Australian jewellery designers are making their mark on catwalks, the big screen and the red carpet. Brenda Christian reports on the state of their art.
It’s listed in Guinness World Records as the most valuable piece of jewellery ever created for a modern movie and Nicole Kidman thought it was the most incredible necklace she’d ever seen. But what many people don’t know is that the extraordinary $2m platinum and diamond choker, Satine – named after Kidman’s character in the film Moulin Rouge – was designed by an Australian.
Sydney jeweller Stefano Canturi crafted the ornate necklace, made with 1308 diamonds and weighing a whopping 134 carats, over 12 weeks using 100-year-old jewellery techniques. The coverage Satine received saw Canturi become a favourite of the Hollywood set and led to him designing more jaw-dropping sparklers for the silver screen, for such blockbusters as The Matrix and Australia. It also spurred jewellery connoisseurs to explore Australia’s design pedigree.
Sydney’s Nicola Cerrone has been promoting Australian jewellery excellence for years, working with Austrade to organise exhibitions overseas to get the message across.
“People now understand we don’t just have kangaroos and koala bears in this country, we also have some very talented people,” Cerrone says.
Talented people such as Cerrone himself, who dazzled at the De Beers Diamonds International Awards in 1998 with his winning creation: an 18ct white gold, 99.69ct diamond-encrusted Elizabethan ruff, worth $586,000. He has also designed everything from a diamond-encrusted bikini (worn by Tara Moss and Sarah O’Hare) to a 598ct pink amethyst necklace. “It’s a bit like Champagne,” he says. “You can’t drink Champagne every day. You can’t wear this type of thing every day. It must be for a specific time, a specific event. That’s what jewellery’s all about.”
Queensland’s John Calleija is also known for his singular creations such as the Virtual Eros white-gold facemask, peppered with 219 brilliant-cut diamonds, which won him the De Beers Diamonds International Award in 2000. Valued at more than $490,000, it’s a unique yet wearable objet d’art, although Calleija says no matter what the offer, he won’t sell: “Ten years down the track it is still being recognised, having just featured on the cover of a UK magazine and recently been worn by alt-rock princess Peaches in her new video clip.”
In 2008, Calleija gave new meaning to “sparkling wine” when he designed two handcrafted pink and white diamond-encrusted Champagne glasses to toast the opening of his new London boutique. A-listers were atwitter at the $400,000 flutes, which were crafted using 1700 diamonds – including 15 carats of white diamonds and six carats of Argyle pink diamonds, 18 carats of platinum white and rose gold and hand-carved quartz rock crystal.
Many international jewellery houses are adding cachet to their collections by collaborating with “starchitects” such as Zaha Hadid, but are Australian jewellers following suit?
Kailis’ Simon Henderson doesn’t rule it out. “There has always been a crossover from aspects of design and the arts into jewellery,” he says.
John Calleija agrees: “I feel those who are creative in their chosen field certainly have the ability to cross over into other industries and can often bring a fresh approach. So, just as I would love to design other things, I wouldn’t object to other creative minds dabbling in my field. I’d never say collaboration is out of the question. I encourage anything that will broaden my scope, experience and horizons in design.”
Earlier this year Gary Coffey, creative director of Giulians, launched an opal collection in partnership with fashion designer Linda Jackson. The flamboyant Jackson worked with Jenny Kee in the 1970s and became hooked on opals in the ’80s when she visited Lightning Ridge in the lead-up to an opal-inspired fashion show with Kee. The showstopper of Giulians’ nine-piece sterling silver and yellow gold collection is a large opal pendant featuring a map of the south Queensland opal mining town of Quilpie etched on the 22ct gold.
Michael Neuman from Mondial Neuman Jewellers is another who believes an artistic alliance can be advantageous. He teamed up with Indigenous designer Alison Page to create a contemporary range of Aboriginal jewellery called Diamond Dreaming, using natural coloured diamonds and precious metals.
“I had always wanted to create a range of Aboriginal-inspired jewellery, but only if it could be done with a level of authenticity,” Neuman says. “I didn’t want to be just another white guy ripping off Indigenous motifs. So I waited for years and then I saw Alison as a judge on The New Inventors and discovered she had a background in Aboriginal design, so I asked her to work with me to create a unique range of jewellery.”
The pièce de résistance of the collection is Totem, an 18ct white, rose and yellow gold necklace set with three graduating round, brilliant-cut, natural cognac -colour diamonds, which won an award at the Jewellers Association of Australia’s Jewellery Design Awards in September 2008. Meanwhile, over at the ateliers of Cerrone, Paspaley, Kailis and Canturi, the approach remains singularly shiny.
Paspaley Pearls
Jürgen Kammler
Career highlight? “Working with Catherine Martin to ensure the jewellery was perfect for Nicole Kidman in the movie Australia. The Paspaley South Sea pearl and diamond earrings are classic and extremely elegant.”
The philosophy behind the brand? “The pearl is the hero of the jewellery. We apply this design philosophy to all our collections, whether they are small, simple pendants or the most intricate high-end pieces.”
The inspiration? A quick look at previous collections such as Embrace the Sea, Stellar and Paradis shows that nature is the most important source of design inspiration. “But inspiration comes from everywhere. Two years ago, we were inspired by all the sweet things Europe has to offer, reflected in the Dolce collection. The initial spark for the Ribbon collection came after watching one of our salespeople skilfully tying a beautiful ribbon on a customer’s jewellery box.”
What excites you? “Our new collection, Flutter by Paspaley. We have created an extraordinary effect by layering citrine and blue topaz over pavé-set diamonds. It plays with colour again in a very vibrant and refreshing way.”
Cerrone Jewellers
Nicola Cerrone
Famous for? Winning more than 50 design awards and draping countless celebrities – including Barbra Streisand, Claudia Schiffer, Teri Hatcher and Jennifer Hawkins – in jewels.
Career highlight? Designing the three spectacular sacred vessels for the Pope for his World Youth Day visit to Australia last year. The pieces included a silver chalice, paten (communion plate) and a ciborium with an original design inspired by native Australian flora, enriched by precious gold motifs and Australian cognac and pink diamonds, valued at $150,000.
What’s hot? “In the past couple of years, coloured stones and innovative shapes have made an impact,” Cerrone says. “We use black diamonds, new stones such as tanzanite from Africa, and other beautiful stones from Afghanistan, Colombia and Brazil, that were not available previously.”
What’s new? Last month’s opening of a new flagship store in Sydney’s Martin Place – “the Via Condotti of Sydney” – displaying some of Cerrone’s heritage pieces, alongside pieces from the Passione 2009 collection.
Canturi
Stefano Canturi
Famous for? Designing one-off pieces for The Matrix, Moulin Rouge and Australia, and his fluid, contemporary cubist designs worn by celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Kylie Minogue.
Signature look? One based on elements inspired by art deco and cubism. “I am inspired by different things, like the avant-garde mood of the cubist art movement. I don’t look at a butterfly and say I am going to replicate that in gold and diamonds. It’s more about my experiences. When I first walked through Manhattan, the beautiful art deco buildings, and the energy I felt from the city and the people, inspired my Metropolis collection.”
State of play? Canturi opened a Las Vegas branch last year and launched a New York salon in July. “I’ve had a lot of US clients who kept insisting I open in New York and we’ve been building up for this opening for the past 10 years. Certainly things aren’t what they were a few years ago, but I believe the economy has stimulated a redefinition of luxury as it used to be, when it was all about the artistry. The store as a gallery displaying unique and meaningful pieces is where I believe luxury shoppers seek their exclusive experiences.”
What’s new? The Regina collection, which continues the cubist theme with a palette of white gold, white diamonds and Australian black sapphires. “I use precise engineering and articulation to ensure all the pieces in my collections have an organic feel.”
Kailis
Simon Henderson
Your first project? Henderson was 10 when he discovered some discarded copper wire. “Initially I created pieces with materials I had at hand; today I have access to amazing pearls, gems and precious metals and have no need to improvise. However, if the right opportunity came up for the right piece, I would gladly reach for the copper wire again.”
Who do you design for? “I design for everybody. People who love beauty and appreciate design come from all walks of life. [But] the Kailis woman has an innate sense of herself; she has substance and depth and appreciates the unassuming and very personal quality of our pearl jewellery. Our jewellery makes her feel beautiful and gives her a sense of joy.”
The look? “Contemporary fresh modern jewellery [available at Sydney’s Musson Jewellers, The Perth Mint and Melbourne’s Rutherford] where the pearls speak. It’s a modern take on traditional pearl jewellery. The pearl is revered.”
What’s new? “The Luminesse collection. We wanted to encapsulate and enhance the illuminating effect pearls have on a woman’s complexion; 18ct white gold and sparkling white diamonds set our mesmerisingly white pearls to reflect light in designs that are playful with movement, sensual with form and always contemporary yet classic.”
Favourite pieces? “In the latest collection, Luminesse, I am drawn to the Shine ring as it epitomises the Kailis design philosophy – it is beautiful and has simplicity of form – and the Motion earrings for their playfulness and versatility.”
Source: Qantas The Australian Way October 2009