Style Setters: The Jewelry Brief Interviews Faso

The jewelry of Faso is a joint collaboration between two long time friends, Banafsheh Fatooriechie and Maryam Sardari. Banafsheh, who has a background in textile design, creates pieces that must feel as great as they are beautiful. Marayam, an art therapist, incorporates the therapeutic use of color and certain gemstones into their designs. The outcome is a fantastic collection of unique, hand-made pieces that are fun and easy to wear.

What is the source of your design inspiration?

BF (Banafsheh Fatoorechie)- It may sound a bit odd, but I get a lot of inspiration from my dreams. Another source is nature and I’m also very interested in different cultural traditions and find my creative energy flowing easily whenever I’m exposed in any way to cultural events.

MS (Maryam Sardari)- It is hard to pin down one source that inspires me. I find inspiration in just about everything, but the most inspiring sources for me are music, organic shapes (nature), and textiles. Sometimes I see design in words.

How does color fit into your creative process?

BF- My background is in textile so I’ve had a lot of exposure to rich colors and designs. I use color in my wardrobe due to a particular mood or wanting to evoke a particular mood, so it is natural for me to use the same in my creative process. I gravitate toward colors. Their energy attracts me and their energy inspires me.

MS- I’m an Art Therapist by training. Not only have I been a witness to the therapeutic value of color in action, I’ve used it in my own artistic endeavors. Colors evoke different emotional responses as well as feelings. You can manipulate someone’s mood by changing the surrounding colors. The same holds true in designing jewelry. I must admit I don’t always consciously set out to use a specific color, I let my feelings lead me to certain colors. How do I want to feel when I wear this piece? The answer just pops out and the choice is made clear. No matter what the process, the pieces must be something I would like to own myself. You could say that I design for myself. I realize it sounds rather self-centered, but I cannot be pleased with something I won’t wear myself.

Who has the greatest influence on your life?

BF- All the women in my life especially my mother and grandmother. Gustov Klimt, Camille Claudel have been of great influence artistically. I’m also endlessly fascinated by the pattern and design in Persian carpets.

MS- It’s hard to choose one thing as the greatest source of inspiration. The women in my life have certainly played and play their part but I’m also influenced by my husband, music, poetry and art. Art, literature and love are timeless and that is the most important quality design should have. Treasured for all seasons.

What do you love most about what you do?

BF- The creative process unfolding. Starting at a particular creative point and ending up at a different finish line. This to me demonstrates the creative force at work. The creativity carrying me away. I do, however, create some pieces in a methodical, planned way, but I like to be carried away by inspiration.

MS- What I love the most is where creativity takes me. There have been many times when I’ve realized my hands have been busy but my mind (may be soul would better describe it) has flown away only to come back and witness the almost finished product. It’s difficult to explain this phenomenon. I do, of course, start out with a plan and a design in mind in most cases but it’s like as though the moment my fingers come to contact with the materials I exit my body. This I refer to as my own art therapy. The sublimation is always the product created. My mood and are always in a higher state.

Style Setters: The Jewelry Brief Interviews Evelyn Huang

Evelyn Huang is the talented jewelry visionary behind the designs of evelynH. Jewelry. Initially exposed to the world of gems and diamonds through her father’s fine jewelry business business, Evelyn left her family company and earned a degree in Economics from UC Irvine. After spending a few years in Asia she returned to the US and to her love of jewelry. Evelyn earned her Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of American and began work as a brand ambassador for De Beers in Beverly Hills. For the delight of jewelry collectors everywhere, in 2006 evelynH. was launched. And the accolades have not stopped.

The focus of evelynH. is fine, custom, one-of-a-kind pieces. Working under the motto “Everything is considered and nothing is overlooked”, unique pieces are crafted incorporating precious gemstones with breath-taking attention to detail.  Shown here is evelynH’s 2009 award-winning necklace from the Rio Tinto’s Champagne Diamond Design Competition. The “Bulles de Champagne Collier” is an attention grabbing whimsical neckpiece featuring champagne colored diamonds set in a design that mimics bubbles. The creative, daring neck piece is one which we might expect to see from the finest French jewelry houses. But Evelyn Huang’s scope of work is very vast. The architectural and edgy ring which won the 2010 International Red Dot Jewelry Product Design Award proves that brilliant design is her trademark, not one particular style.

evelynH. produces several thoughtful, well designed collections. The bridal line is especially noteworthy with its “his and hers” wedding bands which capture the essence of various design themes in masculine and feminine versions. The Infinity rings (shown here) won a Women’s Jewelry Association 2007 award for Platinum and Diamonds Design. My favorite is the Trellis, where one design is at the same time a heavy and masculine band and a diamond-set elegant ring that would make any woman smile (every day).

What is the main source of your design inspiration?

Everything around me can inspire my designs.  The experiences in my life, the people I meet, the places I visit, and things I see in my day-to-day life.  There is not one particular source for inspiration.

Who has been the most influential in your life?

Different people have been influential at different points in my life. On a personal relationship level it would be my family, friends and colleagues.  On the other hand, I have been inspired by public figures with different point-of-views and who are currently pushing or have pushed the boundaries in different aspects of design, including fashion.  It might sound cliché, but I find a figure like Coco Chanel inspiring.  She was willing to push certain boundaries during her time.

What do you see as up and coming trends in jewelry design?

Jewelry design is such a broad category, we have high-end couture jewelry at one end and mass produced costume and fashion jewelry on the other end.  This makes identifying trends more rigorous to classify.  For example, fashion jewelry can be very wild and over the top, however with fine jewelry’s high intrinsic value, you wouldn’t want to purchase a piece at $100,000 and have it look out of fashion in a year later. In general as a custom designer, I have found the fine details have become very important to consumers. The little things found on a piece of jewelry make it different and more personal, as well as implementing textures and the utilization of new materials in jewelry.  I think uniqueness, customization, value and alternative materials all have become major trends in the fine jewelry industry.

How would you describe your own personal [jewelry] style?

I am a chameleon…I would like to think I don’t have an exact personal style.  I know it might seem strange since most designers have a certain design aesthetic, but I’m always open to new ideas and love trying new things.  Everything around us is always changing; trends come and go, so I don’t want to hold myself back by sticking to one specific style. Of course, there is a link between all of my designs, and after looking at a few pieces you can find a common thread or feeling.  I would never consistently feature something very obvious and concrete such as swirls or flowers, or anything else limiting like that.  The only common links you may see in my creations are things like movement, textures and intricate ornamentations.  It is my goal 30 years from now, to be able to still create pieces that are fresh and different and will continue to surprise people.

What is your favorite luxury in life?

Time with loved ones.

Style Setters: The Jewelry Brief Interviews Sami Zeira

Sami Zeira studied classical jewelry making at the Jewelry Arts Institute and with Fred de Vos, learning the ancient art of granulation.  In Zeira Signature, he translates his love for ancient pieces and its techniques into chic jewelry for the modern woman.

Zeira Signature line offers bold pieces crafted from 22kt yellow gold. My favorites in the collection feature Italian coral. The deep red combined with the yellow of high carat gold simply radiates warmth. Turquoise and other gem stones hold a prominent place in Zeira’s designs; most stones are bezel set, as in ancient jewelry, and often accented by granulation. This technique is best associated with Etruscan jewelry, although it can be dated to pieces of even earlier times, where the goldsmith applies small spheres of a precious metal to a jewel in a decorative pattern.

Zeira Black is Sami’s second collection and features the hottest trend in jewelry: oxidized silver. While still applying ancient jewelry techniques, these pieces are hip and very fashion forward.

What is the source of your design inspiration?

It’s very hard to pinpoint one particular thing. From the concrete to the abstract, I can walk in the streets and be inspired by a building, a car or nature. The ironwork in gates, the head lights of a car, the curves of a woman’s body…beauty is all around us, we just have to open our eyes.

More concretely, I can look at ancient jewelry and be inspired by the richness of design, technique and concept. Sometimes from just looking at stones I envision a finished piece.

There is a great emphasis on color in your pieces. How does color fit into your creative process?

Life is full of colors. Sometimes my pieces are made up of one color and sometimes it’s the harmony of the colors blending together that makes a piece of jewelry attractive. It’s color that makes the world so diverse and beautiful.

Who has had the greatest influence on your life?

My mom. She is strong, loving, giving and sees the good in the most challenging situations.

What do you love most about what you do?

I make women feel beautiful. And I do it by expressing my own creativity. My jewelry gives elegance to the entire presentation of a woman: the sophistication of a personal timeless accessory.

It is through my work that I get to meet a variety of people and some of them have become my best friends and art is one of the only things that is not bound by religion, race or ethnicity.

Style Setters: The Jewelry Brief Interviews Etienne Perret

Jeweler Etienne Perret lives and works in a part of the country where beauty and tranquility have fostered the genius of artists of many genres. The coastline of Camden, Maine drew him in at the age of nineteen, and it was there that he began to pursue his hobby of silversmithing. The Bauhaus design influences from his childhood gave shape to his extensive body of award-winning designs.

I was introduced to the creations of Etienne Perret by his son Michael, with the promise of being inspired. I was immediately drawn to the simplified, sculptural forms of bands, bangles and earrings which make up Etienne’s collections. They are functional yet so very elegant. True to his tag line “Nobody treats diamonds better”, diamonds and colored diamonds are bezel set with extreme precision and crispness into Etienne’s designs. A perfect example of bezel setting is the colored diamonds and black ceramic bangle bracelet pictured on the left. While many of his pieces are in platinum and yellow or white gold, I am crazy for Etienne Perret’s colored high-tech ceramic.

I encourage you all to visit www.EtiennePerret.com to see his full line of jewelry, learn more about the jeweler himself, colored diamonds and Camden, Maine.

What is the source of your design inspiration?

I grew up in a very modern house designed by a partner of Marcel Breuer.

Our furniture was Bauhaus design.

My father was a painter and sculptor creating works that were on display around me as a child.

Camden, Maine is a beautiful, idyllic place; how has your setting influenced your work?

I try to live my life first, before career. It is much easier focusing on what I want to do being away from the turmoil of the cities.

Your work is very sculptural. Do you or have you ever considered creating art other than jewelry?

Yes, I have been developing a collection of bas-relief sculptures of the human figure, carved marble pieces that are a couple feet across and only a few inches deep to hang on the walls.

What is the greatest luxury in life?

Without question the best time in my life is the intimate time I spend with my wife.

For more picture of Etienne Perret creations please visit the Jewelry Brief’s Facebook page.

Style Setters: The Jewelry Brief Interviews Faraone Mennella

This is the first post of a “Style Setters” series brought to you by The Jewelry Brief. In each post of the series, the Brief will reach out to the creative minds behind today’s best jewelry, and ask the about their inspiration, style and influences.

Faraone Mennella by R.F.M.A.S. was founded in New York City in 2001 by two longtime friends, Roberto Faraone Mennella and Amedeo Scognamiglio, who moved to the United States to further their professional design interests after growing up in Italy surrounded by art and beauty. Faraone Mennella by R.F.M.A.S. produces jewelry of timeless style and elegance for every woman, from collections sold at major retailers to one-of-a-kind jewelry couture featured on the large and small screen made for some of the world’s most glamorous women.

Their complete collections can be viewed at www.rfmas.com

A while back, Amedeo sent me a thank you e-mail for a post that I had written about Faraone Mennella earlier this year. Amedeo and Roberto graciously agreed to answer a few questions for The Jewelry Brief, reaffirming once again my belief that the world is small and people are kind.

What is the source for your design inspiration?

We like to think of ourselves as “artisans” of the jewelry design, so while we draw inspiration from many sources (Capri, the 60′s Dolce Vita, Romy Schneider…) we are mostly driven by the beauty of creation. The “bench” is our main source. It drives our work.

Is there a secret to your contemporary yet timeless style?

The secret is staying focused on the message: We want our pieces to be a beautiful adornment for women, constructed with elegance. Classic is discreet, when jewelers conceptualize too much they get lost in the process.

Who has had the greatest influence on your life?

Our grandmothers: Augusta (for Amedeo) and Stella (for Roberto).

What do you love most about what you do?

When a woman stops us in a restaurant to say she loves our work and that she gets compliments every time she wears our pieces. That is the ultimate goal, the look on that face.

What is the greatest luxury that you treat yourself to?

Luxury is quite an overrated word nowadays, and overused. To us luxury is a not repeatable “experience”. Having dinner with friends on my terrace, overlooking the Capri’s marina and the entire bay of Naples in Summer, is priceless.

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