Space Age Jewelry Creations

Tampa Necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels, white and yellow gold, diamond, sapphire, garnet, spinel and beryl. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

Lately, my inbox has been filling up with jewelry inspired by the heavenly bodies in the universe. As if aliens entered my e-mail, dropped off these images and left just as mysteriously. Why this is happening at this time I can’t say for sure. But these beings left behind some interesting jewelry as well as a notice of an upcoming exhibition at Forbes Galleries featuring jewelry influenced by outer space.

Pair of earclips by Tiffany & Co., 1962, gold, red coral. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

The exhibition titled, Out of This World! Jewelry in the Space Age, at the gallery on 60 Fifth Avenue (at 12th Street) will open March 16 and run through September 7. Curated by Elyse Zorn Karlin, co-director of The Association for the Study of Jewelry and Related Arts, It will include objects from more than 100 designers and lenders.

The Love that Moves the Sun & the Other Stars ring by Donna Distefano, 22k gold, meteorite and diamond. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

The images in this story include items that are part of the Forbes Galleries exhibition along with other pieces that have crossed my desk under the same theme. 

Moon landing pendant by Van Cleef & Arpels, 1969, yellow gold, ruby. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

Covering a variety of space-related themes through the context of materials and design, the exhibit includes vintage memorabilia and art objects relating to space. Jewelry with space motifs from the Georgian period through contemporary work as well as jewelry made from materials that come from outer space, such as: tektite, meteorite, pallasite, moldavite and moissanite. It will include works by Van Cleef and Arpels, Cartier and Tiffany & Co., along with established jewelry artists. 

Time Traveler Constellation cuff by Jason McLeod, 14k yellow, 18k yellow gold, platinum and turquoise. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

Among the exhibition highlights is the Van Cleef and Arpels’ Tampa Necklace, featuring detachable space-themed component parts, from a private collection. Another item from the famed Parisian luxury jewelry house is the Lunar Landing pendant, which was made to commemorate the first walk in space. Sputnik, Halley’s Comet, moon, star and planet-themed jewelry will also be seen, with abundant examples in fine and costume jewelry.

Horizon Pendant by Jacob Albee, 18k gold, 24k gold, ibeon meteorite, Tahitian pearl, white diamond, champagne diamond. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

There also will be other items that straddle the boundaries of art, jewelry and thematic objects. Among them is an an 18K gold Lunar Landing Module replica created by Cartier, designed to celebrate the first walk by man on the moon. Three of them were created for the astronauts that flew on the Apollo 11 mission and were gifts from Le Figaro newspaper. The one in this exhibition was given to astronaut Michael Collins. 

Rocket ship brooch, unknown maker, 1960s, platinum and diamonds. Lang Antiques, San Francisco. View at Forbes Galleries, March 16 - Sept. 7.

There will also be a unique watch on display made for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which tells the time on Mars. 

Shooting Star by Parulina, champagne diamond pave and 18k gold.

Jewelry that has been flown in outer space includes Ed White II’s West Point ring, worn in space, which will be donated to West Point after the exhibition ends. White is the first person to walk in space. Jewelry worn and flown in space by astronaut Cady Coleman will be on view. Coleman has flown in two space missions, which includes spending 159 days on the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 27. 

Milky Way Collection pendant by Nina Basharova, 18k gold. $2,150 retail.

On loan from Beads of Courage, will be "flown in space" beads. The organization is dedicated to providing programs and support for children coping with serious, life-threatening illnesses. 

Stargazer Pendant by What's Your Sign? 12 diamond "starz" surrounded by a universe of brilliant sapphires (2.2 ctw.) on a sapphire strand. $2,849 retail.

Other items include Donald Claflin’s Man in the Moon clip earrings for Tiffany & Co., which once belonged to Gloria Vanderbilt, as well as Bjorn Weckstrom’s “Princess Leia Necklace,” named because Carrie Fisher wore the same one in the awards ceremony scene in the first Star Wars movie. There also will be jewelry fashioned from materials created for the space race, including pieces made of: polymer, nitinol, dichroic glass, titanium and fiber optic glass.

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes Website.

Read More

September Hong Kong Jewelry Show Opens More Space, Adds More Programs

The dragon dance that opened the 2012 September Hong Kong Fair. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

It’s difficult to imagine the world’s largest jewelry show adding more space but it has. The  September Hong Kong Jewelry & Gem Fair will occupy 135,000 square meters of exhibition space, making it the largest edition ever.

The tradeshow will be held September 11 - 15 at AsiaWorld-Expo for jewelry-making materials and machinery and September 13 -17 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre for finished jewelry. The tradeshow, owned and operated by UBM Asia, will host more than 3,500 exhibitors from 48 countries and regions and is expected to attract around 52,000 visitors from around the world.

Visitor pre-registration is now available by following this link. The fair’s Mobile App is also available for download.

The Trade Buyer ID project was rolled out in June 2012 to make registering at UBM Asia’s jewelry fairs in Hong Kong and China easier. It now allows direct access to all of UBM Asia's jewelry fairs around the world. Instead of getting an admission badge for each jewelry fair, visitors can present the Trade Buyer ID Card and walk directly into their chosen fairs. As of today, over 10,000 jewelry buyers from 92 countries and regions have received Trade Buyer ID Cards.

For those who have yet to upgrade their visitor’s badge, all they need to do is to bring their identity documents and visit the Trade Buyer ID Card service counter at the fair to receive the new card. The new Trade Buyer ID Card is valid until December 2015.

This year, the fair will host 22 group pavilions spanning over two world-class venues. Groups represented are from Antwerp, Brazil, China, Columbia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United States, and the International Colored Gemstone Association. There will also be a bigger antique and vintage jewelry section.

Russia’s Alrosa Group, the world’s biggest diamond miner by volume, will launch its first diamond auction at the tradeshow. In addition, a series of events focused on Japanese pearls will be staged, including pearl seminars and a fair reception, sponsored by the Japan Pearl Promotion Society and the Japan Pearl Exporters’ Association. The Fair will again feature the world’s largest diamond pavilion, Asia’s biggest gemstone marketplace and the biggest display of Hong Kong jewelry in the world.

AWE will display jewelry raw materials from approximately 1,700 exhibitors from around the world, while HKCEC will showcase fine finished jewelry from around 1,900 international fine jewelry exhibitors.

The Fair is open to jewelry trade professionals and members of the press. Free admission will be granted to visitors who present their business cards or official invitation together with Hong Kong Identity Card/ Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macau/ National passport. Visitors under 18 will not be admitted.

Please join me on the Jewelry News Network Facebook Page, on Twitter @JewelryNewsNet and on the Forbes Web site.

Read More