Photo by faith goble via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)A jewelry world being renewed
Fine jewelry has long been dominated by five major houses. A new generation of creators is shaking up this landscape by offering a contemporary perspective, unexpected materials and a more direct relationship with their clients. Here are five designers featured at MADLORDS who embody this shift.
Bibi van der Velden, living sculpture
Founded in Amsterdam in 2006, Bibi van der Velden works with recycled 18-karat gold and rare materials: 60,000-year-old mammoth ivory, scarab beetle wings, baroque pearls. Each piece is hand-drawn then sculpted in wax following traditional techniques. The result reads as much like a sculptural miniature as a piece of jewelry, with a playful spirit that embraces the living quality of its materials.
Spinelli Kilcollin, the augmented ring
The Californian duo of Yves Spinelli and Dwyer Kilcollin founded Spinelli Kilcollin in Los Angeles in 2010. Their signature: rings made of interlocking circles that can be worn across multiple fingers or stacked at will. The Galaxy collection, now iconic, plays with fluidity and poly-positioning. The piece is no longer a single ring but a modular system, in line with an exceptional ring that reinvents itself.
Silvia Furmanovich, Amazonian marquetry
Based in São Paulo since 1998, Silvia Furmanovich brings an unexpected technique into fine jewelry: marquetry of precious Amazonian woods, paired with gold, diamonds and Brazilian gemstones. The designer draws from her travels to compose pieces that blend bamboo, mother-of-pearl and ebony. Multiple Couture Design Awards salute this approach, which opens a dialogue between ancestral craftsmanship and contemporary jewelry.
Maria Nilsdotter, the Nordic tale
In Stockholm, Maria Nilsdotter has been composing since 2007 a body of work inhabited by Nordic folklore and wild nature. Solid gold, precious stones, romantic symbolism: her pieces work as modern talismans, balancing strength and fragility, light and darkness. A narrative voice that places the jewel in a register close to the heirloom piece, passed on as one passes on a story.
Yannis Sergakis, a Greek language for the diamond
From a family of Greek diamond traders, Yannis Sergakis founded his house in Athens in 2004. His work explores the diamond and gold with a very contemporary geometric grammar. The Celeste and Sigma collections offer bracelets, necklaces and studs where the tradition of Greek jewelry meets a refined modernity.
How to follow this generation
Three reflexes to follow contemporary jewelry: visit concept stores that curate these international creators, attend specialized fairs, and identify Instagram accounts of recognized collectors and gallerists. It is through these channels that the new references are built today, much as the parallel market of pre-owned jewelry gradually elevates these signatures.