Stingray Skin Jewelry by Carla Reiter

Carla Reiter’s original collection of jewelry is unmistakable.

Knitting metal freehand, using pliers and fingers,

each piece is a labor of love.

Her knitted silver, gold, and copper pieces

incorporate diamonds, pyrite, and precious stones.

She has now created a new collection

made with stingray leather that

she dyes and patinates.

The collection is called Shagreen and

it's the roughness of the stingray skin that lends

itself so well to this jewelry.

It creates a mottled, granular effect.

I especially like how the pebbly texture of the

stingray skin gives an eye-catching mosaic effect.

You can see more of this innovative work

at Carla Reiter's website.

Anne Léger Jewelry

A friend recently sent me a link

to Anne Léger's jewelry.
Her ornate and detailed work
could easily be used as wall art.
 

Many of her pieces are made from

carved woods layered over copper or silver,
with enamel and semi-precious stones.

 

here's a close-up view

see more at Anne Léger

Exhibition - Look of Love: Eye Miniatures

The "Look of Love: Eye Miniatures from

the Skier Collection" exhibit explores

 the little-known subject of “lover’s eyes,”

hand-painted watercolor miniatures of single

human eyes set in jewelry and given as tokens

of affection or remembrance.

The original idea was that, by only showing

an eye, these miniatures painted on ivory

 would conceal the identity of

the person who was shown.

It could then be worn in public with no one

knowing anything about the relationship.

These small-scale portraits of individual eyes are

 from the late 18th and early 19th century England.

There are about 100 items featured in this exhibit

and only about 1000 are thought to be in

existence in the world.

Each miniature measures about

 an inch to an inch and a half.

According to the museum, the tradition stems

from a secret love affair

between the Prince of Wales

(later King George IV of England) and

a widowed Catholic.

Starting in 1785, the couple exchanged several

miniatures depicting their eyes,

and eventually were secretly married.

The practice soon became a fad

that lasted many years. Most

of the miniatures remain unidentified.

“Look of Love: Eye Miniatures from the Skier Collection”

will be on view at the

Birmingham Museum of Art in

Birmingham, Alabama, through June 10, 2012.

Lace in Metal - Rei Harada Jewelry

Rei Harada creates several lovely collections
of jewelry and I find her Lace series to be
 especially noteworthy.
Her work is fabricated using small cast
elements that are patterned after lacy designs.

Yes, it's lacy but with a distinct edge.

Each dramatic scalloped element

makes a bold statement.

 

The artist describes her work as follows,

The original model of the cast is not fabric but a sheet metal

pierced in the lace pattern so none of my lace work

 have that organic texture of actual lace.

I like how that look of industrial cut-out metal plays

 with the image of soft and delicate lace fabric.

It looks like three-dimensional lace

yet it's not; she has captured the demure

details of lace without having to take a stitch.

See more images at Rei Harada's website.