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Top to bottom: Dragon pendant from
Carrera y Carrera, ring from the
Triadra Argento Pink collection by Di Modolo,
Victoria Blue Heart watch.
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London-based diamond house and watchmaker Backes and Strauss, in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has introduced the Victoria Blue Heart watch to raise funds for the victims of human trafficking. The timepiece is based on a nineteenth-century design from the firm’s archives and features a continuous knot of diamond hearts around the face, ending in a heart of blue sapphires. The blue heart is the international symbol of solidarity for victims of human trafficking. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this watch will go to the Voluntary Trust Fund for the Victims of Human Trafficking. The fund was created in 2010 by the UN General Assembly to help victims of this modern-day slavery get the humanitarian, legal and financial assistance they need to reintegrate into society. The UN estimates that at any given time 2.4 million people are trapped by human trafficking, a form of organized crime that is said to generate some $32 billion annually.
In honor of the Chinese Year of the Dragon, Spanish design house Carrera y Carrera has relaunched its Circulos de Fuego collection of dragon jewelry inspired by the mythical Asian creature. Handcrafted in 18-karat gold and shimmering with diamonds, each piece is created as a miniature sculpture with intricate details.
Di Modolo is expanding its Triadra Argento collection by introducing Triadra Argento Pink, a pink sterling silver created by infusing rose gold microns into the silver. The collection is named for the Latin word argentum, which means silver, and is comprised of organic forms and favored designs of the brand. The pieces showcase pearls, diamonds or colored gemstones.
Jewelry enthusiasts will appreciate the newly released book Unexpected Pleasures: The Art and Design of Contemporary Jewellery by Susan Cohn and Deyan Sudjic. Cohn is a jewelry designer and educator whose work was featured in a 20-year retrospective at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra; Sudjic is the director of the Design Museum in London. Published by Skira Rizzoli, the book focuses on the historical precedents for art jewelry, jewelry as fashion accessory and jewelry designs and their relationship to the body. Jewelry by Alexander Calder, Meret Oppenheim, Martin Margiela and Alexander McQueen is featured in the 240-page hardcover coffee-table tome.
For those who love watches, Jewels of Time: The World of Women’s Watches is a must read. This art book, which provides an inside look at the world of crafting fine women’s timepieces, is narrated by noted watch journalist Roberta Naas. Published by The Curated Collection division of Farameh Media, the 304-page book features over 200 color photographs of watch designs inspired by art, architecture and fashion.
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - February 2012. To subscribe click here.