kit and caboodle

CONTEMPORARY JEWELLERY NETWORK

'Windowed Rough' Ring [see attached description]

'Windowed Rough' Ring [see attached description]

This was my entry into the German Award for Gemstones and Jewellery this year (2009), held annually in Idar-Oberstein.

The emphasis in this award is always on the gemstone, so it's a challenge developing a new interpretation of gemstone use.

In this piece I've formalised the concept of windowing the rough before faceting the stone. Normally on a large stone a cutter will quickly hand-polish a face onto the stone, to enable the inside clarity or inclusions to be seen, so as to know how best to proceed with the cutting.

On this river-tumbled topaz I have floated down the actual table-facet, framed by the adjoining star facets, to provide a more stylised window through which to look. The rest of the stone I've left natural, including surface defects, and set it in 18k white and yellow, with shot-set diamonds.

It took years for the right pebble to come along.

It is a delight to peer into the clear interior within the frosted skin...

Rating:
  • Currently 5/5 stars.

Views: 100

View Full Size

Tags: rough, topaz, window
 Favorite of 1 person

Comment

You need to be a member of kit and caboodle to add comments!

Join kit and caboodle

Comment by Frida Sjögren on February 19, 2010 at 6:14pm
Hey Phill!
No i'd missed you answer, still new to this.. so thanks for the little note!

And thanks for having a look at my work! really glad to hear you liked it.
this seems to be a great forum for connecting and sharing.

I had a look at the 'icicle' piece of yours, and the two new year pieces. And oh what beautiful intricate work, such a glorious feeling of new year, rays of light - specially the pendant in the photo of the ring and pendant..
And they are both so well balanced, ah.. very nice!
Looking forward to have a closer look at the rest of your work.

Ciao, frida
Comment by Phill Mason on February 17, 2010 at 6:42am
Hey Frida,

Thanks for the appreciation. Yeah, I love contrasts setting up a tension in a piece. To bounce back and forth between artifice and unaltered, or any other dualities, intensifies the interest for me.

And formalising the 'window' into the rough, which is usually a very slap-dash ephemeral task, serving only a temporary purpose, really appealed to me.

I had a look at your webpage: very ethereal; I liked what I saw. Funnily enough, I have also made a piece which I titled 'Icicle', as you have done... I'll try to throw a pic of it up today...

Cheers,

Phill.
Comment by Frida Sjögren on February 17, 2010 at 3:36am
wow this ring is stunning! i love the contrasts

© 2013   Created by Cate Salter.

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service