You're a diamond dear, they cannot break you

                       Stay strong and stay united, Happy International Women's day

Nane Adams' Flex Rings

Contemporary jewelry artist Nane Adam’s typical work is the combination of differing metals to create swirls reminiscent to that of a fingerprint.  A staple trend that most have seen at any craft show they have attended in the last few years.

It is her work from 2004 that has really caught my curiosity, a plain silver band with colored nylon stretched within the ring’s inner circumference.  The simple design creates an exciting display of line as well as playing upon the stark contrast between cold hard metal and the colorful flexible give of nylon.  That contrast is driven further as the artist has scuffed the silver edge of the band to invoke it’s hard nature as in the same perspective you see the smooth surface of the nylon taut with tension.  Two opposing materials coming together in design triumph of aesthetics and functionality.

The nylon strands create give within the interior of the band, allowing for a custom fit unique to the wearer.  Often we are bound to a size scale of quarter sizes, and most of us cannot find a perfect fit because of the unforgivable nature of precious metals.  German designer, Nane Adam, has discovered the perfect remedy to the classic craft show dilemma of sizing, no one likes having to leave their newly purchased jewelry behind to be re-sized.  In this case the consumer can just walk away with a perfect fit as well as an exciting piece of art the echoes the architectural feats of Santiago Calatrava Valls whose bridges served as her muse. 

Sources:

Nane Adams website: http://www.naneadam.de/kollektionen/flexible.html

Images of Flex Rings: http://en.dawanda.com/product/2454893-flexible-rings

Santiago Calatrava's bridge in Dallas images: http://www.evolo.us/architecture/santiago-calatravas-new-bridge-in-dallas/

Anouk Wipprecht's Provoking Spider Bodice

Designed by Anouk Wipprecht, this arachnid inspired bodice has been blowing up the 3d printing scene.  With the assistance of Intel technology, the spider dress has the ability to sense if someone or something is too close, which causes it’s “legs” to reach out in warning.  Wipperecht has created a fascinating interactive wearable that is truly thought provoking.

The design is armor-like, an exoskeleton, which is very reminiscent of comic book heroines such as the likes of  Sara Pezzini from Withblade or Sarah Kerrigan from Starcraft. 

Looking at the piece you get a sense of its intention right away, in no way does this costume look friendly.  The extended limbs already give the viewer a sense of preservation, to proceed with caution.  I can imagine how jarring it could be when realizing that these limbs are not static architectural pieces, but instead, react to your presence.   

It creates a uniquely silent conversation between wearer and viewer; by action you are told you are invading the wearer’s personal space.  I often run into the difficulty of getting bumped or shoved, having someone lean to close to me on the bus, uncomfortable, but rather mundane encounters with other people whilst going about my day by day.  Now imagine a world where this outfit was the norm, having a clothing device that wards off another person; A veil of protection.  In that regard this seems to be a very isolating piece, which makes the curved line use around the abdomen less sensual and a little more reserved, even stand off-ish. 

Overall I really enjoy the roles that play out when viewing the piece.  The initial uneasiness that the design invokes, to the sudden unexpected movement of the spider’s legs, and that leads to the nervous laughter given off by viewers as they slink back to a safer distance. It’s a brilliant tug of tension through a simple flinch mechanic that we see so often in ourselves and nature, but it’s completely unexpected in our clothing choices. 

Sources:

Video is youtube channel gdgtsbuzz

Starcraft Screenshot: Blizzard

Sara Pezzini: Top Cow Comics

Frontal Shot: Screenshot by Michelle Starr/CNET

Black Dress: fashioningtech.com

Diamonds are running low but prices continue to grow..

So I happened upon an interesting read while on LinkedIn: Here's the article

Lately colored stones have been taking center stage in the jewelry field, particularly since the prices of diamonds and gold continue to rise, and perhaps because a certain British princess rocking a gorgeously huge natural sapphire. And let's face it, it's much more cost effective to purchase a gemstone wedding set versus the grotesquely priced diamond counter-part.

I've always defended the high price of diamonds being justified in that I understood how unique and rare each well cut stone was.  It's also an easy price to defend when you know that the retail price is typically marked up 3X, and you know you don't have to pay that price if you know where to look.  However, lately I'm having a harder and harder time explaining away the price, especially when I see the speckled gray monstrosities that the big name chain jewelers are dishing out for an outrageous price.


The big mines that were spewing out the big, brilliant, beauties are depleting and there's no new miracle mine in sight.  What I have come to love as a jeweler, is the vintage pieces that come through, because you just don't see that size, color, or quality anymore.

What's alarming about this read is that organizations, like De Beers, think that jacking up the price is really going to sell the rarity of the stones.  Yes, good quality diamonds are rare, but not diamonds themselves.  The rare stones are the natural Emeralds and Tanzanites out there that are in the same danger of depletion, but there are no companies out there interested in the longevity of those stones since the market has been built around the diamond.

I'm interested to see how this plays out in the next coming years. I've already seen a great decline in the purchase of gold jewelry, people are going for the tougher, cheaper metals. What I am seeing in people is that if they are going to spend that huge of a chunk of change, that want that piece to last.  De Beers has famously coined the idea that diamonds are forever, but gold unfortunately does not.  I've already been approached several times about setting stones in metals like steel and tungsten. So what kind of jewelry alternatives will a future with overpriced materials bring in?

Blog post on article by Vinod Kuriyan on Gem Connect: Here's the original article

Photo Cred:

Princess Kate: link
Princess Diana's Ring: tumblr
Loose Diamonds: De Beers

The New York Times Recognizes Five Up and Coming Jewelry Designers

Great article I found recently with The New York Times (Young Designers Re-imagine Jewelry)  featuring five young women chosen as the latest up and coming jewelers.  Most people in this industry know that the large name jewelry designers are in New York, iconic store fronts that have resided there for half a century pushing their latest fashions into the greedy willing hands of the trend-setting masses.

However in this new era we have more people than ever diligently learning this archaic craft, pushing themselves to compete with classic timeless designs.  How do they do that? Contemporary jewelry.   They take the ancient art of jewelry making and push it further, branching out and giving a new and exciting twist to the designs that we already know.  Contemporary jewelry tends to find itself on display in small trendy art galleries or available in chic boutiques, ready to be snatched up by the careful eye of those who blog and Instagram because they have a piece of fashion that is handmade and one of a kind that needs to be shared with the world as the “hottest thing”.  Many small boutiques and budding designers have gained tremendous momentum from this phenomenon allowing them to break through to be seen and share their ideas.

This article in the New York Times acknowledges this societal change and embraces it by showcasing these four young women and their contribution to fine jewelry. For more information on the artists and where to see and purchase there work, see the article linked above and below. 

                                                                Anna Khouri

                                                                Anita Ko

                                                             Gaia Repossi

                                                         Delfina Delettrez

                     

                          

                                                           Jennifer Fisher

Sources:

New York Times link: Young Designers Re-imagine Jewelry

Photos by Agaton Storm for New York Times Article