The diamond-to-oil- painting ratio at the is about to fall off dramatically with the closing of of Cartier jewelry and objects.
But before that happens on March 17, jewelry lovers will have an opportunity to celebrate Colorado’s own contributions to the craft at an event dubbed
The five Colorado jewelry companies being fêted at the March 13 event — Amour Absolu, Louisa B Designs, Andrea Li, Samantha Louise Jewelry and Bloom Bijoux — shared thoughts about their aesthetic and inspiration for their latest collections.
Emilie Rusch: 303-954-2457, erusch@denverpost.com or twitter.com/emilierusch
The last brilliant party
When: 8 p.m.-midnight, March 13
Where: Town, 601 S. Broadway, Suite A
Tickets: $25, DAM Contemporaries and CultureHaus members; $35, general public. Available at tickets.denverartmuseum.org
Name: Andrea Li
Home base: Denver
Website:
Where to buy: Goldyn, 2040 W. 30th Ave.; Starfish Jewelry, 1136 Pearl St., Suite 101, Boulder; ;
Price range: $300-$13,000
Aesthetic: “Wearable sculpture,” Li said, often with precious and semiprecious stones as the focal point. “Everything I do is one-of-a-kind. My process of creating is so organic, there’s no sketching… I put everything on my desk, and I just go. Wherever it wants to go, it goes.”
Inspiration for latest collection: A live demonstration that Li did with colorful plexiglass at the DAM’s Jewelry Studio. “The whole idea was I wanted to make my demo really awesome, I wanted to do something really interesting for people to watch,” she said. “That just spawned an entire line… It’s very alien. It’s very something you would see in ‘Avatar.’ “
“Brilliant” memory: Cartier’s craftsmanship and design innovation is just incredible, she said. “The mystery clocks and the fact that they were built so many years ago – I can’t even believe they found a way to make those without the technology that exists today.”
amour absolu
Name: Kathryn Giarratano
Home base: Golden
Website:
Where to buy:
Price range: $350-$2,300+
Aesthetic: Simple, customizable pieces in solid 14-karat gold and diamonds. “My goal is to make really meaningful jewelry that to the naked eye is just a piece of fine jewelry,” she said. “I like really clean lines — it’s simple, it’s delicate, it’s layerable.”
Inspiration for latest collection: The birth of her oldest daughter and her search for a commemorative piece of jewelry, she said. “All the pieces at the time had names and initials and engraving and birthstones — I didn’t want anything overtly ‘mom-ish.’ I designed my bar necklace with eight diamonds, one for each letter in her name.”
“Brilliant” memory: The Art Deco pieces stood out for Giarratano. “There was a pair of Art Deco chandelier earrings that I just loved. Art Deco tends to speak to me, because I love tiny pavé diamonds.”
Above: Amour Absolu necklaces, ring, bracelet and earrings. Above left, detail of necklace. Photos provided by Kathryn Giarratano
bloom bijoux
Name: Anuschka Pashel
Home base: Denver
Website:
Where to buy: Bloom Cherry Creek North, 2353 E. Third Ave.; Bloom Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop St.;
Price range: $500-$12,000
Aesthetic: Pashel travels to India to meet with artisans and hand-select the pieces for the collection. “I try to pick pieces that are unusual, that you can’t find anywhere else,” she said. “I do a lot of traditional Indian pieces, but also we’re buying a lot of modern-looking pieces.”
Inspiration for latest collection: Everything starts with flowers, she said. “I get inspiration from the colors. I’m not afraid to do different things. I don’t buy what I think a customer will like, I buy what I love and then surprise the customer.”
“Brilliant” memory: The Indian-inspired jewelry and hearing movie stars talk about their pieces were standouts, but it was the long, flapper-style diamond necklaces that really caught Pashel’s attention. “The necklaces, all diamond, I was drooling about,” she said. “That’s something you could wear.”
Above left, a bracelet featuring ruby, seed pearl and rose-cut diamonds. Above right, 14-karat gold snake ring. Photos provided by AnuschkaPashel
louisa b designs
Name: Louisa Berky
Home base: A Colorado native, Berky recently relocated from Denver to New Hampshire.
Website:
Where to buy: ; , Snowmass Village
Price range: $45-$385
Aesthetic: Sterling silver necklaces, earrings and bracelets “based in nature but also connected to specific places where I’ve been,” she said. “I work mostly in wax and then cast into metal. What that allows me to do is be a little more organic.”
Inspiration for latest collection: The barnacles she found on a trip to her boyfriend’s family cabin outside Seattle. “Right near the cabin, there’s this incredible oyster bed — we’ll collect oysters and eat them for dinner,” she said.”I’ve taken some of the shells back with me.”
“Brilliant” memory: Berky hasn’t seen the exhibit yet, but she’s already got her ticket for the final weekend, she said.
Sterling silver “Lily Necklace” with Czech glass beads by Louisa B Designs. Photo provided by Louisa Berky
samantha louise jewelry
Name: Samantha Larkins
Home base: Denver
Website:
Where to buy: , 251 Steele St.
Price range: $500- $10,000
Aesthetic: “Earthy sophistication,” she said. The core of her collection is classic staples in matte 18-karat gold. “We love jewelry that people can wear from day to night,” she said.
Inspiration for latest collection: Two elements recently added to the line — a leaf and a North star — have personal meaning for Larkins. The leaf is inspired by her love of gardening; the star a tradition she shares with her daughters of making a wish on a star, she said.”I say it to my girls all the time at night, I say ‘Starlight, star bright.’ “
“Brilliant” memory: The overall craftsmanship blew Larkins away. “The vanity purses that Cartier does, they were amazing. They were so well done — you see how they open, and the hinges and the snaps, all that was made by hand,” she said. “It really plays to the craft of jewelry design.”
18-karat gold earrings with diamonds and natural chalcedony. Photo provided by Samantha Louise Jewelry
