Explore this exquisite jewelry, some of which is made with actual sunken treasure recovered from shipwrecks and featuring the ancient Etruscan art of gold granulation! JEWELRY WORK AND DESIGN INFLUENCE: My fascination with the sea extends not only to the beauty of the life found there, but also to the history scattered across its bottom. Shipwrecks have long captivated my imagination and, as a ki
d, dreamt one day of finding sunken treasure. The word conjures up the splendor of antiquity such as the fantastic finds of Tutankhamen's tomb, the gold, silver, and jewels of the Nuestra Señora de Atocha (a Spanish treasure galleon sunk in 1622), the doubloons and pieces of eight from the 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet, the jewel-encrusted objects of the Imperial Treasury in Vienna and the British Crown Jewels, along with many others. This insatiable fascination with treasure has since turned into a passion for creating it. Inspired by the ocean and its treasures, the jewelry I create is based upon this theme. For me, it is how the rich yellow of high-karat gold combines with vibrantly-colored gemstones to create something so exquisite that it transcends the word "jewelry" and enters the realm of "TREASURE"! With this as my starting point, I have focused on the ancient Etruscan technique of granulation to create modern pieces echoing the opulence of the distant past for those seeking their own piece of contemporary treasure. CLASSICAL COLLECTION: Owing to a life-long passion for diving and the ocean, the collection derives most of its inspiration from the concept of ‘sunken treasure’. The words conjure up the splendor of antiquity, the magnificence of royal treasuries, and adventure beneath the waves. Crafted from high-quality, hand-selected gemstones from around the world and a custom alloy of 18K gold, the rich yellow of high-karat gold combines with vibrantly-colored gems to create something so exquisite that it transcends the word "jewelry" and enters the realm of "TREASURE"! The Classical Collection echoes the opulence of antiquity for those seeking their own piece of contemporary treasure. MARIANAS COLLECTION: Named after the ocean's deepest trench, the Marianas Collection is comprised of pieces created in 18K yellow & white gold and oxidized sterling silver inspired by the abyss. Dazzling gemstones twinkle against the darkened silver just as bioluminescent life such as jellies and plankton create small bursts of light against the darkness of the ocean’s depths. Some pieces have texturing in the form of little lines that imitate the combs of the comb-jelly whereas others have been done in patterns reminiscent of the effect created by light rays dancing in the water.
