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April Page
21st April 2010 13:34

Architecture inspired jewellery

 

On a very brief trip to Spain earlier in the year I was determined to visit the fantastic Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. The building itself is a work of art. Designed by an American architect Frank O.Gehry, the outside of the building is covered in vast sheets of Titanium and the lines that the internal and exterior walls create are simply breathtaking.

Guggenheim Bilbao

Unexpectedly it was not only the building that was of particular interest to me during my visit to the museum but also one of their exhibitions, as at the time they were showing a large collection of works by another American architect Frank Lloyd Wright who had designed the Guggenheim museum in New York.

New York

Having visited the New York museum a few years back it was great to see some of Wrights original drawings/models of other projects he had worked on during his lifetime and also see how his style and visions had changed over time.

Being obsessed with 'the small details' of design I am fascinated by Wrights intricate hand drawn plans. I was also very interested to find out that Wright had also designed some fantastic stained glass windows to be used within his projects. Some of the shapes created within the drawings would be great inspiration for a piece of jewellery.

Frank Lloyd Wright

We have previously been asked to design engagement rings based on famous landmarks and buildings. The below image shows such a ring, inspired by the Chrysler building and Brooklyn bridge in New York. As our customers had got engaged in the big apple they decided to design a ring that incorporated details of the two great landmarks. The central stone is a brilliant cut 3.8mm diamond in a six claw setting, which is then flanked by two 1.5mm brilliant cut blue sapphires, and two 1mm brilliant cut H SI diamonds in the stepped shoulders. The shank also has an engraved triangle design which is based on the decoration on the Chrysler building itself.

White gold engagement ring
Chrysler Building

However this was not the first ring that we have made based on this fantastic building. The below image is of an earlier commission that Harriet worked on, once again using the details of the Chrysler as inspiration. This ring is 18ct yellow gold and holds a beautiful 'black' diamond. Both are great examples of how one source of inspiration can be translated differently using jewellery making techniques to create a unique piece of jewellery.

Yellow gold and black diamond engagement ring

Some more examples of Architecture inspired designs are shown here.

White and yellow gold engagement ring
Silver dress ring

So if you are thinking of commissioning a piece of bespoke jewellery with us and like me you love the clean crisp lines, angles and patterns often found within architecture why not bring some images along to your appointment as a source of inspiration, I am sure one of our very talented designers will be able to translate them into a fantastic ring or pendant.

April x

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  • Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design, North Barn, Fairclough Hall Farm, Halls Green, Weston, Hertfordshire, SG4 7DP, England
    Phone: +44 (0)1462 790565 Fax: +44 (0)1462 790140 enquiries@hkjewellery.co.uk
  • Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design, 6/7 Green Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 3JU, England.
    Phone: +44 (0)1223 461333 Fax: +44 (0)1223 365269 cambridge@hkjewellery.co.uk

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