In our very first collaboration together I present you fine jewellery blogger Katerina Perez who selected her top 10 finest creations of luxury jewels and gems on offer at International Jewellery London 2013. Here she expresses her precious finds and uncover favourite gems whereas I report on the emerging talents of independent jewellery designers.
International Jewellery London is
the biggest annual jewellery fair in the UK. This year approximately
600 participants from all over the world gathered at Earl’s Court to
display their best products, which included fashion and fine jewellery,
loose gemstones and diamonds, packaging, and manufacturing tools. There
was definitely a lot to see!
I am sure you would agree that choosing
from about 10,000 jewels of various designs and styles is not an easy
task. To higlight different aspects of the fair I joined forces with my
fellow blogger Isabella Lee from Rockin’ That Gem. She took care of the Designer Gallery while I was searching for the finest pieces in the Fine and Precious area of IJL2013.
Having seen a lot of pieces and in
choosing the best ones I have purely relied on my own personal opinion.
Each jewel has been analysed not only from an aesthetic point of view,
but also with respect to their intricacy, the labour intensity required
to create them, the use of rare precious stones, the manifestation of
original ideas, and correspondence to fashionable trends. All of them
are completely different from each other, although there is an overall
similarity, namely high quality.
Greenspark UK
A tender, flowing cascade of diamond chains shine like the May sun. Such a necklace would be ideal for any lady; no one could feel indifferent towards it. Glittering with 57 carats of colourless diamonds, this necklace is glamour in its purist form.
Luigi Ferrara – Italy
To create such an exuberant composition of precious stones, a jeweller
needs to work tirelessly for a total of three weeks. However, I would
not necessarily call Luigi Ferrera a jeweller; I’d more readily call him
an artist. The bracelet looks like a palette with precious stones
instead of painting colours. Here can be found bright blue topaz, pale
blue chalcedony, indigo coloured sapphire, and violet amethyst. The red
hues spattered on the jewellery canvas come from the pink tourmaline and
cherry-coloured rubies. These are perfectly accentuated by white
diamonds and smooth pearl. To put it simply, Luigi Ferrera is
jewellery’s answer to Matiss.
Flower&Maricar – UK
Teardrop shaped, 35 carat deep green tourmaline stones from Brazil are
simply dazzling. Fitted in a simple diamond frame, they glisten richly
in the light, drawing your gaze. After wearing this refined, elegant
piece just once, you will never want to take it off.
J K Jewellers – India
A frame made from white gold and a thin line of diamonds acts like a
cosy cradle for a rough diamond slice in the centre. To my mind this
piece is elegance itself. One glance and you get the impression that you
are looking into a window decorated with intricate frosty patterns on a
winter’s morning.
Gemco International – India
A Gemco necklace with silvery green tints that resembles a precious
fleece which, when worn with a décolleté gown, shrouds the wearer with
its soft, entwining mesh. The blackened silver lends a distinguished
look to “ice” diamonds and milky emeralds. A piece like this would
delicately envelop and “warm” the heart of any woman.
Gemco Jewels – Spain
Wearing a ring on just one finger is so yesterday. A new trend which has
come from the fashion world into the jewellery industry is the knuckle
ring. A couple of seasons ago, decorated with skulls, they looked more
like punk accessories. Lately, however, this type of ring has gradually
assumed elegant designs, even if an aura of rebellion and mutiny has yet
to disappear; barbs on the little stems of white and black diamond
roses that tenderly wind around the fingers are a testament to this.
Eleuterio – Portugal
I saw Eleuterio’s filigree pieces for the first time at an exhibition in
London. Now I find myself struck dumb once again by the grace of the
design and the delicacy of the work. The jewellers who spend days making
miniature ringlets from gold thread that has an ethereal, ornamental
composition need to be given their due credit. A few diamond scatters
and you have a golden water-lily before you, its little petals
blossoming under the sun.
Djula – France
Now, this is what I call Parisian chic! Delicate diamond lines of this
jewel are barely there, yet these two sophisticated rings are a fashion
statement.
Amrapali – India
For the past few years, many jewellery designers have revisited their
love for rose cut diamonds which look as though they have a faceted dome
from one side and a level face from the other. These are what cover the
curved surface of the Amrapali ring over which, like two snakes,
strings of diamonds twist and entwine with circular teardrop diamonds
hanging from them. This piece epitomises all that is exotic: with a
barely audible jingle, the stones sway, mimicking your movements as if
performing a bewitching Indian dance.
And here are some jewels that have not made it to the Top10, but are still worth your attention…
Gemco Jewels palm bracelet with milky and black diamonds set in silver
Djula. Drop earrings with pave diamonds
Jaypore Creations. Gold-plated silver brooch with sapphires and tsavorites
Tear-drop imperial topaz earring with diamonds. Flower&Maricar
Sapphires and diamonds full-finger ring by Gemco International
Carved coral drop earrings in white gold with diamonds created by Luigi Ferrara
Photographer: Ekaterina Aleksandrova
About the author
Katerinaperez.com
is a blog about passion… passion for Fine Jewellery and Exquisite
Gemstones, fine Jewellery as a form of Art.
The blog was created by Katerina Perez who is a Gemmologist and the
Jewellery Editor of V V Magazine - a Russian-British glossy published in
London. On her blog Katerina shares her discoveries of all things fine and precious, covers jewellery novelties and
trends, highlights recent and upcoming events and posts interviews with some prominent people in the jewellery industry.
