I have been designing and making jewelry for over 25 years now, but I have always been a consumer of art and design. I decided to share three of my favorite designers from the jewelry and fashion world. They are very different form one another in their final products and work processes, and in each one I love a slightly different part. But all of them symbolize three key elements for me: An outstanding design, the highest quality of production, and a touch of innovation.
1. NIESSING
The well-known jewelry design company from Germany made its mark on the
design world by the use of innovative production techniques. Niessing's prominent design
is the "Niessing
Spannring", based on the invention
of inlaying stones with tension setting.
The exciting and trendy new design was followed by many attempts to reproduce it, but without success.
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| The tension ring / Niessing's Spannring |
The success of Niessing's
tension ring lies in the production technique of the metal ring itself. Whether
made of steel, gold or platinum, the ring is sculpted by the carving of substance out of one block of metal to create the
ring shape. In this way the material remains strong and dense, and unlike metal
that has been processed and bent it avoids the phenomenon of "springback".
Therefore the product is very durable, and there is no danger of ever losing
the set stone.
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| The stone seems floating calmly, yet is secured with one of the strongest setting techniques / Niessing's Spannring |
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| Innovation, quality, and a pop of color / Niessing's Spannring |
A downside of this work method is the lack of efficiency
- when carving a ring out of a block of material,
a lot of substance gets lost on the way. The waste of valuable material results
in a more expensive process. However the
outstanding quality of the "Niessing Spannring" justifies that. Its superb quality, uncompromising strength and setting security make it a lifelong piece and one that is definitely worth its price.
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| Physical forces are a mystery to the eye / Niessing's Spannring |
2. MAJORAL
Spanish designer Enrique Majoral differs
from Niessing in terms of production technology. His
works are created with traditional and
even somewhat primitive techniques and the jewels come out
sophisticatedly simple. Majoral's jewelry lines are based on basic
shapes such as discs, drops, etc. With simple bindings and well-educated designs, the
results are spectacular.
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| Simple bindings and smart designs / Majoral Earrings |
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| Using images from nature / Majoral Necklane |
The artist is
inspired by Spanish and the Middle
East cultures. His pieces are organic,
fluid and full of inspiration and magic. The
vast majority of Majoral's jewelry is made with gold and silver, simulating
shapes of leaves, drops, stars and other natural images. The perfect combination between design and good
taste leads Majoral to a safe place in my short list of favorite jewelry
designers of all time.
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| Seamless cluster necklace / Majoral Designs |
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| Silver and gold can work together / Majoral Designs |
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| Familiar motifs in new constellations / Majoral Designs |
3. ISSEY MIYAKE
Issey Miyake is a Japanese fashion designer famous also for his
perfumes and wrist
watches. One of his breakthroughs in the world of design was
the invention of pleading: A technique
of breaking fabric fibers with heat, a method he developed
in the 80's. The fabric is folded according to the design and inserted
into a heat compression device.
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| Pleated Dress / Issey Miyake |
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| A garment full of movement / Issey Miyake |
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| Transforming the body into a moving sculpture / Issey Miyake |
This method insures the permanent fold in the garment making it an integral part of Miyake's garment. Pleading was an effective tool for
providing structure, volume, angular
motion and flexibility to the clothes.
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| Pleating adds flexibility to the fabric / Issey Miyake |
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| The human body wears a new shape / Issey Miyake |
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| The technique does not dictate a certain style but serves as a tool only / Issey Miyake |
For me, as a sculptor and a jeweler, I consistently try to incorporate
structure and sculpture quality in the jewelry I design. This
is why I love Issey Miyake's fashion pieces – with his designs he does not
merely make clothes, but transforms the body wearing them into a living
sculpture.
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| Pleated dresses fashion show / Issey Miyake |
I'd love to know- who's your favorite designer of all time?
Share in the comments below...
