It was the glinting light that compelled Silvia Furmanovich to peruse a dark box of fabrics in a New York antiques store. Closer inspection revealed a pile of intricate material samples. The São Paulo-based jeweller had happened upon a collection of Nishijin woven silks which had belonged to a late Kyoto family clothing business serving aristocratic women in the Kansai region in the late 19th and early 20th centuries – the Meiji era.
‘I was mesmerised by the wealth of nature motifs and symbols, such as cranes, clouds, sparrows, waves, bamboo shoots, maple leaves, chrysanthemums, peonies and dianthus flowers that decorated the fabrics,’ Furmanovich says of the inspiration for the Obi collection. ‘I thought they could be intricately interpreted using our marquetry and miniature painting techniques.’
The discovery also presented a swatch book with 141 fragments of obi belt fabrics. “Each piece was a little universe unto itself, complete with its own symbolism,’ Furmanovich tells us. It was a serendipitous find because it so perfectly reflects the Brazilian jeweller’s distinct fine jewellery style. ‘I work with marquetry craftsmen in the Amazon rainforest and miniature paintings specialists in Udaipur, India. The Japanese design sensibility is out of this world and when I saw these fabrics, I knew that they could be interpreted using these specialist crafts – the intricacies and patterns created a natural dialogue with them.’
The result is a collection of multi-layered, textured depictions of the fabrics, created using wood overlays for the marquetry, and paints derived from minerals and gemstones for the miniatures. ‘I am a firm believer in the power of craftsmanship, and I am dedicated to what I believe in,’ says Furmanovich, going some way to explain the almost spiritual quality of these magical pieces.
Antique Lacqyer Plaque' earrings in gold, lacquered wood, white South Sea pearls and diamonds, $15,688, by Silvia Furmanovich, from Bergdorf Goodman
ADDRESS
754 5th Ave,
New York, NY 10019,
-
Tobi Masa lands at The Chancery RosewoodChef Masa Takayama’s debut London restaurant transforms modernist geometry into a space of ritual calm and culinary purity
-
Bionic Labs builds precision next-level Apple accessories from aluminium and stainless steelFrom stands, chargers and keyboard trays to a set of accessories for the Vision Pro, Parisian design studio Bionic Labs offers only the best for your Apple gear
-
Yuko Mohri’s living installations play on Marcel Duchamp’s surrealismThe artist’s seven new works on show at Milan’s Pirelli HangarBicocca explore the real and imaginary connections that run through society
-
Art takes London: Tiffany & Co, Damien Hirst and artists take over Selfridges' windowsFour British contemporary artists celebrate Tiffany & Co's pioneering history with a series of storied window displays
-
All smiles: How a grillz jewellery making class in London became an international hitWhat started as a passion project quickly exploded in popularity. We get the story behind the grillz-making workshop at Cockpit London
-
Emerging jewellery designers to get to knowThese independent, new and emerging jewellery designers and brands from New York to Paris are firmly on our radar
-
Playing it cool: pearls are having a momentWe'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
-
Eternity rings for the modern coupleEternity rings, whether sleekly minimalist or sprinkled in diamonds, can be a chic and contemporary love token
-
CryptoPunks come to life on Tiffany & Co pendantsTiffany & Co has partnered with blockchain infrastructure company Chain to create custom pendants and NFTiffs
-
Order of the day: Pomellato’s high jewellery takes us from dawn to duskPomellato’s new high jewellery collection, La Gioia, tells the story of a day in precious stones
-
Anklets welded onto the body make romantic and enduring jewellery tokensAtelier VM’s ‘L’Essenziale’ jewellery collection now includes slender gold anklets
