favorites, part II

Peruzzi


I came across Peruzzi on Ebay while searching for sterling silver pieces. The Peruzzi Siblings Silversmith is a Florence family making jewelry during the 1900s. The first piece I saw immediately won me over with drama. It was a chunky necklace with gnarly opera faces and a large mask pendant. Needless to say the drama struck many collectors. The piece was off the market real soon. Their silver pieces are often gothic or medieval and the metal work is very intricate. I believe a silver rose link bracelet is up for bid on Ebay at the moment. A side note: I find Ebay to be an excellent source for research.

Pauline Rader


Pauline Rader is another highly coveted jewelry label. Her father was a jeweler and she later became one with an independent line. Her pieces are often influenced by studies of antiquity and nature. Most pieces are massive. Her line also includes whimsical pieces. I let a cabachon monkey brooch slip away not long ago.

Monies (http://www.monies.dk/index.htm)
Monies! My obsession! Nikolai and Gerda Monies

make an amazing design team in Copenhagen. Their pieces are massive, see a pattern in my preferences? The exaggerated proportions make a statement in a understated manner. It's like the best supporting actor. They can jazz any old tee without completely stealing the show. Wearing a Monies piece is like displaying a sculpture. Monies pieces are organic both in material and in design. Their materials include wood, bone, shell, amber, jade, stone, and lucite. The pieces are rarely symmetric or bear signs of manufacture, it is as if nature carved the pieces and cast them aside to be discovered.

Saskia Diez (http://www.saskia-diez.com/)


If you are looking for jewelry that enhances and accentuates certain parts of the body - be it the crook of the wrist or the ridges of the collar bone - Saskia Diez is your jeweler. Her lines include natural materials strung, arranged in exquisite designs. One of my favorite is an adjustable necklace with the mechanism hidden in two intricate knots that also serve as the focii. In her words, jewelry is not about flaunting.

Fiona Paxton


I fell in love with Fiona Paxton's necklace as soon as I saw her weaved pieces. The long necklace is wears like a scarf. The metal pieces resemble textile. Lay them atop any plain top and you are ready to razzle dazzle.

Pamela Love


Pamela Love's creations are what happens when science nerd meets street gal. Last year her gold talon cuff took the design world by storm. Other pieces includes religious talisman, anatomical parts, and other trinkets with anthropological significance (in my opinion). Her collaborations with Opening Ceremony and Zac Posen are also hugely successful. (image from Garance Dore)