Digital Jewellery:
Adorning the Future
What is digital jewellery? NFTs, Virtual dressing, Crypto & Blockchain
Non Fungible Tokens are to the 2020s what IT girls were to the 2000s: ubiquitous and securing online attention wherever their name is attached – particularly literal in the case of Paris Hilton’s recent metamorphosis into NFT aficionado and champion. Digital artworks across the entire spectrum of possibility include faithful representations of real-life objects, like Sebastian ErraZuriz’s ‘Digital Diamonds’ series, to the creator of the world wide web Tim Berners-Lee auctioning 10,000 lines of the source code to the original web browser which built the internet as we know it…
The Art of Digital Jewellery
There is an inherent beauty and pleasure in looking at, wearing and holding a diamond, and a dialogue between an artist and the wearer in physical jewellery designs. When designs and objects like diamonds only exist in the metaverse, are they beautiful? Can static, jpg. images of jewellery be considered beautiful in the same way we treasure gouache? When examining whether a piece of digital jewellery is considered beautiful or not, are we measuring this based on approximating the look of familiar physical jewellery or gems successfully?
How to Wear Digital Jewellery
Current Obsession Magazine
Imagining what future wearing and ownership will look like.
In the first part of this series, I noted that with jewellery NFTs, there is a possibility that the artist can dress your virtual avatar with the NFT design. However, this is a very specific circumstance, and for the jewellery, fashion and luxury industries, chartering this transition between the future of how we will wear digital art and how we wear pieces now requires explanation…
Depending on who you’re speaking to, the answer to the multi-million tonne elephant in the room ‘what is the ecological impact of the jewellery industry?’ Varies wildly.
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While carbon emissions are an increasingly serious consideration of the jewellery industry, the litany of human rights abuses and societal issues which arise as a consequence of precious metal and gem mining are an even more terrifying ethical consideration of the jewels we create, wear and covet.
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Digital evangelists can easily argue that there is a chasm of difference between the ethical quandaries surrounding the nascent digital jewellery space in comparison to those related to the behemoth that is the physical jewellery industry…
Artist Sebastian ErraZuriz and his studio have created Digital Diamonds, the world’s first crypto gems. But are luxurians ready for such intangible assets?
As a provocateur, the obvious choice for Sebastian ErraZuriz’s latest protest art was a controversially themed non-fungible token (NFT). Previously, the multidisciplinary Chilean artist gained notoriety for virtually vandalising an augmented reality (AR) Jeff Koons collaboration with Snapchat in 2017… (read more here)
Jewelry Connoisseur
This Chinese-born, UK-based emerging designer credits his varied style to his fine-art training and multicultural identity.
Having recently graduated from London’s Royal College of Art after completing his degree at Central Saint Martins, Gearry Suen is one of the most exciting emerging fine-jewelry artists of the moment…
The ‘Curated Ear’
trend turns high end
1stdibs’ The Study
The mismatched, multiple-earring look may have started with fashion jewelry, but A-list fans have taken it to the next level. At the Oscars, nearly all the nominees for Best Actress had something in common, and that’s curated ears. Charlize Theron, Cynthia Erivo and Scarlett Johansson each adorned their multiply pierced lobes with small hoops, mismatched studs and diamond embellishments…
Back to the future with Loren Nicole
The Jewellery Cut
Loren Teetelli’s journey into the world of jewellery began in the unlikely context of an art history and anthropology degree. This led to field research in Central and South America, as well as conservation roles at the American Museum of Natural History and Metropolitan Museum of Art. One aspect of her research was ancient jewellery, so she took a jewellery-making class, simply to connect more deeply with her subject. Or so she thought…
Pivoting on Publicity
Rapaport Magazine
In the midst of a pandemic and facing a global financial recession, PR firms are emphasizing digital solutions for jewelry businesses.
Public relations companies play an important role in the jewelry industry, acting as conductors between jewelers, the press and consumers. During the COVID-19 crisis, PR firms have had to adapt their practices to meet the evolving needs of the brands they represent…
A new direction:
East-west diamond rings
Jewelry Connoisseur
Horizontally-set stones offer a subtle, yet modern twist on classic designs.
East-west set diamond rings are having a moment. While millennial consumers and trend-savvy buyers are seeking less conventional engagement-ring choices, they are also looking to communicate an appreciation of elevated design principles. This fresh perspective rejects carat weight as the most important factor in diamond-ring buying, instead making style statements with less popular cuts.
The sophisticated cool of coloured pearl jewellery
Jewellery Insights from KaterinaPerez.com
Pearls have been trending for some time, and so it comes as no surprise that a new trend in this jewellery material has emerged. The rarity of coloured pearls appeals to modern consumers, and jewellers are utilising black Tahitian, golden South Sea, Fijian and Sea of Cortez pearls to create contemporary twists on classic pearl designs.
Floral designs reach new heights
Jewellery Insights from KaterinaPerez.com
Having covered modern floral jewellery in Spring 2019, it was impossible not to notice that flowers continued to be on fashion and jewellery designers’ minds throughout the past year, and further into 2020. “An explosion of flowers that heralds the arrival of spring brings itself into our necklaces, brooches and earrings in large-as-you-like proportions…
Tech jewellery:
Wearable luxury
Jewellery Insights from KaterinaPerez.com
High-end maisons have set about stamping their own unique signature on ‘wearables’ - meaning items of personal adornment that have smart digital features; as well as the ubiquitous wireless headphones that have gradually become part of the modern luxury pantheon.
Chasing Rainbows:
Multi-gemstone designs
Jewelry Connoisseur
Kaleidoscopic jewels are on-trend thanks to a children’s movement designed to instill hope during the prevailing lockdown.
As children around the world display handcrafted rainbow artwork in the windows of their homes to spread hope during the coronavirus pandemic, there’s never been a more relevant time to wear the brightest, rainbow-themed gems. Jewelry in this category comes in several forms. Some feature a graduating line of complementary colors that flow into one another; others are characterized by multiple gemstones, mixed together in an explosion of chaotic color.
In the picture:
Portrait-cut diamonds
Jewelry Connoisseur
Exquisite craftsmanship and understated elegance have given this ancient cut a new lease on life, especially among ring designers.
With its origins in ancient Indian jewelry-making, the portrait-cut diamond resembles a thin sheet of glass with delicate facets surrounding a large, open table, consuming almost the entirety of the crown. The result is a very shallow, step-cut stone — one historically used to visually enhance and protect miniature paintings, acting as a window to the image below.