There are some jewelry designers, however, who approach their work so creatively, and unconventionally, it does make me want to employ the A-word in some capacity. COUTURE talents CADAR, MIKE JOSEPH and TEN THOUSAND THINGS all work with gold like sculptors.

I look at certain pieces these designers make and think of the wire sculptures of Ruth Asawa or the large plates of Richard Serra, the molten forms of Alberto Giacometti or the abstract geometries of David Smith. There is no doubt these designers are making artistic statements, if not by strict definition art.

Mike Joseph

Generally, jewelry is designed to flow around the body for fit, but Mike Joseph draws outside the lines so to speak with his Shiva collection. Necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings move up and off the body in unexpected ways.

The designer’s intention is to express strength and beauty in the brushed gold selectively punctuated with diamonds and emeralds. He succeeds and stretches the boundaries of jewelry with these iconoclastic sculptural creations.

Ten Thousand Things

Ron Anderson and David Rees, the creative minds behind Ten Thousand Things, are always thinking about the forms in their distinctive jewels. They ponder how elements interplay and touch one another. They meditate on the shape of the gold.

All the reflecting on contours and configurations makes the jewelry from Ten Thousand Things among the most intelligent on the market. It glows with ideas and a lot of soul.

Cadar

Cadar Creative Director, Michal Kadar, approached the eternal concept of snakes in jewelry differently than most through her Python collection. She doesn’t make a figural snake. Instead, Michal took the motif of a snake’s scales and sculpted them in bold gold wide chokers, bracelets, earrings and rings.

The abstracted concept made for some incredible statement pieces that push the boundaries of gold jewelry.