITE PAGE: Belperron for B. Herz: Geometric bracelet, 1934 – rock crystal, diamond, platinum This was owned by Diana Vreeland, who can be seen wearing it in a photograph by Jérome Zerbe, 1938. IMAGE COURTESY OF BELPERRON, LLC., NEW YORK
36
“My style is my signature”
SUZANNE BELPERRON A Cut Above Suzanne Belperron (née Vuillerme, 1900-1983) is truly one of the greats of 20th-century jewellery design. Strong minded and wilful, Belperron had a confidence and a conviction in her own style that belied her age, allowing her to trace a path independent of the dictates of the period. For years her work remained anonymous as, following Jeanne Boivin’s example, she rarely signed any of her jewels, stating simply: “My style is my signature”. Her star has shone all the brighter since her very special jewels designed for the Duchess of Windsor came to the public’s attention at Sotheby’s sale in Geneva in April 1987. Belperron was born in the small town of Saint-Claude in the Jura Mountains of east France, a centre for gemstone cutting. She trained at the School of Fine Arts in Besançon, winning first prize in the decorative arts section in 1917-1918 for a yellow gold pendant watch decorated with white and black champlevé enamel work. The school was in the archaeological museum, giving her easy daily access to an extraordinary Egyptian collection, leading to her fascination with Egyptology.
The Belperron Style Belperron’s was a style that went against the main tendencies of the day. The silver bangle set with citrines in contrasting gold collet settings was made at the end of her training and was completely opposed to the diamond art deco jewels of the time; her jewels were curvaceous and round, they had an uncluttered simplicity about them. Her jewels were made by many workshops in the early years. However, the main atelier with which she collaborated throughout her career was ‘Groëné et Darde’, from 1932 to 1955. In 1955, ‘Groëné and Darde’ changed its name to ‘Darde et Fils’ and then again in 1970 to ‘Darde et Cie’. In effect, she worked with the same atelier from 1932, when she left Boivin, until 1974.
LEFT: Belperron for Herz-Belperron: Spire (Spiral) cuff, 1936 – calibré sapphire, diamond, platinum IMAGE COURTESY OF PAT SALING, NEW YORK
OPPOSITE PAGE: Belperron for B. Herz: Geometric bracelet, 1934 – rock crystal, diamond, platinum This was owned by Diana Vreeland, who can be seen wearing it in a photograph by Jérome Zerbe, 1938. IMAGE COURTESY OF BELPERRON, LLC., NEW YORK
36
House of Boivin After the death of René Boivin, his widow, Jeanne employed Belperron in March 1919, at the age of 19, as a modelist-designer. Belperron was a natural; she used cabochon gemstones for their colour and their irregular outline to create jewels that were original, curvaceous and very different to the accepted style of the moment. Nurtured by Jeanne Boivin, she became creative director at Boivin in 1924. Jeanne Boivin followed her own instincts; not a fan of the Art Deco period, she used designs from her husband’s time at the helm and reinterpreted them with Belperron, slowly introducing volume and colour to realise their ideas rather than being governed by the trends of the time.
ABOVE: Belperron for Boivin: Clouté (studded) bracelet, 1933 – stainless steel, gold-plated copper alloy IMAGE COURTESY OF L. COURTEILLE CREATIONS, PARIS
Created in 1931 by Belperron, the ‘Tranche’ bracelet became a Boivin classic, and the inspiration for many different bracelets using an infinite array of gemstones and material combinations by Belperron and, later, her successor at Boivin, Juliette Moutard. They were made in rock crystal, wood and platinum; she even used steel, as daring then as it is today in high jewellery.
BELOW: Belperron for Boivin: Escalier earrings, 1929-33 – rock crystal, platinum IMAGE COURTESY OF L. COURTEILLE CREATIONS, PARIS
ABOVE: Belperron for Boivin: Torsade bracelet, 1930 – diamond, yellow gold Belperron made several variations of this bracelet; amongst her celebrated clients who owned one were Elsa Schiaparelli and Millicent Rogers (Mrs Ronald Balcom). IMAGE COURTESY OF SYMBOLIC & CHASE, LONDON
OPPOSITE PAGE: Belperron for Boivin: Spire (Scroll) necklace, 1935 – diamond, platinum IMAGE COURTESY OF CHRISTIE’S INC .
38
House of Boivin After the death of René Boivin, his widow, Jeanne employed Belperron in March 1919, at the age of 19, as a modelist-designer. Belperron was a natural; she used cabochon gemstones for their colour and their irregular outline to create jewels that were original, curvaceous and very different to the accepted style of the moment. Nurtured by Jeanne Boivin, she became creative director at Boivin in 1924. Jeanne Boivin followed her own instincts; not a fan of the Art Deco period, she used designs from her husband’s time at the helm and reinterpreted them with Belperron, slowly introducing volume and colour to realise their ideas rather than being governed by the trends of the time.
ABOVE: Belperron for Boivin: Clouté (studded) bracelet, 1933 – stainless steel, gold-plated copper alloy IMAGE COURTESY OF L. COURTEILLE CREATIONS, PARIS
Created in 1931 by Belperron, the ‘Tranche’ bracelet became a Boivin classic, and the inspiration for many different bracelets using an infinite array of gemstones and material combinations by Belperron and, later, her successor at Boivin, Juliette Moutard. They were made in rock crystal, wood and platinum; she even used steel, as daring then as it is today in high jewellery.
BELOW: Belperron for Boivin: Escalier earrings, 1929-33 – rock crystal, platinum IMAGE COURTESY OF L. COURTEILLE CREATIONS, PARIS
ABOVE: Belperron for Boivin: Torsade bracelet, 1930 – diamond, yellow gold Belperron made several variations of this bracelet; amongst her celebrated clients who owned one were Elsa Schiaparelli and Millicent Rogers (Mrs Ronald Balcom). IMAGE COURTESY OF SYMBOLIC & CHASE, LONDON
OPPOSITE PAGE: Belperron for Boivin: Spire (Scroll) necklace, 1935 – diamond, platinum IMAGE COURTESY OF CHRISTIE’S INC .
38
“Tailored jewellery, not flashy jewellery.”
MARILYN COOPERMAN Stitching with Gems Colour and composition are words that come to mind when viewing Cooperman’s jewels, be they figurative pieces representing birds, insects and boteh-styled leaves or geometrical shapes defined in scrolls, gem-set slices, crescent and star outlines. Her gemstones are dollops of colour set in irregular patterns and underlined by a variations of cuts and sizes. She was a scrapbooker at heart, and her collages were the starting point for all her designs. Her style – revolutionary in the 1980s – became a refined classic.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Jody necklace with detachable pendant – multicoloured gemstones including sapphire, peridot, citrine, aquamarine, amethyst, yellow gold PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRIS DAVIES; IMAGE COURTESY OF MARILYN COOPERMAN
BELOW: The Chrysler Redux Bangle, 2000 – diamond, patinated silver, yellow gold Special commission made in association with Fred Leighton IMAGE COURTESY OF SOTHEBY’S INC .
Having studied textiles and fashion at the Central Technical College in Toronto, Cooperman first went on to have a full and varied career in fashion, including: working on the Auckland Star in New Zealand; opening a small boutique called ‘The Closet’ to sell clothes she had designed; working with renowned designer David Smith, and then with Fred Leighton in Greenwich Village; forming her own clothing company, Max and Marilyn; being fashion director for Seventeen magazine; and working at Simplicity Patterns and then Vogue Patterns. In 1987 she bumped into old friend Fred Leighton, who by now was Fred Leighton Estate Jewels on Madison Avenue and 66th Street. He hired her on the spot to come up with ideas for new jewellery designs. During the first week Cooperman designed an earring that found its way onto the front cover of the New York magazine being worn by Ivana Trump. Whilst working with Leighton, Cooperman returned to college to learn about rendering. She attended FIT and was taught by the best. Next came wax carving, taught by Arthur Angelino; following a shaky start (she didn’t believe she could do it), she went on to carve all her own waxes, so she could ensure that the proportions and sizes were absolutely perfect. Cooperman liked to experiment, often reusing little discarded antique bits and pieces to create something new; sometimes she would take them apart to see for herself how they were made. After a tempestuous few years with Fred Leighton, Cooperman decided to set up her own jewellery design company with the help of Bernard Jacobs in 1994. Cooperman remained a close friend of Fred Leighton and continued as his guest designer at the International Art and Antique Fair in Palm Beach for many years. One of her most important collaborations with him was for the Chrysler Redux bracelet, which was set with baguette diamonds in oxidised silver with curvaceous yellow gold outlines, based on the architecture of the famous Chrysler Building in New York. Many of Cooperman’s jewels were made to be worn together; her iconic slice brooches were intended to be worn in twos or threes:
“…wearing them together, they fit, it is like a song somehow…”
172
“Tailored jewellery, not flashy jewellery.”
MARILYN COOPERMAN Stitching with Gems Colour and composition are words that come to mind when viewing Cooperman’s jewels, be they figurative pieces representing birds, insects and boteh-styled leaves or geometrical shapes defined in scrolls, gem-set slices, crescent and star outlines. Her gemstones are dollops of colour set in irregular patterns and underlined by a variations of cuts and sizes. She was a scrapbooker at heart, and her collages were the starting point for all her designs. Her style – revolutionary in the 1980s – became a refined classic.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Jody necklace with detachable pendant – multicoloured gemstones including sapphire, peridot, citrine, aquamarine, amethyst, yellow gold PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRIS DAVIES; IMAGE COURTESY OF MARILYN COOPERMAN
BELOW: The Chrysler Redux Bangle, 2000 – diamond, patinated silver, yellow gold Special commission made in association with Fred Leighton IMAGE COURTESY OF SOTHEBY’S INC .
Having studied textiles and fashion at the Central Technical College in Toronto, Cooperman first went on to have a full and varied career in fashion, including: working on the Auckland Star in New Zealand; opening a small boutique called ‘The Closet’ to sell clothes she had designed; working with renowned designer David Smith, and then with Fred Leighton in Greenwich Village; forming her own clothing company, Max and Marilyn; being fashion director for Seventeen magazine; and working at Simplicity Patterns and then Vogue Patterns. In 1987 she bumped into old friend Fred Leighton, who by now was Fred Leighton Estate Jewels on Madison Avenue and 66th Street. He hired her on the spot to come up with ideas for new jewellery designs. During the first week Cooperman designed an earring that found its way onto the front cover of the New York magazine being worn by Ivana Trump. Whilst working with Leighton, Cooperman returned to college to learn about rendering. She attended FIT and was taught by the best. Next came wax carving, taught by Arthur Angelino; following a shaky start (she didn’t believe she could do it), she went on to carve all her own waxes, so she could ensure that the proportions and sizes were absolutely perfect. Cooperman liked to experiment, often reusing little discarded antique bits and pieces to create something new; sometimes she would take them apart to see for herself how they were made. After a tempestuous few years with Fred Leighton, Cooperman decided to set up her own jewellery design company with the help of Bernard Jacobs in 1994. Cooperman remained a close friend of Fred Leighton and continued as his guest designer at the International Art and Antique Fair in Palm Beach for many years. One of her most important collaborations with him was for the Chrysler Redux bracelet, which was set with baguette diamonds in oxidised silver with curvaceous yellow gold outlines, based on the architecture of the famous Chrysler Building in New York. Many of Cooperman’s jewels were made to be worn together; her iconic slice brooches were intended to be worn in twos or threes:
“…wearing them together, they fit, it is like a song somehow…”
172
COLOUR AND LIGHT Jewellery is all about colour and light. Colour surrounds us, creating shapes and forms, helping us to create a picture of what we are seeing. As light changes, so does our perception of those colours; it touches our visual sense. We unconsciously interpret distance, volume and texture, and we analyse the hue, saturation and the luminosity of the colours. So, when we describe a colour, we are actually describing how we perceive that colour. The time of day will influence how certain colours are ‘seen’; nuances and hues will vary from the early morning light to the evening. Gemstones will look different in bright sunshine than they will under a cloud-filled sky; the light of winter will differ to that of a summer’s day. A jewel’s appearance will not be the same in Mumbai as in Paris, say. Of course, for the wearer these concerns have been worked out by the jewellery designer. Contrasts in colour temperatures (how ‘cool’ or ‘warm’ a colour is) create special spatial illusions: warm colours, such as orange, will appear closer and cool colours, such as blue, will seem further away. Also, areas of warm colours will seem larger than those of a colder colour. This effect is shown particularly well in the Butterfly Mobile earrings by French jewellery designer Sylvie Corbelin.
ABOVE AND RIGHT: Sylvie Corbelin: Butterfly Mobile earrings – enamel, various coloured sapphires, moonstone, diamond, yellow gold OPPOSITE PAGE: Paula Crevoshay: Flora’s Secret Lady’s Slipper Orchid pendant – pink tourmaline, amethyst, green garnet, yellow gold The scent glands of the lady’s slipper orchid are represented by two cabochon amethysts, which make their own gentle play of light leading the eye to the centre of the flower before moving to the petals. (Provenance: ‘Garden of Light’ exhibition, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 2013)
186
COLOUR AND LIGHT Jewellery is all about colour and light. Colour surrounds us, creating shapes and forms, helping us to create a picture of what we are seeing. As light changes, so does our perception of those colours; it touches our visual sense. We unconsciously interpret distance, volume and texture, and we analyse the hue, saturation and the luminosity of the colours. So, when we describe a colour, we are actually describing how we perceive that colour. The time of day will influence how certain colours are ‘seen’; nuances and hues will vary from the early morning light to the evening. Gemstones will look different in bright sunshine than they will under a cloud-filled sky; the light of winter will differ to that of a summer’s day. A jewel’s appearance will not be the same in Mumbai as in Paris, say. Of course, for the wearer these concerns have been worked out by the jewellery designer. Contrasts in colour temperatures (how ‘cool’ or ‘warm’ a colour is) create special spatial illusions: warm colours, such as orange, will appear closer and cool colours, such as blue, will seem further away. Also, areas of warm colours will seem larger than those of a colder colour. This effect is shown particularly well in the Butterfly Mobile earrings by French jewellery designer Sylvie Corbelin.
ABOVE AND RIGHT: Sylvie Corbelin: Butterfly Mobile earrings – enamel, various coloured sapphires, moonstone, diamond, yellow gold OPPOSITE PAGE: Paula Crevoshay: Flora’s Secret Lady’s Slipper Orchid pendant – pink tourmaline, amethyst, green garnet, yellow gold The scent glands of the lady’s slipper orchid are represented by two cabochon amethysts, which make their own gentle play of light leading the eye to the centre of the flower before moving to the petals. (Provenance: ‘Garden of Light’ exhibition, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 2013)
186
“Sculptures that breathe with you and are a part of your body.”
AIDA BERGSEN Nature’s Sculptress Aida Bergsen was brought up in Turkish Cyprus before moving to Istanbul in 1986, after her marriage. She studied ‘Langues et Lettres’ at Stendahl University in Grenoble. A sculptor at heart, Bergsen left the studios of Irfan Korkmazlar and Ümit Öztürk to participate in some workshops at the famous Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design, London, which helped to broaden her vision and introduced her to smaller dimensions. The move to working on a smaller scale was almost accidental; she felt an instinctual need to express the relationship between sculpture and the human body, which in turn led to the ornamentation of the body. Bergsen used bronze as her medium for her large-scale sculptures and then to explore its possibilities as a jewel, which in itself created a bridge between the body and the ornament. Her jewels have an unmistakable sculptural aura. Having graduated, Bergsen went on to an apprenticeship with the jewellery design studio, Mehmet Kabas in Istanbul. This pragmatic move allowed her to study ancient techniques, which she still incorporates in her jewellery today. The traditional workmanship of the Grand Bazaar is introduced to the immediacy of the contemporary needs of today. For her Ottoman Embroidery rings, for example, Bergsen has created intricate trelliswork, highlighted by individual diamonds, the result is a patchwork of light.
LEFT: Ottoman Embroidery three-finger ring (on sculpted clay hand) – diamond, silver, rose gold This ring takes its inspiration from the Topkapi Harem architectural details. OPPOSITE PAGE: Ottoman Embroidery double ring – rose-cut diamond, silver, rose gold Bergsen’s inspiration is antique lace for this ring, which can either be worn chained across two fingers, or above and below the knuckle of the same finger.
316
“Sculptures that breathe with you and are a part of your body.”
AIDA BERGSEN Nature’s Sculptress Aida Bergsen was brought up in Turkish Cyprus before moving to Istanbul in 1986, after her marriage. She studied ‘Langues et Lettres’ at Stendahl University in Grenoble. A sculptor at heart, Bergsen left the studios of Irfan Korkmazlar and Ümit Öztürk to participate in some workshops at the famous Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design, London, which helped to broaden her vision and introduced her to smaller dimensions. The move to working on a smaller scale was almost accidental; she felt an instinctual need to express the relationship between sculpture and the human body, which in turn led to the ornamentation of the body. Bergsen used bronze as her medium for her large-scale sculptures and then to explore its possibilities as a jewel, which in itself created a bridge between the body and the ornament. Her jewels have an unmistakable sculptural aura. Having graduated, Bergsen went on to an apprenticeship with the jewellery design studio, Mehmet Kabas in Istanbul. This pragmatic move allowed her to study ancient techniques, which she still incorporates in her jewellery today. The traditional workmanship of the Grand Bazaar is introduced to the immediacy of the contemporary needs of today. For her Ottoman Embroidery rings, for example, Bergsen has created intricate trelliswork, highlighted by individual diamonds, the result is a patchwork of light.
LEFT: Ottoman Embroidery three-finger ring (on sculpted clay hand) – diamond, silver, rose gold This ring takes its inspiration from the Topkapi Harem architectural details. OPPOSITE PAGE: Ottoman Embroidery double ring – rose-cut diamond, silver, rose gold Bergsen’s inspiration is antique lace for this ring, which can either be worn chained across two fingers, or above and below the knuckle of the same finger.
316
“When you look at a smooth pure shape, there has to be a broken edge, a fissure or a crevasse. I have a photo of a broken pavement which I took in Whitby – it’s perfect. It’s smooth and then you come to the edge and you see all the jumbled textures and shapes...”
JACQUELINE CULLEN A New Twist to an Old Material Jacqueline Cullen employs constraint in how she uses colour or, perhaps, it would be more accurate to talk about the absence of colour. She creates a sharp and instantly recognisable style using matt and bright surfaces in her Whitby jet jewellery. Inspired by all things volcanic, her underlying design ethos is contrast; there should be two different states, which, through their divergence, create a dramatic dynamic.
Background Cullen came to jewellery after a career in sculpture and performing art; after three years at Saint Martin’s College of Art, she launched herself into the jewellery world. She readily admits that as a student, her creations were more conceptual and sculptural, they were “quite unwearable, even if they were deep and meaningful!” Interested in different materials and what messages those materials could bring to her jewels, Cullen’s first contact with Whitby was from a bauble she had collected along with other bits and pieces. She felt an instinctual attraction to the Whitby jet:
“It suited my way of doing things and it fitted well with my aesthetics.” The process used to shape jet attracted her; it is worked by grinding against lapidary wheels, removing material to create a form just as in sculpture. The conchoidal fractures that can be seen in jet are used to tremendous effect to underline the tension and clashes that Cullen seeks in her jewels. Each fissure and crevasse has been shaped by Cullen. The jet arrives in her workshop as a block, with no natural shapes as a guide, and just as a sculptor will chisel out a shape from marble, so Jacqueline Cullen reveals a shape from the jet. The history of Whitby jet and gold granulation is not lost on Cullen; however, in bringing them together for her jewels, she is firmly focused on the present. Cullen’s palette is restricted and more about light than actual colour. Eschewing the high gloss finishes seen on 19th-century jet mourning jewellery, Cullen opts for a matt finish on the jet, which has a softer appearance and is more tactile and sensual. ABOVE: Illustration by Richard Wilkinson showing Cullen’s Black diamond feather collar ILLUSTRATION BY RICHARD WILKINSON; PHOTOGRAPH BY COLIN CRISFORD; IMAGE COURTESY OF INTELLIGENT LIFE MAGAZINE (NOW 1843 MAGAZINE)
OPPOSITE PAGE: Black diamond feather collar, 2013 – jet, black diamond, yellow gold wire
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“I don’t do it to a pattern, it’s about non-planned ‘deliberacy’; I’m not planning it but I know what I am doing; these granules need to bunch together in this area and then they need some space and then there needs to be a fissure...” The gold is electroformed, meaning that the metal is ‘grown’ over the surface and the small granules are then manually placed one by one, a labour of love.
“When you look at a smooth pure shape, there has to be a broken edge, a fissure or a crevasse. I have a photo of a broken pavement which I took in Whitby – it’s perfect. It’s smooth and then you come to the edge and you see all the jumbled textures and shapes...”
JACQUELINE CULLEN A New Twist to an Old Material Jacqueline Cullen employs constraint in how she uses colour or, perhaps, it would be more accurate to talk about the absence of colour. She creates a sharp and instantly recognisable style using matt and bright surfaces in her Whitby jet jewellery. Inspired by all things volcanic, her underlying design ethos is contrast; there should be two different states, which, through their divergence, create a dramatic dynamic.
Background Cullen came to jewellery after a career in sculpture and performing art; after three years at Saint Martin’s College of Art, she launched herself into the jewellery world. She readily admits that as a student, her creations were more conceptual and sculptural, they were “quite unwearable, even if they were deep and meaningful!” Interested in different materials and what messages those materials could bring to her jewels, Cullen’s first contact with Whitby was from a bauble she had collected along with other bits and pieces. She felt an instinctual attraction to the Whitby jet:
“It suited my way of doing things and it fitted well with my aesthetics.” The process used to shape jet attracted her; it is worked by grinding against lapidary wheels, removing material to create a form just as in sculpture. The conchoidal fractures that can be seen in jet are used to tremendous effect to underline the tension and clashes that Cullen seeks in her jewels. Each fissure and crevasse has been shaped by Cullen. The jet arrives in her workshop as a block, with no natural shapes as a guide, and just as a sculptor will chisel out a shape from marble, so Jacqueline Cullen reveals a shape from the jet. The history of Whitby jet and gold granulation is not lost on Cullen; however, in bringing them together for her jewels, she is firmly focused on the present. Cullen’s palette is restricted and more about light than actual colour. Eschewing the high gloss finishes seen on 19th-century jet mourning jewellery, Cullen opts for a matt finish on the jet, which has a softer appearance and is more tactile and sensual. ABOVE: Illustration by Richard Wilkinson showing Cullen’s Black diamond feather collar ILLUSTRATION BY RICHARD WILKINSON; PHOTOGRAPH BY COLIN CRISFORD; IMAGE COURTESY OF INTELLIGENT LIFE MAGAZINE (NOW 1843 MAGAZINE)
OPPOSITE PAGE: Black diamond feather collar, 2013 – jet, black diamond, yellow gold wire
336
“I don’t do it to a pattern, it’s about non-planned ‘deliberacy’; I’m not planning it but I know what I am doing; these granules need to bunch together in this area and then they need some space and then there needs to be a fissure...” The gold is electroformed, meaning that the metal is ‘grown’ over the surface and the small granules are then manually placed one by one, a labour of love.
The Fine Art of Filigree Bach is particularly well known for her work in filigree, a peasant tradition still popular in India and in other Asian cultures, dating back to Mesopotamia in 3,000BC and to ancient Egypt. Threads of silver and gold are twisted into lace-like outlines and sometimes combined with small granules of the same metal to create more elaborate ornamentation. Filigree was used in Italian and French metalwork from the 17th century to the late 19th century and Bach’s inspiration comes from the great Italian jewellery master of the 19th century, Fortunato Pio Castellani. Bach has combined various techniques to create her signature Gitan filigree, brocade and granulation work, having made her own tools in order to carve and sculpt the extremely delicate and intricate filigree in wax before it is cast.
TOP AND OPPOSITE PAGE: Odalesque du Soleil brooch (front and back) – diamond, yellow gold filigree work ABOVE: Charm bracelet – gold filigree work
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The Fine Art of Filigree Bach is particularly well known for her work in filigree, a peasant tradition still popular in India and in other Asian cultures, dating back to Mesopotamia in 3,000BC and to ancient Egypt. Threads of silver and gold are twisted into lace-like outlines and sometimes combined with small granules of the same metal to create more elaborate ornamentation. Filigree was used in Italian and French metalwork from the 17th century to the late 19th century and Bach’s inspiration comes from the great Italian jewellery master of the 19th century, Fortunato Pio Castellani. Bach has combined various techniques to create her signature Gitan filigree, brocade and granulation work, having made her own tools in order to carve and sculpt the extremely delicate and intricate filigree in wax before it is cast.
TOP AND OPPOSITE PAGE: Odalesque du Soleil brooch (front and back) – diamond, yellow gold filigree work ABOVE: Charm bracelet – gold filigree work
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