Childhood friends Loïc Le Gaillard and Julien Lombrail, are the co-founders of Carpenters Workshop Gallery, a space where functional objects such as a chair, a table, a lamp or a jewel are made by renowned or emerging international artists and designers whom they challenge to step out of their boundaries and craft limited series exclusively for the gallery.
Le Gaillard & Lombrail's website states: “ We focus our energy on that rare moment where design becomes art, creating and exhibiting sculptural objects that provoke an emotional response. Collectible design meets the expectations of a select clientele who seek beautifully crafted functional pieces. We found inspiration in the couture models of vertical integration – creation, production, and retail“.
Actively involved in the research and production process of the collections, the gallery has been collaborating with artists to create home wear and furniture since 2006. Initially based in an old carpenter’s workshop in Chelsea, London, the firm then expanded to galleries in New York and Los Angeles. Initially the duo dealt in paintings but soon realised that it was an overcrowded sector of the art market. Le Gaillard & Lombrail found their 'raison d'être in curating objects that sit between art and design. In 2019, they initiated a programme to apply a similar philosophy to the world of jewellery, brainstorming with artists like Rashid Johnson, Cindy Sherman or Aki+Arnaud Cooren.
The duo are currently refurbishing a space in Notting Hill, opening in Spring 2023, that will be both a hub for London artists as well as the home of great functional art and collectible design in West London.
Here is our selection of twelve jewels we think would make an ideal gift for those who love both jewels and art.
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The Anxious Men pendant by Rashid Johnson x Lizworks is part of a series that explores Johnson’s personal narratives and shared cultural experiences. It is intended to act as a talisman providing safety and protecting its wearer from tormenting feelings of anxiety.
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The Pensive Cameo earrings are the result of a collaboration between artist Cindy Sherman and Lizworks, a gallery founded by renowned collector and patron Liz Swig, who works with contemporary artists to create limited-edition pieces that reflect the moment and push the boundary between jewellery and art.
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Furniture designers Aki and Arnaud Cooren from A+A Cooren seek to integrate their interpretation of nature, their surroundings and their quest for beauty inspired by the Mingei mouvement in the interiors, objects and jewels they design, as seen here with the Tiss-Tiss ring in yellow gold.
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The spheric open shape of the gold Wa ring by Kayo Saito reflects on the artist's quest for inclusivity and completeness. Wa in Japanese can be translated as ‘circle’ but can also mean the ‘Origin of Japan’.
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The Hemisphere ring, by Danish designer Ane Christensen, began with flat sheets of brass which were then carved, pierced, smouldered and hand-formed into the finished form.
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The Hunrod collection is a collaboration between entrepreneur, producer, collaborator, performer Michele Lamy and jewellery designer Loree Rodkin. The Ox ring embodies a contemporary interpretation of the Chinese Zodiac. People born in the year of the ox are said to be conservative, traditionalistic, persistent, and diligent.
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Jacqueline Rabun’s Metanoia ring combines fluid forms with concepts exploring philosophy and spirituality: the oval shapes of each crystal are windows into the soul, exposing the complexity and beauty of our inner worlds.
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Trained as a sculptor, Alessandro Palwer interprets African tribal symbols from Namibia and Tanzania in a limited edition jewellery collection, called Evocazione designed for the Carpenters Workshop Gallery.
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Multimedia artist and jewellery designer, Paris Kain finds his inspiration in ancient history and sacred geometry, an interest that has taken him around the globe.
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Caroline Van Hoek’s Mategoh ring, inspired by French furniture designer Mathieu Matégot, who used repeated patterns of perforation across metal sheets, shares its form with the bow shape of a Matégot chair’s backrest.
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The Formula X bracelet by Hermien Cassiers is a wearable gold sculpture, manufactured by hand in her Antwerp studio and designed from precise mathematical formulas, that each time results in a different chain with different flexibility, movement and volume.
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The Silk Wings cuff by Ute Decker is an ode towards a complex and labour-intensive method of goldsmithing. The German-born artist and fine jewellery designer puts equal importance on the provenance of her materials as the sculptural beauty of her finished creations.
