Masters old and new: Hannah Martin unveils a modern classic in New York
As Spring Masters art & antiquities fair opens in New York, London jewellery designer Hannah Martin is celebrating her fresh take on a classical motif. This week, her subtle reworking of an original 18th century cameo, the fruits of a unique collaboration with Greenwich-based fine jewellery exhibitor Simon Teakle, will go on show at the Park Avenue Armory.
Having been introduced by a jewellery historian and mutual admirer, the pair agreed on a project that would underline the timeless appeal of classical codes through a modern lens, and it was Teakle, formerly of Christie’s New York and an expert gemmologist, who chose the cameo as the pivot for the project. 'I wanted something that had a long term history and story,' he explains. Hence, the cameo: 'It is rooted in Ancient Greece, then travels through to the late 18th century and now, has arrived at something contemporary in Hannah’s hands.'
The result is a one-off gold, diamond and onyx pendant with the existing cameo jewel at its centre. 'I've attempted to create a sense of repetition in the undulating gold form that holds it,' explains the designer. 'I decided not to focus on the architecture of the cameo itself but on the character of Aphrodite and her horses. I wanted it to feel as if the lines of gold were suspending the cameo; protecting it in some way'.
The images that Robert Mapplethorpe created of Lisa Lyon in the 1980s proved a particular inspiration for the jewellery designer, 'because he created incredible versions of the human form that embody strength and power as well as a really specific sensuality, that emanates from both,' she says.
As for the design process, Martin was mindful of creating a piece that worked with the cameo and not against it. Creating a pendant on a largeish scale meant ensuring that it wouldn't be too heavy to wear. The practicalities of holding the cameo within the gold structure were also a challenge: CAD was the core tool and Martin created 3D printed prototypes throughout the process 'to check proportions were correct, as I do with all the pieces I create.'
'Jewellery is so personal that I never choose to show anything for a mass audience,' says Teakle of the decision to unveil the pendant at this week’s exhibition. 'Hannah's aesthetic is very specific: it sends a strong message in such an elegant way that people can only notice.'
That quiet beauty is evident in Martin’s take on this rare jewel which fulfils the original thinking behind the collaboration: the draw is not only the timeless purity of the classic carved stone but the architectural eye that has always set Martin’s jewellery design thinking apart.
INFORMATION
For more information on thr fair visit the website or Hannah Martin’s website
Photography courtesy of Hannah Martin and Park Avenue Armory
ADDRESS
643 Park Ave, New York, NY 10065, United States
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Caragh McKay has been a contributing editor at Wallpaper* since 2014. She was previously watches & jewellery director and is currently our resident lifestyle & shopping editor. Caragh has produced exhibitions and created and edited titles for publishers including the Daily Telegraph. She regularly chairs talks for luxury houses, Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier among them. Caragh’s current remit is cross-cultural and her recent stories include the curious tale of how Muhammad Ali met his poetic match in Robert Burns and how a Martin Scorsese film revived a forgotten Osage art.
-
Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson drafts artists to create 24 extraordinary lamps at Milan Design Week 2024
Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson commissioned international artists and artisans to explore ‘illumination within the house’ with a series of lamps and lighting installations, shown at a group exhibition at Milan Design Week 2024
By Scarlett Conlon Published
-
What are polynucleotides? Trying the skin injectable made from salmon sperm
Polynucleotides are the latest in skin injectables, containing DNA derived from the gonads of salmon. Wallpaper* Beauty & Grooming Editor Hannah Tindle tries them to discover exactly how they work
By Hannah Tindle Published
-
Josèfa Ntjam on her surreal utopias in Venice
Artist Josèfa Ntjam and LAS Art Foundation bring other worlds to life with ‘swell of spæc(i)es’ at Palazzina Canonica during the Venice Biennale 2024
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Emerging jewellery designers to get to know
These independent, new and emerging jewellery designers and brands from New York to Paris are firmly on our radar
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Bernard James’ flora-inspired diamonds mark ten years of Dover Street Market New York
Bernard James’ jewellerydebuting at Dover Street Market features rings, earrings and necklaces inspired by blossoming flora
By Alfredo Mineo Published
-
Seaman Schepps reveals offbeat new jewellery and homeware
Seaman Schepps celebrates 120 years of eclectic design codes and rare stones in a beautiful new jewellery collection
By Hannah Silver Published
-
FoundRae’s Dallas, Texas residency gains steam
Jewellery label FoundRae’s Dallas pop-up at The Conservatory in Highland Park Village combines medallions, charms and homeware alongside vintage objects
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
Jewellery designers share their most precious personal pieces
A host of jewellers give us a peek at the jewellery which brings them joy and solace
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Reed Krakoff ushers John Hardy jewellery into a new era, and refreshes its New York store
The ‘Spear’ jewellery collection riffs on John Hardy’s signature handwoven chain, while the boutique nods to the brand’s Balinese heritage
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
Playing it cool: pearls are having a moment
We've been deep-diving into boutiques around the world to find the very best calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form. It seems jewellers have been busy rethinking pearls, with contemporary (and often affordable) results
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Eternity rings for the modern couple
Eternity rings, whether sleekly minimalist or sprinkled in diamonds, can be a chic and contemporary love token
By Hannah Silver Published