WJA Philly Round Table - F. Walter Lawrence & Gustav Manz Desert Brooch

 2020 has been a whirlwind of a year, but I have been thankful to be able to stay connected with my peers through a series of virtual artist talks hosted by the Women's Jewelry Association.

These talks allowed for a more focused platform of sincere conversation that is not diluted by the distractions a typical studio tour (office pets, bench set up, etc). Though I yearn to get back to normalcy, I do appreciate getting to know each member more intimately.

 I'm was very excited for our year end event - WJA Philly Round Table

Here, each member had the opportunity to introduce themselves and their work! 

My contribution is one of the more interesting pieces that has come through Wilson's Estate Jewelry - 

The Desert Brooch.

This remarkable piece was commissioned by Frank Walter Lawrence and produced by esteemed Arts & Crafts artist Gustav Manz, circa 1901. During his travels, Lawrence procured a piece of Phoenician glass from Old Jerusalem. The fragment itself is a tremendously profound artifact of an ancient city, but its destiny was to be displayed in a wrought 14 karat gold frame as an imaginative Middle Eastern sunset.

Manz masterfully crafted a surround of whiplashed gold as stylized lotus and vigorously rendered palm trees. This centers a depiction of two pyramids towering over a line of camels led by a lone rider, unintimidated by the grandeur of his environment. The Phoenician glass serves as the vehicle for an expansive sky, smokey and translucent, glowing as a burgundy twilight.

The piece was exhibited at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904 as well as published as a feature in Town & Country the same year.

After this however, the brooch disappeared for over a century, until 2019 when it resurfaced at an auction and was purchased by my employer. There was an inclination towards what we had found since stylistically the piece is reminiscent of Manz's work, but with no signature and a lack of provenance we were forced to continue our research. 

I'm always ensnared by the journey that our investigation unfolds for us, but this was an instance where we genuinely felt like Ben Gates in National Treasure, peeling back layers of a mysterious artifact to unravel its story. 

The story brought us to Gustav Manz's great-granddaughters who published a blog that was the very piece we were trying to authenticate! We had the pleasure to meet with them and observe the brooch together with a collective sigh of appreciation. 

The piece wanders into my mind often, not only because of its craftsmanship, but because of how it silently was able to emit its foothold in jewelry history. 

Photos courtesy of Wilson's Estate Jewelry & Gustav Manz & Co.

My Membership With the Women's Jewelry Association

About three years ago I got an email from my friend Lauren Priori asking if I'd help establish a Philadelphia Chapter of the Women's Jewelry Association. We had noticed that even though we are a craft centric city, there was a lack of communication and camaraderie amongst designers and artists.

In recent years, I have noticed a shift in this field from secretive and competitive to more communal and uplifting. It was great time to create an opportunity for people to meet up and share what projects they were working on and have a safe place to learn a new skill.

Needless to say, here we are today as an official chapter with 30+ members and have had three different presidents, including our current President Lauren Volovar. What had originally started as social happy hours has turned into a mentoring group. Each member brings their own unique perspective and has valuable experience to share.

Our younger student members are experiencing the pinnacle of technology while our older retired members have ushered in a more female friendly environment in what was a traditionally male dominated industry.

In helping curate this group I have learned how to project manage, event plan, and have tremendously improved my public speaking.

Through WJA I was given the chance to grow and have blossomed into a flourishing jewelry professional. As a president I was offered a trip to Austin, Texas to gather with other chapter leaders to discuss challenges each city faced and to framework a plan for continued gender equality research that will allow us to keep passing a better tomorrow for women in art.

I am so thankful for this group that took someone like me who was very frustrated with their degree and felt like a spinning wheel going nowhere in a huge machine. Through networking I was able to find a passion in jewelry history and appraising that I wouldn't have had exposure to otherwise. These women have supported me in changing my career as well as giving me the connections to do so.

Even now in this uncertain time WJA has been a guiding light. Each Monday we highlight one of our members and their work. On Tuesdays we focus on an opportunity to give back with a featured fundraiser.

I've also have been thankful to be able to continue to develop my skills through webinars and courses. Most recently I participated in the webinar educating on Google advertisement and SEO optimization, something that directly improved my ability to work at home.

As a member, I'm also offered a special discount on continuing my GIA courses in my pursuit of my Graduate Gemologist title.

This group has been fundamental in who I have become professionally and I look forward to helping others navigate their paths to find a fulfilling career.

Pearls

One of the things I enjoy the most about jewelry, is that each piece weaves a tapestry of a story. Narrative details like stone settings and repairs are snapshots in time. Whispering about the technology favored, stones that were marketable, or even the skills that were available in different time periods.

Jewelry is intimate for most people, and more often than not, this sentimental item will outlive its owner to be passed on to next of kin or to be discovered by someone completely new. That's why I always love coming across tales like this one.

A fisherman sleeps restfully with a massive world record tucked soundly beneath his bed for 10 years. A treasure estimated to be worth $100 million and could feasibly be the largest natural pearl ever found, weighing 75lbs.

To be honest, the mystique of pearls has tarnished a bit for me. Then I hear stories like this one and it ignites the enigma of the pearl for me again.

Mikimoto introduced cultured pearls to the world by 1920, thus taking the element of natural wonder out of the recipe. No longer was it a daunting task to uniquely find a perfectly round pearl, the arduous adventure of doing that enough times to form a strand, and the even more tedious task of matching color/luster into a strand.

Pearl necklaces were rare feats of discipline and luck plucked by human hands to be admired and adorned. Mikimoto cracked this code and made it accessible for everyone, on repeat, devaluing the market. It's far more cost effective to cultivate than to hunt for a naturally occurring pearl.

As a budding gemologist and a jaded pearl gluer, I have lost that sparkle in my eye for pearls, but the rest of the world definitely has not. Pearls emote feelings of motherhood and femininity. Motherly in the sense that the pearl is carried by a mollusk, shaping, forming, and giving birth; an allegory for the miracle of creation. Mikimoto did make pearls accessible for everyone, and in a way, that is really beautiful. These precious gems are no longer reserved for the elite, but are now staples for first communions, weddings, and other special milestones.

It makes one ponder, how many more world wonders are successfully hidden? Kept out of the public eye due to either blissful ignorance that it could be valuable or the personal belief that it's a talisman of sorts, bringing good fortune and prosperity.

Heaven Bodies Retrospective

My fascination with religious iconography derives from the notion that there was once a time where the majority was illiterate, inciting a need for symbols and color coding to propagate church literature. That story was further built upon as humanity developed, and now, we see these once instrumental designs used to create depth in fashion, movies, music, etc.

The Met this summer hosted the exhibition "Heavenly Bodies" ,which I must confess has been my favorite Met Gala theme by light years. Taking the wardrobe that has been reserved for the elite of the church and having it perverted by the royalty of Hollywood in their self importance is a historical parallel that probably makes every art history nerd giggle with glee.  Having grown up in the Catholic church, I'm very aware articles of clothing are indicative of status within the church.  Different outfits mean you rank a certain way, so having Rihanna dress as the highest church rank possible, that takes a lifetime to achieve, and a vote to secure, cracks me up especially since she is a woman doing so.  And above all else, the outfit was stunning, as was it's counter part in the exhibition by John Galliano for Christian Dior.

Walking into the exhibition you are swallowed by the scintillating gold mosaic, jewelry, and vestments lit and alive under the museum hot lights. On one side a line of Byzantine mosaic inspired Dolce & Gabbana dresses, the other side a more modern aesthetic of 90's Gianni Versace garments.

The dresses were displayed above the viewer, forcing you too look up with the same devotion you would show an alter or stain glass in a church.  The importance dictated by position, setting the mood of the show. The Met's permanent collection surrounded this linear path that pulled you along deeper into the museum.

The common thread of the first two rooms was gold. Encased were ancient relics of a time when Christianity was new and Justinian & Theodora were attempting to make Rome great again. Metal-smiths painstakingly planishing containers of gold, hoping not to tear the thinning metal, or else the project would be lost.

Tiny beads of granulation individually placed by a trembling hand with no modern assistance or convention, just mastery.

Stones primitively set either by carefully cut inlay or by crushing the stone into place.

Bezel set cabochon stones, the idea of faceting a distant invention. Instead, the mineral is half drilled and set on a peg to secure the stone within its gilded casing. The peg not even hidden as it is today with pearls. It shows through the middle of the translucent stones, taking the viewer away from the color of the gem and back to the reality that this was the technique of the time.

Bloodstone made an appearance as expected considering it's mythos of being the rock at the base of the Crucifixion Cross, speckled with Christ's blood.

Imitating the floor plan of a basilica, you are carried down these first rooms, like aisles, to where the exhibition really opens up dumping you into two larger more open rooms.  Before the grand reveal, you are corralled and crowded in a tiny area where visitors attempted to see the Reliquary Cross and the duo of leather jackets paying homage by Versace and Christian Lacroix. Faces pressed to glass.

In the same claustrophobic area, Chanel's cross woven vest loomed over early Christian artifacts, once used as tools for prayer, now fashion ornamentation. This point driven further home by the garish display of Chanel cross bangles, massively not humble, contrasting it's calmer predecessors. The juxtaposition of 2d geometric byzantine art to the garish bejeweled Chanel.

Also produced by Chanel, we have the  18kt rock crystal crosses sharing a case with an authentic Byzantine cross necklace. The crystal was believe to be representative of the resurrected Christ and a metaphor for the "river of life."

With a sigh of personal space and drastic temperature change, you enter the cool open gallery representing the width breadth of a domed basilica.

Inside you were met with throngs of people, foreign and domestic, to see famous fashion houses re-tell the story of religious vestment.  A cacophony of mixed tongues whispered in awe of the cornucopia of art and design sprawled throughout the room. An outfit design conversing with the painting that gave it muse. Watching the merriment of old christian foundation intertwine and give life to the modern reinterpretation.

I spent the better part of my afternoon there and it still didn't feel like enough.  It was absolutely remarkable how the seamlessly incorporated the permanent collection meshed with the borrowed couture bringing together history nerds and fashion enthusiasts to celebrate one theme.  The Met set the bar very high, especially considering it was the most visited exhibit in it's history, clocking in at just over 1.5 million visitors.

Happy Fourth of July from America's Largest Diamond

In honor of the Fourth we're taking a look at the largest American found

diamond, Uncle Sam.

Discovered by Wesley Oley Basham, Uncle Sam was unearthed in 1924 from the Prairie Creek Pipe Mine in Murfreesboro, Arkansas.  The hefty rough was named after Basham’s nickname “Uncle Sam” and weighed in at 40.23 carats. Its discovery drew attention to the failing Arkansas Diamond Corporation, rescuing the company from its debt and inevitable closure that winter.  Now the mine is known as The Crater of Diamonds State Park. It is the only mine in the world open to the public and has become a popular vacation destination for American rockhounds.

Uncle Sam was decided to be stylized as an 12.42 carat emerald cut fashioned by

Schenck & Van Haelen of New York. The stone was graded as an M in color, for it has been described to be a pale brown or slightly pink.  The VVS1 clarity was demonstrated beautifully in the stepped facets as a viewer could not see an inclusion without the assistance of a loupe.

Uncle Sam was sold to a private collector in 1971 for $150 million and is unfortunately not

on display but is still a celebrated American treasure.

From Uncle Sam, have a very happy and safe Fourth of July!

Sources:

http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Sam_(diamond)

Admiring the Strength of the Elephant

One of my favorite animals is the elephant.  They're majestically massive and at the same time incredibly intuitive and nurturing.  They are complex creatures which explains why they are so prominent as a motif in several cultures.  Here I'm wearing some of my favorite LAGOS pieces while taking a look at the iconography of the elephant.

One of the most popular depictions of the elephant is through the Hindu religion.  The god Ganesha is easily identifiable with his large elephant head on a human body.  His likeness will be found across South Asia in countries like India, Nepal, and Thailand.  Ganesha is a patron of the arts and sciences and looked upon as the remover of obstacles.  A steadfast god to look to in times of trial.

In Buddhism you will find the presence of the elephant pair Kangiten, represented as male and female elephant headed humanoid figures embracing as a symbol of the unity of opposites.  Enforcing the belief of the oneness of all things though they may be seemingly different.

In Islam, the Quran has a chapter entitled "The Elephant".  A story of a Abraha's white elephant, Mahmud, that refused to cross into Mecca, foiling Abraha's plan to lead Yemen to conquer the holy city.  Mahmud could not be persuaded to cross by reason or violence, once again depicting the elephant as a creature of intelligence and resolve.

The elephant is not indigenous to Europe but was discovered through their exploration or Asia. Awed by the ferocity of the war elephant in battle, Europe adopted the beast as a symbol of militaristic strength. Napoleon even commissioned a giant cast bronze elephant fountain to be made from guns confiscated in victorious battle.  The fountain was never completed (hello Waterloo).

America adopted the elephant to represent the Republican party in 1884.  The origin is a political cartoon done by Thomas Nash.  The elephant is shown charging in dispersing other smaller animals representing other political interests at the time.  Another account of dominance and strength.

Lastly Elephants are native to Africa and usually where most people imagine them. In Africa the elephant is revered for its strength, wisdom, and memory. The elephant was depicted on several coat of arms throughout time in Africa including South Africa, The Ivory Coast, the kingdom of Laos, and the kingdom of Dahomey.

Globally you can see the elephant is respected and admired for it's strength, it is looked to for it's wisdom, and it is a symbol of conquering obstacles and embracing change.

How Does The Lesotho Diamond Measure Up?

Early this year the world’s fifth largest gem-quality rough diamond was found at Lesotho
Africa’s Letseng mine. D in color and weighing in at 910 carats, the gem is the largest
diamond to have been found in that particular mine and is estimated to be worth
$40million.

The size is striking, comparable to a baseball in size and weight, but how does it measure
up to other large gem-quality diamonds found?

Starting with the most famous and by far the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found,
the Cullinan.  It was discovered by Thomas Cullinan from the Premier No. 2 Mine in Cullinan,
South Africa in 1905. Weighing a whopping 3106.75 carats, the stone was ultimately cut into
9 stones total by the Asscher brothers.  The Cullinan I and II were used in the British Crown
Jewels while the other 7 stones remained with the Asscher family.  Even cut, the Cullinan is
still record holding.

The Cullinan I is the world’s largest clear cut diamond weighing in at 530.4 carats and D in
color. This Great Star of Africa, currently resides in the scepter of the British Crown Jewels
on display at the Tower of London.

The Cullinan II, the Lesser Star of Africa, is that second largest clear cut diamond weighing
in at 317.4 carats.  This stone is also part of the British Crown Jewels, set in the front of the
Imperial State Crown below the Black Prince’s Ruby (famously misnamed and is actually a red spinel).

The second largest gem-quality rough diamond is the Lesedi La Rona. It was found in the

Karowe Mine of Botswana in 2015 weighing in at 1109 carats.  The stone was purchased in
2017 by Graff Diamonds and has since been cut into smaller sellable stones.

Then we have the Excelsior Diamond which was the world’s largest gem-quality rough

diamond prior to the discovery of the Cullinan and is currently ranked third among its peers
in that category at 970 carats. The Excelsior Diamond was found in 1893 at the Jagersfontein
Mine in South Africa and has since tragically been cut into 21 insignificant stones that were
sold to several different buyers. One of the famous jewelry pieces to come from this stone is
a bracelet holding the 69.68 carat pear Excelsior I.  The stone was cut by the Asscher
Diamond Company in 1903 and eventually sold to and set by Robert Mouawadin 1996.

Finally we have the fourth largest gem-quality stone, the Star of Sierra Leone, extraordinarily

close in weight to the Excelsior Diamond at 968.9 carats. It is the largest alluvial diamond
ever discovered and was uncovered by miners in 1972 in the Diminco alluvial mines in Sierra
Leone. Harry Winston purchased the diamond and had it cut into 17 stones. Six of these
diamonds are present in Harry Winston’s “Star of Sierra Leone” brooch.

It seems that Africa is still the juggernaut when it comes to large gem-quality rough.
Impressively, only two of these diamonds are known to have been found using modern LDR
technology, the Lesedi La Rona and the Lesotho.

I can’t wait to see if how this magnificent stone ends up, whether it is cut into several smaller
pieces to be auctioned or if a mighty stone is cut and set into a work of art. Either way it is
definitely a stone to stay tuned into.

Royal Engagement

Another heirloom is added to the royal jewelry collective now that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have recently become engaged.

Prince Harry worked with Queen Elizabeth II’s trusted jeweler, Cleave and Company, to craft a brilliantly meaningful ring.

The center stone is sourced from Botswana, a place significant to the couple since they enjoyed a camping trip there just weeks after first meeting.  The ring carries a literal piece of the land as a beautiful reminder of the galvanized beginnings of their romance.

The two side stones were taken from Princess Diana’s jewelry collection which was left to Prince William and Harry upon her death.

Using life as inspiration for developing the ring, Prince Harry notes, “It’s incredibly special. And you know to be able to have this [the ring] which sort of links where you come from and Botswana which is important to us. It’s perfect.”

The three stone yellow gold ring is an instant classic and will surely influence many 2018 proposals just as Princess Diana’s velvety sapphire ring has done for nearly 40 years.

Congratulations to the Royal Couple!

Sources:

New York Times

ABC News

Acrylics in Fashion

Synthetic materials first appeared on the market for practical purposes, industrial purposes, and now for fashion purposes, trickling down into the realm of contemporary jewelry.  Clear acrylic plastics have taken the forefront of self expression by creating a sleek futuristic look.  

Harling Ross of Manrepeller harps on the needing to find a fall fashion identity, a refreshed styling to embrace the new season (ManRepeller).  The acrylics of Corey Moranis lend a helping hand of giving a structural presence without overbearing with color or overworked design (Corey Moranis).

Acrylic rods are heated and twisted into knotted shapes, taking a very utilitarian material, and forming it into a more nurturing organic shape.  The pieces are bold in size, but completely wearable in color and design.  Even the styling of the models on Moranis’ site aid to the new millenia feel of the pieces with their minimized makeup and slicked down hair.

The surge of synthetics in fashion is not a new concept, just becoming more mainstream. Instead of being reserved for high fashion or exhibition art, it now can be purchased and worn as streetwear. The Met in New York is showcasing this in it’s latest exhibition, The Secret Life of Textiles: Synthetic Materials on display until September 17th, 2017 (The Exhibit).

We’ll be seeing more and more synthetic materials in the accessory field as products like 3d printers and laser cutters become more available as household items allowing the everyday craft artist to discover and use the medium.  There is a fear that wearables will become cold, too computerized, and perfect, losing the human touch that makes jewelry so emotional.  However, a true craftsman will be able to overcome this feat as we see in Corey Moranis’ pieces. They are simple but have been very worked, creating value through the level of care and execution present.

It’s an exciting time in modern jewelry to have a chance to create a new chapter or wearables in our craft history.

Trend spotted, Wonder Woman Arms

The “bracelets of submission” are worn by DC comic book Amazon Diana Prince, better known as Wonder Woman.  Recently this comic book princess was depicted by Gal Gadot in the heroine’s record breaking silver screen debut.  Canonically the bracelets were a reminder for the Amazon women to balance their power.  If removed, the Amazon would rage into a destructive frenzy, but when worn, the cuffs are a tool of protection from harm.  We often seen Wonder Woman able to deflect bullets with her arm wear.

More than breathtaking cinematography, the film re-ignited the cuff jewelry trend.  Cuffs have always been around, since the ancient Romans to Disco Divas in the 70’s. I personally always associated them with my grandmother, since she liked loud costume jewelry and meticulously styled the perfect piece for every one of her outfits.  One of her staples was to have a large bangle pushed up her forearm. So naturally, I love that Gal Gadot’s depiction of Wonder woman has brought this accessory back to the forefront, empowering a new generation of women to wear bold jewelry.  

Gal Gadot graces this month’s Rolling Stone cover fully featuring her Wonder Woman arm gear. Here’s to hoping to see fashion editorials to follow suit of having large cuffs and Athenian styled dress for fall.

Below I took a look into some Philadelphia fall fashion inspiration for the inner Amazonian.

LAGOS Cuff

Forge and Finish Warrior Cuff

Moon and Arrow Crescent Shield Neck