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Colored Gemstone
Inspiration Struck in the Middle of the Night and a New Concept in Jewelry Design Was Born
By Sheryl Jones
One night, Yehouda Saketkhou, designer and founder of Yael Designs, had a dream about two stones that had been sitting side by side in a tray in his safe for a long time. One was an intense tanzanite weighing 7 carats and the other, a watery blue aquamarine weighing 26 carats. He dreamed of combining the two in a way that would magnify their beauty and minimize any flaws. “I liked the idea of the clash of colors and the bold statement of putting the soft and light color of the aquamarine together with the intense color of tanzanite,” Saketkhou explains. He envisioned the deep color of the tanzanite illuminating and intensifying the cool watery blue aquamarine, creating a spectacular enhancement of color.
Saketkhou grew up in Iran and France. His family were jewelry makers and when they moved to California, he followed in their footsteps by apprenticing for his uncle. His early cultural influences, coupled with his love of art and music from around the world, have shaped Saketkhou into the award-winning designer he is today. In 2001, he started Yael Designs, named for his younger sister. Guided by the belief that jewelry should always be art, Saketkhou endeavors to think outside traditional ways to make jewelry. His latest idea was the next step in presenting gemstones in a completely different way.
Saketkhou thought this stone-within-a-stone concept was also the perfect solution to a problem most designers and manufacturers face — what to do with stones in inventory that remain unused because they are too light or too dark or not the perfect size to be used for their original intent. “We needed to figure out how to recycle products instead of letting them sit in a safe,” he says.
While Saketkhou had the vision and the purpose, he was missing a crucial element to realize his dream. In the past, he had challenged himself to create innovative ways to cut and showcase the best of a gemstone’s qualities, as he had done in his Fairy Tale collection, in which the stone is drilled to enable it to move in a circular motion within its setting. But this idea of placing a stone within a stone without using glue or metal was taking innovation to an entirely different level.
It is often said that what lies between great dreams and great results is a great distance. But Saketkhou’s prior success and willingness to challenge himself outside conventional jewelry setting and manufacturing techniques made his chances of finding a way to bring his dream to fruition very high. He was fueled with the desire to find someone who could cut the stones to make his dream a reality.
Saketkhou’s search led him to Glenn Lehrer, an international gemstone artist known for his precise stone faceting and carvings. He holds a U.S. patent for the TorusRing™ technique, which consists of cutting a hole in the center of the gemstone allowing a play of light. Saketkhou initially thought it might be an opportunity to partner with Lehrer to create a jewelry collection incorporating this technique, but when he spoke to Lehrer, he decided to tell him about his dream. Lehrer “loved the idea,” says Saketkhou and accepted the challenge.
In March of 2015, the two began working together on Saketkhou’s vision. They invented a technique of setting the stone within another stone using platinum wires wrapped around the pavilion and girdle that were then laser soldered in the back, making the wires invisible from the front of the stone. This technique creates the illusion of the center stone floating inside the outer stone. Their first creation, the “Sentience” bangle (shown below), was unveiled at the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) Spectrum Awards™ editors’ event and featured the two stones from Saketkhou’s dream — the 7-carat tanzanite and the 26-carat aquamarine.
Since then, the pair has continued to work on mastering the technique of creating the illusion of a smaller stone floating inside a larger one. “Selling a piece comes with responsibility,” Saketkhou says, “so we have taken our time to make sure it will be perfect.” Prototypes will be completed by the end of January and then go into production. The plan is to unveil the entire collection at the 2016 JCK Las Vegas show in June.
Saketkhou says the collection “was inspired by geometrics and the psychedelic music and art scene, with its vibrant use of colors that jump from the canvas.” The jewelry designs will reflect these influences by concentrating only on the stones and the combination of colors whose impact is magnified through this technique. Stones like blue topaz, amethyst and rock crystal in cushion, square and radiant shapes are the featured gemstones that serve as amplifiers for hot, vibrant colored stones and fancy intense pink and yellow diamonds. Saketkhou describes working with Lehrer as “an amazing experience.” Not only has he been able to turn his dream into reality, but he has also found “an invaluable coach” who has taught him a great deal — “the kind you always look for in life.” Continues Saketkhou, “Lehrer is very modest and open to sharing, which is rare in such a competitive environment. It takes a team to make big ideas come to fruition. Collaboration is key.”
Innovation is necessary for the jewelry industry to remain viable and relevant. Saketkhou admits, “As a designer and manufacturer, it is very scary to try new things. But it is important to take risks and push beyond accepted and well-known techniques.”Article from the Rapaport Magazine - January 2016. To subscribe click here.
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