RAPAPORT... As ancient as time, as modern as today, sensual silver has always captured the imagination. Mystically connected to the moon, silver is the epitome of feminine energy, dreams, creativity and peace. Sometimes referred to as the moon metal, silver is said to help attract love, strengthen psychic powers and protect the wearer from negativity. Gifts of silver jewelry are given as a symbol of trust, truth, wisdom and love. Today’s designers are combining this precious metal with sparkling diamonds, adding new dimensions to the magical power of silver.
Judith Ripka
Judith Ripka’s Silver Collection launched in 2001 to complement her 18-karat gold Couture Collection. The distinctive silver designs reflect her passion for jewelry. Celebrating her enthusiasm for individualism and commitment to timeless styling, Ripka maintains her design sensibility of classic style with a modern twist. The pieces can be worn with blue jeans or black tie and go from day into evening, providing the power of red-carpet allure at an accessible price point.
Charles Krypell
The Charles Krypell Sterling Collection is recognizable for its dimensionality, depth and perfect balance of stone with metal. The Ivy Collection is crafted from sterling silver and accented with 18-karat gold. It boasts bold and dramatic hand-carved forms adorned with a medallion of yellow pavé diamonds to create an exquisite, day-into-evening look.
Color Craft
The Silk Bamboo Collection by Richard Palermo for Color Craft is influenced by nature — the image of a panda bear with bamboo is a favorite motif. This collection depicts bamboo leaves and branches, the only food of the rare giant panda. Diamonds add interest to the silver, enhancing the design elements of each piece. The Silk Bamboo Collection portrays a place where the world of nature meets the world of design.
Slane & Slane
Slane & Slane has always considered sterling silver to be a noble metal. And diamonds, with their symbolic references, are the perfect accompaniment. They are thought to open spiritual channels, calm creatures and represent eternity and love. Slane & Slane designs are influenced by architecture, nature and spirituality. Diamonds add a wonderful new texture to the architectural aspects of the jewelry, giving it brilliance and sparkle, as well as a light and reflective quality.
Robin Haley
Childhood family vacations taken during Easter breaks in Ensenada, Mexico, instilled in Robin Haley a fascination for the sterling silver jewelry of the region. It was those first pieces that she purchased there that sparked her interest in jewelry design. Working in sterling silver brings back the memories and romance of those warm spring days for Robin Haley, who now dresses up her sterling silver designs with diamonds.
Leslie Greene
The Leslie Greene Sterling Collection is inspired by her signature 18-karat gold Couture Collection. The fashion-driven collection allows women to adorn themselves with the luxury of fine jewelry at affordable prices. The Sterling Collection features opulent diamonds set in sterling silver that is intricately detailed in Leslie Greene’s distinctive style and revives vintage elements with a chic and modern twist.
Mizuki
Mizuki’s Silver Collection is a stunning combination of fashion with fine jewelry sensibilities. Building on the joy of working with silver by adding the go-with-everything appeal of diamonds, Mizuki has created pieces that offer excitement and value. The perfect partnership of sterling silver and diamonds, the jewelry designs are cool and moving, infused with a distinctive style.
Catherine Iskiw
Designing in silver allows Catherine Iskiw a freedom that she doesn’t have when working in other metals. She blackens or oxidizes the silver to add interest and edginess. When used together, blackened silver and diamonds highlight each other and provide a striking contrast. The combination of silver and diamonds allows Catherinew Iskiw to create jewelry that has a great sense of casual contemporary style and that is easy to wear.
Konstantino
The dazzling shimmer of diamonds against brilliant Byzantine metal creates stunning pieces of jewelry that surpass the test of time and remain eternally as works of art. Each handcrafted piece is infused with the strength of silver, an accent of gold and the beauty of diamonds to tell a tale of history, heritage and romance. Konstantino makes his jewelry with love and passion, creating a treasure that is beautiful, special and timeless.
Erika Molinari
Responding to the changing times in which we live, Erica Molinari decided to add to its gold jewelry lines by creating pieces using a different metal — silver. Diamonds, which are naturally beautiful on their own, are used to full advantage in the Erica Molinari designs. By rhodium-plating the silver, the stones are given a sparkling prominence. The whiteness of the diamonds is made more brilliant when contrasted with the darkness of the metal.
Gurhan
Drawing from his signature designs and hand-hewn textures, Gurhan’s silver line is available in both darkened and white silver, accented by kisses of pure 24-karat gold. The combination of the cool tones of silver and the warm tones of the gold creates a sense of dissonance for an arresting and striking look. By accenting the pieces with diamonds, Gurhan elevates his silver line to a stylish new level.
Lagos
Lagos epitomizes versatility in design and unparalleled sophistication — and what better expression of this philosophy than designs of diamonds and sterling silver? Each piece is meticulously crafted in sterling silver and brilliant diamonds with uncompromising attention to detail. Only the finest materials are used in each creation. For Lagos, pairing sterling silver with diamonds is a means to achieve luxurious elegance, reflecting an individual’s personal style.
Bastian Inverun
Since 1974, Bastian Inverun has consistently represented one design philosophy: exceptional jewelry in shining sterling silver, following the latest fashion trends, but made to last for all eternity. Back at the end of the 1980s, its designers began uniting sparkling diamonds with precious silver to form distinctive creations. Today these unique combinations continue to make the hearts of women all over the world beat faster.
Saundra Messinger
Saundra Messinger’s sterling silver jewelry is inspired by sunlight shining and sparkling on the gray waters of a river. Each has a shimmering matte finish sprinkled with diamonds that captures the glistening, glittering effect of the sun-splashed river water. In a tribute to nature, Saundra Messingercelebrates the strength, softness and whiteness of silver in her collection.
Robin Rotenier
Robin Rotenier is an innovative Paris-born designer whose passion for fine craftsmanship and original design has fueled his women’s and men’s jewelry since 1993. His chic collections, produced in sterling silver, showcase his talent. He carves his models, and hand finishes each piece, distinguishing them from machine-made items. Robin Rotenier studied jewelry design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York and at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). In 2006, FIT presented him with the Mortimer C. Ritter Award.
Thistle & Bee
Luxury sterling silver is the essence of Thistle & Bee. Drawing inspiration from nature and beauty at large, Thistle & Bee’s finely crafted sterling silver jewelry features textures and styles that epitomize contemporary elegance. The Bamboo and Diamond Collection is bright and glamorous — joining the brilliance of pavé diamonds with distinctive, sleek, sterling silver bamboo styling.
Raymond Hak
Raymond Hak transforms silver into jewelry that is elegant and sophisticated, yet understated. By combining textured silver with high-quality diamonds, Raymond Hak creates a unique level of contrast. Bold, organic and geometric patterns dictate his design scheme and lend themselves perfectly to his silver and diamond creations. New for 2010 are the Jardin and Silhouettes collections, inspired by French provincial gardens and familiar geometric patterns with an organic feel.
Sunjewels
Inspired by the sense of movement working with a fluid precious metal provides, Sunjewels creates statement-making diamond pavé and diamond-accented silver jewelry. As water flows around ice, silver flows around diamonds, each element complementing the other, enhancing the appearance of the overall design and creating a calming effect. A mélange of textures, finishes and cladding gives the collections a rich feel that is accessible to all.
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - April 2010. To subscribe click here.