My latest book ‘Jewelry’s Shining Stars: The Next Generation’ (ACC Artbooks, July 2024) delves into the hearts and souls and, sometimes amusing, behind- the-scenes stories of 45 independent, irrepressible and spirited women who create jewellery as a form of adornment. But, even more enthusiastically, they create jewellery as a means to empower the wearer with their designs. And I think back to the female pioneers—Jeanne Boivin, Juliette Moutard, Suzanne Belperron, Coco Chanel, Jeanne Toussaint, Elsa Peretti, Paloma Picasso and Angela Cummings—who in their own times tore down the boundaries of what was once, ironically, a male-dominated industry, and who paved the way for those featured in this book. It seemed the perfect time to feature today’s strong, formidable, emerging, and independent females at different stages of their careers, influential in crossing the boundaries of art, function, and wearability. This compilation of talented women who hail from around the globe, have learned techniques to shake up classic jewellery codes and break with tradition.
In my introduction, I wrote “Some of these designers work with their own hands, whether schooled or self-taught, challenging themselves at the bench; they have become proficient in the art of enameling, engraving, creating nuanced textural details in wax models, or in CAD. Still others have found a handful of artisans who work with them to reinvigorate the old school into relevant yet enduring pieces that offer a glimpse into their different aesthetics, cultures and how it distinguishes and reflects their jewelry designs. No matter the approach, technique, or sensibility, all the designers in the book are creating a jewelry legacy for a new generation of women.”
The book is divided into seven chapters and I thought it might be fun to highlight one designer from each chapter and let her speak in her own words:
Chaper 1: The Revivalists: New creativity embraces old world charm
Mia Moross: The One I Love NYC. “ Legacy and remembrance—that is what has always pulled me into my obsession with jewellery: tokens of symbolic tribute to those we love; an object of adornment that keeps our loved ones tucked in safely to us. I believe that jewellery holds history better than any artifact. When it captures a small piece of each of its wearers, handing down a token of affection from generation to generation, it carries their soul.”
Chapter 2: The Trailblazers: Bending time-honoured techniques to reinvigorate tradition
Marla Aaron: “My designs are based on form and functionality—hardware that has been reimagined into mechanical pieces of jewelry that reveal sentiment and meaning in people’s stories.”
Chapter 3: The Mystics: Symbolism served with style
Orly Marcel: “I create jewelry so the wearer can experience something greater than adornment that allows them to shine brighter. Their experience and connection to the meaning behind my pieces brings me tremendous joy.”
Chapter 4: The Pop Artists: Discovering beauty in nature’s enchanting treasures
Emily P. Wheeler: ‘People have adorned themselves with beautiful minerals charged with history and energy since the beginning of time. Add sentimental significance to that, and you are creating magical objects for people to wear.”
Chapter 5: The Rebels: Taking risks to shake up convention
Lin Ruiyin/ State Property: “ My creative juices flow during my daily commute—it never fails to unleash my imaginative powers. It gets serious when you find sketches on the back of my hand, like a temporary tattoo of our next collection”
Chapter 6: The Neo-Classicicsts: Always time for timeless style
Lauren Rubinski: “I design for powerful and independent women who make their own decisions and purchase jewels for themselves. They have big personalities and mix their jewels in their own individual ways.”
Chapter 7: The Rockstars: Dreaming and designing in diamonds
Michelle Berlinger/Berlinger: “I am drawn to the permanence of jewellery—the fact that these tiny, precious, wearable pieces of art will last generations. And with every person, they take on unique significance and represent sentimental or life-changing moments.”
To read about the 38 other uber talent designers in the book, go to Amazon UK, your local bookstores or the publisher’s website where you can also order the book.
