Splendid array of coloured gemstones at Goldsmiths’ Fair
Ornella Iannuzzi wearing the “Axum Ring”
LONDON, October 10, 2010 – Superb coloured gemstones featured at this year’s Goldsmiths’ Fair, in a dazzling sequence of one off designs by some of Britain’s best jewellers.
James Fairhurst presented some magnificent coloured stones in his rings, which reveal the highest level of traditional craftsmanship.
“I love colour and go to great lengths to source the finest examples of rather more exotic and unusual gemstones,” the Surrey-based jeweller says.
“Putting these next to one another in unconventional colour combinations has over time become a trademark of my work.”
Ben Day has celebrated the opening of his new studio and shop in Notting Hill Gate, London, with a collection of jewellery featuring nature’s rarest gems.
Paraiba neon tourmalines and the finest tanzanites, mandarin garnets, red hot spinel and the rolling fire of lighting ridge black opals are framed with coloured diamonds.
Opals features in the latest “Lucy in Wonderland” collection of Ornella Iannuzzi.
She showed off the masterpiece from her latest collected, the Axum Ring, incorporating fire opal and 18-carat yellow gold in a design inspired by the legend of the Ark of the Covenant.
Ornella says of the fire opal, “It is a stone which is almost alive – you can never get bored looking at it.”
Julia Lloyd George has a strong feel for complimentary colours as displayed in her earrings of deep blue opals and orange spessartite.
A necklace of fire opal transcending through to deeper blue opals, called “sun and sea”, shows the influence of nature.
Ingo Henn’s designs combine precision-cut gemstones with meticulous German training in goldsmithing and design and high quality English techniques such as enamelling and hand-engraving.
“An important aspect of the design is to balance all the components: gemstones, engraving and enamelling, so that the combination is beautiful,” he says.
