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What are maki-e pearls

Published on March 22, 2023

Perla di Tahiti lavorata con la tecnica maki-e

The word maki, in Japanese, means roll, as those who frequent sushi restaurants know well. Maki-e, instead, indicates an ancient pearls manufacturing technique. It is quite rare technique and often is associated with a mosaic processing.

Orecchini con perle maki-e di Deirdre Featherstone

This technique consists in adding lacquer and 24-karat gold powder paint and tiny abalone tesserae to the pearls. The result is small decorated and even more precious pearls. Maki-e, in particular, is a painting technique developed a thousand years ago in Japan. The lacquer is applied to the surface of the pearl, and then mixed with gold or silver powder paint. The mosaic applied to pearls is, however, a more recent technique, but is often used together with the maki-e process. Only South Sea pearls are used to create these creations.

Pendente con perla di Tahiti e pesci Koi di Judi McCormick Jewelry

Maki-e is a traditional Japanese decoration technique from the Edo period. Each bead is hand decorated using a combination of Urushi lacquer (from the Japanese Urushi tree), 24k gold dust and abalone shell.

If you have never seen a pearl worked in mosaic or painted with the maki-e technique don’t worry: they are very rare. In the world there are only four manufacturers of pearls decorated in this. In the US, Eliko Pearls distributes these pearls, which sells them at a price between 300 and 1200 dollars each.

Orecchini con granati, diamanti e perle a mosaico di Deirdre Featherstone

Collana con pendente: perla maki-e di Deirdre Featherstone

Peter Schmid, fantasy out standard

Published on December 31, 2022

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Orecchini in oro 22 e 18 carati, tormalina, rubellite, 70 diamanti

The artistic jewels of Peter Schmid and his Atelier Zobel ♦ ︎
He was ranked second to the Agta Spectrum Awards, the American Gem Trade association in the Men’s Wear category. But Peter Schmid, German designer-artist in Kostanz, Germany, actually works outside of usual categories. It’s hard to set in a category his way: he follows a unique road with its Zobel Atelier.
Growed in the rural area of Ostrach, it was immediately attracted to design, art, travel, and culture around the world. His training was characterized by different interests: he studied watches, jewelry, and dealt with the Japanese urushi technique of lacker. Thanks to a scholarship he attended a course at Escuela Masana in Barcelona.

But it is in jewelery, with its unique pieces, which gains his fame. Part of the stones that seem to be particularly interesting to build around the jewel, which is a sort of painter’s palette on which he expresses his imagination. Jewelery is, in fact, small collections made almost always with a meticulous and imaginative workmanship.

Anello in oro 24, 22 e 18 carati, tormalina rosa, diamante blu

Anello in oro giallo, tormalina paraiba, diamanti

Bracciale in argento ossidato, oro 14 carati, diamanti

Anello in argento ossidato, pietra luna blu, diamanti

Spilla in oro 24, 22 e 18 carati, argento, rubellite

Mathon’s abstractions

Published on February 7, 2022

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Pendente della collezione Passage in oro bianco, diamanti, tormalina verde, acquamarina

The collections by the Parisian jeweler Mathon: gold, diamonds and colored lacquers ♦ ︎
It seems like a story you can read in the books of George Simenon, except that in this case there are no crimes or even the commissioner Maigret. There is, however, Paris. In a courtyard of a classic Parisian palace, a stone’s throw from the Palais, a goldsmith’s workshop was opened in 1931. It is easy to imagine the laborious work of the Mathons, perhaps with a baguette ready for lunch that comes out of the bag.

Anello della collezione Verdeau in oro bianco, diamanti, smalto

The breakthrough took place in the seventies, when Roger Mathon took over his uncle’s study and started working for the great Parisian jewelers. In short, the laboratory acquires skills and produces quality pieces. In 1997, the activity took off with Frédéric Mathon, who took the lead and expanded his gaze beyond the Parisian skyline. Among other things, between 1994 and 1996 Frédéric Mathon is also president of the Ecole de la Bijouterie and de la Joaillerie of rue du Louvre and in 2005 he was named President of BJOP, the goldsmith’s union founded in 1960. In addition to creating very elaborate pieces, Mathon today also designs precious, but more modern collections. As one of the latest productions, the Verdeau line, where gold and diamonds are accompanied by the bright colors of lacquer. Almost a tribute to abstract painting of the 1930s.

Anelli della collezione Passage, indossati

The Passage collection, on the other hand, is inspired by Parisian covered passages, such as La La Galerie Vivienne. The collection takes up the Art Deco motif of the Manhattan collection, created by Catherine Mathon in 2007. The Vivienne ring, for example, is composed as a pavé with mother-of-pearl contrasting with turquoise, with pyrite flakes instructed in lapis lazuli and diamonds, such as the sky that appears through the vault of the Vivienne Passage when you look up.

Anello in oro diamanti, rubino, smeraldo

Veronica Caffarelli, Italian but not only

Published on June 9, 2020

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Craftsmanship made in Italy, global fantasy: Veronica Caffarelli is a designer who uses colors, techniques and materials born in Europe, Latin America and Asia. In particular, she became an expert in the use of lacquer, a typical material used in China and Japan. The result is European design jewelry, but with an exotic nuance at the same time.

orecchini verdi — Orecchini in bronzo e lacca verde

Veronica began her career at the International Koefia fashion and costume academy in Rome. She worked for an Italian high fashion brand, thanks to which she traveled a lot. She entered the world of jewelry in 2009, when she moved to Argentina. In Buenos Aires he graduated from Maria De Medici’s school of contemporary jewelery and attended the goldsmith’s studio of the master Jorge Castanon and the designer Fabiana Gadano. Also in the Argentine capital he attended the Japanese lacquer seminar 1 and 2 with Francine Schloeth. When she returned to Italy, she created the Veronica Caffarelli Gioielli brand. Here is her job. Giulia Netrese

The new Sentimentals collection by Solange Azagury-Partridge

Published on November 28, 2019

Rings/Showroom

Solange Azagury-Partridge is a London designer who has been following a different path for 25 years. Perhaps because she has in her background a story linked to the world of art and considers jewels as abstract sculptures, but also attracted by symbols and allusions, while she shuns the ostentation of luxury. Her new collection, which is called Sentimentals, is no exception to this rule.

MY LOVE RING rubini — My Love ring, oro giallo e rubini

In this case the feelings are associated with jewels inspired by objects or people (family, children, friends) that have sentimental value. The collection consists of 26 rings, five necklaces, three earrings, one bangle and a vermeil and lacquer box. Each piece has its place in Solange’s feelings. For example, the Miracle ring, or the Memento Mori pendant, the Love Heart ring, the Baby earrings. The jewels are made of gold, precious stones, but also enamels or lacquer, as is the style of Solange.

Denti da latte incastonati in oro giallo 18 carati sparsi con otturazioni di diamanti

The history of the designer in the world of jewelry is long. In practice, it started when she designed the engagement ring herself and received the first requests from friends. Her London boutique was opened in 1995 and is frequented by loyal customers, who work especially in the field of creativity.

Us ring, con rubini a forma di cuore, ceramica, oro

Tot ring, in oro, ceramica e zaffiri blu

I Love You My Beloved ring, con diamante a taglio a rosa incastonato in oro giallo 18 carati

Anello inciso in oro giallo 18 carati con diamanti

Mitsuo Kaji, new enamels are coming

Published on November 6, 2016

Showroom

New jewels are coming from Mitsuo Kaji, the artist of the Japanese jewelery.
For 2017 Mitsuo Kaji has prepared a new line of jewelry that combines Eastern and Western culture, which combine in the French and Japanese lacquer enamel miniatures. And soon, announces, will launch a new line of jades, unique by number of varieties and colors.
Not everyone in the West know the capacity of this brilliant artist of the jewel. Running from a clear concept: “The jewels that are loved continue to shine for more than 100 years.” In short, jewelery (but this word is an understatement to call them) able to withstand time thanks to their beauty, like a painting or a sculpture.
To get to create pieces so unusual, Mitsuo Kaji organized a double cross: East and West, the Ancient and the Modern. The result is an original and elaborate style but, alas, one sipped production. He, however, has not intention to give up this way of understanding the jewels. Indeed, he himself is a collector of Japanese antique jewelry, according to him too little known to the general public. An idealist? A Zen philosopher? A goldsmith’s art monk? None of this: in 1964 Mitsuo was a pop singer, and has recorded hit records. But, at the request of his father, who had a jewelry-watch store in Osaka, he has retired from the music world and has begun to manage the family business. The key change has been his degree at Gia, in the United States, to which he added a specialization in Emaux, enamels. So from the success in the Japanese pop Mitsuo Kaji has found success in the art of jewelry. Giulia Netrese

Anello in platino e oro con diamanti e ametista

Spilla in oro e platino con spinello rosso e giada