Untamed Encounters: Contemporary Jewelry from Extraordinary Gemstones

Description

Over the years, antique dealer, collector and jewelry lover Mimi Lipton has amassed a remarkable collection of uncut precious and semi-precious stones, coral and pearls, as well as antique pieces of carved amber, ivory and bone. Now, in collaboration with jewelers Ram Rijal, Daniel Azaro, Nan Nan Liu, Ornella Iannuzzi, Disa Allsopp, Helga Mogensen and Syann van Niftrik, these original elements have been transformed into more than eighty unique pieces of jewelry that evoke journeys to the furthest corners of the world, from rings of Madagascan demantoid, Ethiopian opals and Dinka ivory to necklaces of carved Baltic amber, Chinese jade and Colombian emeralds. This stunning book is a joyous celebration of the natural form: gemstones are valued for their raw beauty, freshwater pearls are prized for their unusual shapes and black coral is left to curve sinuously, while antique ethnic carvings become the centrepiece of new, unexpected designs. Luxuriously photographed by Noelle Hoeppe, the finished pieces are showcased in all their glorious originality, with imagination, individuality and craftsmanship reigning supreme. Whether inspired by the raw contours of the gemstones or the pieces of antique ethnic jewelry that are their starting point, these are transformational works of sculptural, organic drama, as timeless as they are contemporary.

Mimi Lipton was born in Austria and educated in Belgium and England. She was closely involved in the research and realization of the exhibition and book Peoples of the Golden Triangle. Her other publications include a book on Himalayan gold jewelry and one on oriental style. Collecting and making jewelry has been one of her great passions.

'Sumptuously photographed ... if you love sculptural, natural, organic, dramatic jewelry, this one's for you.' - The Jeweller