The Unusual Material
A Marissa Minute
Jewelry designers are always pushing the envelope to keep their designs fresh, innovative, and a step above of the rest. Designers are often able to achieve this by creating works of art with unusual and unconventional material that adds texture, color and interesting content to a collection.
FOSSIL AND WOOD
Now that causal luxury is trending, organic material such as fossils and wood are being paired with diamonds and gold. Guita M uses sequoia fossil and wood to update her collection. While Federica Rettore and Tamara Comolli have made wood a staple in their designs. Silvia Furmanovich took it a step further by layering wood in her marquetry masterpieces.
SPINEL
A favorite among gemstone collectors and gemologist, the spinel ranges in color from reds to pinks, purples, green, intense blue and even black. Most notably, it was the case of mistaken identity by historians. Confused with ruby in color, it was thought to be the large rubies within the British Crown Jewels! Selim Mouzannar chose to use spinel as accents in his dynamic rings. Arunashi took it bold with his beautiful embellished spinel and diamond earrings. Bondeye went to the edge with black spinel.
PINK OPAL
Pink opal is gemstone that has become quite popular among designers such as Irene Neuwirth and Silvia Furmanovich. Not your common opal, it doesn’t display a dance of color within the stone. Instead, it’s a serene, opaque gem that ranges in color from desert pink to cream or even lavender.
AGATE AND JASPER
Another mineral that also can be formed from fossils and wood, is agate and jasper. Dating back to ancient Greece, agate and jasper consist of chalcedony and quartz. They can be banded with layers as shown in Guita M earrings or display a variance of earthy tones like those in Tamara Comolli jasper bracelets. Sylva & Cie. took a different approach and used picturesque agate in her pendants and gold chains. Agate and jasper are versatile stones that lend themselves to be worn during the day for a luncheon or at night over dinner.
Arunashi’s raw chalcedony, pearl and diamond necklace is the perfect example. The combination is a perfect way to feel natural and sophisticated.
Times up in this Marissa Minute!
By Jennifer McCurry @thejewelrydiaries @marissanaples
