Scandinavian Inspired Lorak Jewelry Designs

18k Hot Pepper pendant with diamonds.

There were a few new jewelry designers at the recent Buyers Market of American Craft show in Philadelphia and one of those new faces was Anna Lorich Akers, who operates under the name, Lorak Designs.

The recent graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design says she her main influence comes from her Scandinavian heritage, admiring the region’s functional and clean designs.

“I use organic, natural shapes with the clean and utilitarian qualities of Scandinavian design,” she said.

Her Forma collection most typifies this approach, whether she is creating a hot pepper pendant of 18k gold with diamonds (top photo) or her silver Flutter Flap necklace (left) the pieces are straightforward and wearable.

The wave pendant from her Oceana collection uses a large rose cut pear shaped milky Quartz as the center piece surrounded by 14k yellow gold with and dotted with seven white diamonds. She also makes her own chains, such as the 14k, 28-inch chain pictured.

Like any young entrepreneur she is engaged in social media, selling her jewelry directly online and having a Facebook friend page and a blog, which happens to list Jewelry News Network as a favorite site. This certainly accounts for her good taste.

J. Petet’s Gold Jewelry Designs

18k gold pendant, ring and earrings with pink tourmaline.

The rising price of gold has caused many jewelry designers and manufacturers to find creative ways to lighten the amount of the precious metal they use for their jewelry. Not John Petet. At the Buyers Market of American Craft, held February 17-21 in Philadelphia, he said he is still creating his textured gold jewelry designs in the same manner that has given his fairly young company, J. Petet Designs, a strong following.

After spending a career working for others, the Monument, Colo., resident founded his jewelry design business in 2002. One of the persons who helped him get started was his neighbor, jewelry designer Barbara Westwood, who recently graced this publication.

Organic forms, clean lines and geometric shapes are at the heart of his designs. Westwood’s influence could be seen in the stone carvings, as he uses some of the same master gem carvers, such as Steve Walters and Dieter Lorenz, as Westwood. However, the most importance aspect of his work is his adherence to texture.

“My work is not typically seen in a jewelry store,” he said. “I’m very heavy into creating new textured patterns and concepts.”

The gold jewelry collection above is a good example of how Petet uses texture, as wavelike lines move across the round pieces, giving them dimension and motion.

Colorful Enamel Jewelry from Magick

24k gold cloisonné enameling set in 18k yellow gold with garnets and diamonds (2 ct.).

Color has been a trend in the jewelry industry in recent years, primarily because of the economic recession as designers and manufacturers look to embellish their jewelry with colored gemstones and less expensive colored diamonds. However, very few have delved into the painstaking work of enamel jewelry that the company, Magick, has been doing for more than 25 years.

Without trying, the Fairfield, Calif.-based company is a trend-setter in the use of color, design techniques and materials. The company, founded by Denmark native Falcher Fusager,  specializes in jewelry created through the cloisonné technique of enameling, he said during the Buyers Market of American Craft show, held February 17-21 in Philadelphia. This is done by cutting and bending 24k gold wires to create the outline of a design. Then each cell (cloison in French) within the wires is filled with different colors of enamel to create a shaded effect. The color is built up over many thin layers—with each layer fired in a 1,450 degree Fahrenheit kiln until it reaches its melting point and fuses to the previous layer. The resulting gem is cut, polished and set in gold.

24k gold cloisonné enameling set in 14k yellow gold.

Often embellished with diamonds and gemstones, the results are a full range of jewelry with a striking appearance. The colors are rich and vibrant, often in circular or curved patterns. Even though there is separation between the cells with wires, in many cases the colors seem to blend into one another. There is contrast and separation of colors. It has the playfulness of a kaleidoscopic effect but with a more thoughtful and deliberate purpose.

Decaying Wood Becomes Living Jewelry for Sarah Graham

Pendant made of oxidized cobalt chrome.

A decaying piece of wood found under an avocado tree turned into the inspiration of Sarah Graham’s latest line of jewelry.

Nature has always been the source of this accomplished California metalsmith's work, but lately she has taken her inspiration to new levels by employing different techniques and using new metals, she said during the Buyers Market of American Craft show in Philadelphia, February 17-21.

The inspiration. A piece of decaying wood found beneath an avocado tree.

For example, Graham has changed from being primarily someone who casts her creations to wax carvings. One of the materials she is using is oxidized cobalt chrome, a metal more known for its use in the medical industry for implants. “It’s a combination between nature and manmade materials,” she says.

Graham says that incorporating new techniques and materials “adds dimension” to her creations. “That’s important in jewelry,” she says.

Whether casted or carved Graham’ has always been skilled in creating nature-inspired jewelry with organic textures and surprising shapes and the new items on display at BMAC certainly reflect this. For example, the pendant pictured at top retains much of the same texture of her inspirational wood her interpretation of the shapes and textures adds something special to the nature-inspired design. The circular patterns of the oxidized cobalt chrome are slightly different. Lines along the chrome add another dimension of texture not evident in the decaying wood.

Tiffany Appoints Frederic Cumenal as Executive VP

Tiffany & Co. said Wednesday it has named Frederic Cumenal as executive vice president effective March 10. He will be responsible for the company's businesses in Asia, Japan, Europe and emerging markets, and will report to Michael J. Kowalski Tiffany chairman and CEO.

Cumenal, 51, joins Tiffany from the LVMH Group where most recently he was president and chief executive officer of Moët & Chandon, S.A. Cumenal will succeed James E. Quinn, whose retirement in early 2012 was previously announced.

"Frederic brings a wealth of luxury brand experience and a highly developed global perspective that will prove especially important as Tiffany's growth continues outside of the Americas," said Mr. Kowalski.

Buffalo Symbolizes Marriage, Inspires Jewelry Design Business

A golden bird on a silver branch with opal flowers.

How often do businesses begin with an act of love inspired by the animal kingdom as seen on YouTube?

Manya Tessler and Roumen Vragov wanted to seal their marriage with a self-made ring. At the time, they were not jewelry designers but Tessler worked with clay and was able to create a ring. Vragov decided the inspiration for the ring should be a Buffalo. Why a Buffalo? Because the Brooklyn couple saw a YouTube video in which a pride of lions attack a herd of water buffalo. The lions, as they often do, went after the youngest prey and caught it. It looked the baby would be killed. However, the entire herd of water buffalo returned and saved the baby. It is an extremely dramatic video and I haven’t even mentioned the crocodile. The 18k yellow gold wedding ring (left) depicts two intertwined buffaloes.

“We thought it was a good symbol for family and loyalty and love,” Tessler said during the recent Buyers Market of American Craft show in Philadelphia. So a marriage was consummated and about a couple years later a business was born, Manya & Roumen.

Their work is based on flora and fauna pieces of many shapes and sizes. Given Tessler’s background the creations are extremely sculptural. They work with 18k gold, silver, colored gemstones and diamonds that are carved and sculpted into shapes with detail not normally found on items as small as jewelry. Some pieces even challenge the conventional nature of jewelry such as the ring they were displaying at BMAC (pictured at top), which goes on the index finger and runs across all the fingers. The ring depicts an 18k golden bird with its head slightly turned to one side resting on a sterling silver branch. The branch’s lines are detailed and appear worn, as one would expect on a mature tree. The flowers on the branch are carved pink opal.

For an added bonus, here’s the video that symbolizes their relationship and inspired their business.

Modern, Sleek Designs of Pierre-Yves Jewelry

A necklace made of 18K gray gold, 71.66ct amethyst center stone, tsavorite garnets, and 9mm-11.5mm Tahitian pearls.

“Modern architecture” is how Pierre-Yves Paquette describes his jewelry designs. The consistencies in his creations are the use of strong, sculptured lines,18k textured gold, and a subtle use of color. But within that framework he uses several techniques and a variety of materials to produce a breadth of finished pieces. His company, Pierre-Yves, was one of about 250 jewelry designers at the Buyers Market of American Craft in Philadelphia, held February 17-21.

The Canadian designer—who lives and works in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec—mixes his gold with sterling silver and copper in subtle combinations to produce yellow, gray and pink gold; and then combines the metal with diamonds, Tahitian pearls and an assortment of colored stones. He employs Mokume Gane, the ancient Japanese technique that brings out underlying textures and nuances of metals, but mixes it with more modern techniques.

He also has an eye for wearability, creating interchangeable pieces. “The different chains and pendants link together,” he said at his booth. “Mixing and deciding what jewelry you can wear instead of being stuck with one or two pieces.” He also creates sleek tension rings with colored gemstones and Mokume Gane patterns.
(above: tension ring using 18K gray gold and sterling silver mokume gane, 22K lemon, 0.35ct blue diamond.)

The Buyers Market of American Craft is a premiere wholesale trade show of art and luxury goods for home and fashion held each year at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. There were about 250 jewelry exhibitors at this year’s show who employ a variety of materials and techniques to create commercially viable artistic statements. In addition to jewelry, products on display included art glass, furniture, home and fashion accessories, kitchen goods, toys and sculpture.