Jewelry Tamago

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Aleksandr Maryaskin's Incredible Hollowware

Not all every bit of brilliance in the world has to be worn on one's neck. Check out these amazing and scintillating designs by Saul Bell 2017 awardee Aleksandr Maryaskin. This kind of creativity is indeed a rare sight to behold, obvious to anyone who's every come in contact with one of Maryaskin's incredibly ornate pieces. This particular piece pictured below is entitled "Discovery of Eggcellence", and is indeed an epitome of regal beauty, although we particularly dislike the pun within its naming scheme. Aleksandr Maryaskin's work bagged the first place spot for the award's category of Hollowware / Art Objects, which makes it both a piece of art, and a jewelry artifact, just not one meant to be worn on hand.

A lot of his previous craftwork shares some similarity with his egg-themed prizewinner. Most of them express a very twirling intricacy embedded into their compositions.

This is really reminiscent of many antique styles, but brought to new life through the vibrancy that Maryaskin imbues them with. In fact, many of you have probably heard of the famous faberge eggs from Russia. The Faberge family, now company, made these ornate little egg-shaped trinkets that were jewel encrusted and vibrantly enameled in picturesque beauty. This may have been one of Maryaskin's inspirations for creating his masterpiece, although we'll never know for sure. We'll just continue standing here, appreciating his genius for design!

[ Image credit to www.saulbellaward.com/aleksandr-maryaskin/ ]

Monday, September 4, 2017

Kylo Chua's Miniature Fairytale Sculptures

Posted by Sarah Sommerset on September 04, 2017 in 18k Gold, Asian Jewelry, Fairy Sculpture, Fine Jewelry, Gemological Institute of America, Golden Art, Kylo Chua, Kylo Sculpture, Miniature Sculpture, Philippine Jewelry, Sculpture Jewelry, Thumbeline Sculpture,

By far one of the most curious emerging sculptors in the world of art, Kylo Chua has transformed a seamlessly elegant style of sculpting into a captivating counterpart for wearable luxury. His personally coined 'thumbeline sculptures' are among some of the world's smallest examples of fine art, crafted meticulously in 18 karat gold varieties. Chua, at 28 years of age, has already garnered a multitude of awards from multiple associations across southeast asia, such as the National Shell Award for Sculpture and the Ateneo de Manila University's LSAA very first award for the same category.

What astounds us about his sought-after creations, is not the glamour or scintillation one would normally associate with trendy jewelry, but instead- the depth of his sculptural detail, especially considering these jewelry artworks are barely two centimeters tall! We compared one piece with a full-scale counterpart, cast in white lacquered marble at his studio, and the similarity was just impeccable.

The peerless impact conveyed by his very demure, feminine designs, evoke a strong wave of emotion, speaking directly to the hidden romanticist dormant in each of us.

A scholarship graduate of the Gemological Institute of America, Kylo Chua is paving the way for a new definition of minimalistic beauty in the combined realms of art and jewelry. His previous shows in Canada, the Philippines, Japan and the US have gained him a very strong following in the industry, perhaps too large for an artist still growing in his decade-long career as a sculptor, which began only in 2006 in the art circles of the Philippines.

[ images from www.kylochua.com ]

Monday, August 28, 2017

Wallace Chan's Gem Encrusted Marvels

Posted by Sarah Sommerset on August 28, 2017 in Colored Stone Jewelry, Fine Jewelry, Gemstone Sculpture, Jewelry, Jewelry Art, Jewelry Sculpture, Pave Setting, Wallace Chan, Wallace Chan Jewelry,

One of the most innovative and talented jewelry artists we know of- Wallace Chan, is a breathtaking example of creative genius for our industry. Have any of you seen his latest works? They permeate the industries of art and jewelry, combining both together into an mixture of contemporary majesty. Chan's collection shows a very sparkling allure, due to his extreme usage of precious gemstones to create the fanciful colors that give spark to his creations. Much of his studio's output seems to consist of animal and plant-themed subjects, probably stemming from the Chinese affinity to nature.

Chan originally began his craft by focusing on Buddhist sculptures, after learning the trade in his new home of Hong Kong, where his family moved to when he was only 5 years of age. Earlier years of his career became integral to his formative evolution of style, giving rise to a new method of sculpting, moving light and reflection through arrays of brilliant ruby, sapphire and emerald.

It was in 1987 that Wallace devised his own unique method of cutting and carving complex designs in gemstone materials. He was the very first contemporary jeweler to host a solo exhibit of his works at the Capital Museum located in China's Beijing City, and the first Asian jeweler to showcase work at the Biennale de Paris.

Although Wallace Chan's well-deserved fame is quite known in the trade, many have still not heard of his magnanimous pieces. This is probably due to the limelight monopolized by the Hollywood-fueled big brands and fashionable trends influencing the west. Still, he remains to be one of our most favorite artists, garnering several awards each year for his creations that have touched the hearts of young and old collectors alike.

Images from www.wallace-chan.com

Monday, August 21, 2017

The Panther and the Legacy

Posted by Sarah Sommerset on August 21, 2017 in Animal Jewelry, Cartier, Cartier Jewelry, Cartier Leopard, Cartier Rings, Craftsmanship, Design House, Fine Jewelry, Gold Jewelry, History, Modern Jewelry,

To all you Cartier fans, this year has been pretty packed with the brand's superb line-up of events. From the millenial-targeted Panthère Studio in downtown New York to the 'Cartier in Motion' exhibit held at the Design Museum in west London last July. Yes, it's all been a crazy year for this extra-opulent brand staple in our fluorishing luxury trade, and yet what we love most about Cartier is its ability to stay focused on its imagery inspite of all the hustle and bustle created by modern communities. The iconic panther was a part of many videographic campaigns launched recently by the brand. It also serves as a motif for several stylistic creations from Cartier's newer collection of contemporary jewelry.

The elegantly scripted font of its logotype, all but finalizes the brand's retention focus in the minds of its consumer communities. Though we do love their branding, there's no doubt about that. Cartier's direction towards more modern trends of jewelry crafting has made many of its fans even more eager to see newer releases. The company's unveiling of several experiential events in 2017 definitely serves up this need, and addresses the much-required attention needs of younger, wealthy consumers.

To this day, Cartier remains to be one of the world's historically brilliant and fascinating companies to have even been involved in jewelry and horology. It's legacy lives on in the immortal eyes of the panther and the unmistakable spots on its back, both fierce and commanding in a kingdom of ever-evolving kings and queens.

Monday, August 14, 2017

Jewelry Families & Changing Times

Posted by Sarah Sommerset on August 14, 2017 in 2017, Art Jewelry, Cartier, Charriol, Jewelry Houses, Kylo Chua, Legacy, Luxury, Piaget, Tiffany, Van Cleef, Wallace Chan,

You guys are probably familiar with a lot of the older brands, such as Piaget, Charriol, Cartier and those whose names even our grandparents remember. The thing is, jewelry as a trade is very different from most other types of retail businesses. A lot of the brands that form successful journeys into the jewelry industry are family run and operated. Imagine why many of them use their names as business trademarks- Charles Lewis Tiffany made the iconic blue box brand using his last name. Van Cleef and Arpels is just the combination of two family names. Where does this naming trend come from? Well, jewelry is something that people appreciate for its beauty, but jewelry brands are appreciated for their trust, and what better way to form trust than to become more personal with your customers.

These design houses that have stood the test of time for two, three generations, have not only survived because of talent, but because of the commitment they've made to their consumer base, which is indeed very admirable. Although we're not saying they'll stay up there on your lists forever. Nowadays newer and more innovative brands are starting to change the way jewelry is designed. Artists, musicians, sculptors, all sorts of creative individuals are now finding intuitive ways of transforming their craft into beautiful objects of grandeur.

Jewelry isn't limited to oldies anymore, the advent of new techniques, methodologies and even gemstones has paved the way for new prodigies to take the reigns of the industry. This one guy from the Philippines, wow- does he make incredible art-jewelry. He started out as an abstract sculptor working with porcelains and marble, but his craft has evolved into the aesthetic shaping of fine gold at a miniaturist's scale. We've actually seen his small sculptures up close, and they boggle the mind with the sheer detail put into them. Then, there's this other guy from Hong Kong, he carves gemstones! Not in the way we're all familiar with, like those designer-cut pieces that oversell too much. He carves them into figures, like dragonflies, Budha sculptures, and mythical dragons. Apparently he's not as young as the first artist we were talking about, but his studio has a lot of awards to back up a long and innovative career of fruitful experimentation. These two are just some examples of the innovator-types that the older brands need to get on their teams! The world is constantly changing, and so is the industry of jewelry.

Maybe doing the same thing has allowed them to maintain recognition for centuries, but as people who love collecting high end brands, we seriously see a lot of things that can be improved. Originality is being favored by the new and the bold, while legacy is being commercialized by the known and the old.

Nothing too sour though, we still love all these brands very much. They're our bread and butter, or rather bread and bauble. Jewelry is something that everyone on our blog team just simply loves and appreciates. Especially those rare designs that involve influences from different fields of visual creativity.

Monday, August 7, 2017

Stacking Rings, You Can't Have Just One!

Posted by Sarah Sommerset on August 07, 2017 in Astley Clarke, Colors, Creative Jewelry, Fashion, Fine Jewelry, Gemstone Jewelry, Rings, Stackable Rings,

A lot of brands these days seem to have their own gimmick when it comes to creating new designs for the jewelry industry. The other day, we came across another one- and although it's not really something new, their take on it is actually very well-done. We're talking of course, about stacking rings. Those cute little bands that you just have to keep hoarding to keep your fingers in fashion. Stacking rings have been around the block for quite some time, falling in and out of the trendy lookbooks we all carry. Some stores however, just never cease to amaze us when it comes to creating cute and collectible versions of these things.

Astley Clarke, which some of you may have already heard of, is a predominantly online brand that has a lot of beautiful jewelry. From what we've seen, it tends to focus more on the middle-to-higher end of the jewelry market, showcasing a lot of 18 karat gold ornaments in different tones. The thing we love about their brand though, is the stacking rings collection, which is ultimately their best product, at least for us. Now, they didn't pay anyone of us to write a review or whatever, this is just our own observation as we like to nit-pick the jewelry trade for brands who do well in certain techniques or specific styles of jewelry.

Astley Clarke's rings really go well in multitudes, especially when you mix and match the ones with different colored gemstones together with vibrant outfits and accessories. Maybe one of these days we'll have to hoard some of our own as well.

Monday, July 31, 2017

Australian Opal, Nature's Discoball

Posted by Sarah Sommerset on July 31, 2017 in Art Jewelry, Australian Opal, Black Opal, Boulder Opal, Cartier, Crystal Opal, Fine Jewelry, Opal, Opal Jewelry, Tiffany, Van Cleef, White Opal,

Have you guys ever seen Australian opal? Apparently there's a lot of types out there. We've come across a whole family of different opal varieties during our tour of Australia. Now, most of the commercial areas, like around Gold Coast and hotspots in Queensland, had troves of jewelry shops dedicated to this particular gemstone. It turns out that one of the most sought after opal types in the world is called black opal, and Australia's Lightning Ridge is an area that could possibly be the zenith source for mining these precious colorful gemstones.

Despite its beauty, black opal can command quite a hefty price. An alternative choice for both jewelers and customers alike, seems to be boulder opal- which can look very similar, but instead of having "play-of-color" all throughout the stone, only certain surfaces will display the phenomena. Most of the nicer specimens of boulder opal will also possess a darkish brown to black matrix of rock to serve as a background to the opal's technicolor display.

Although high-end opal can be quite the dazzling display, more commercial varieties are also available today at most jewelry establishments. White Opal, and some ranges of liquid or crystal opal, often don't require you to burn too much of your budget. Obtaining beautiful opal is something that most gemstone and jewelry collectors aspire for.

Several of the established jewelry houses, such as Van Cleef, Tiffany & Co. and Cartier all make use of opal's visual properties to enhance their magnificent creations seen around the globe.