When art meets jewelry

High jewelry is all about art. Especially when world-renowned artists get down to business.

Artists are always on the lookout for new mediums that would allow them to broadcast their vision. Some of them found it in jewelry, which offered an opportunity to break out of the usual and explore new fields.

Salvador Dalí

In 1941 Dalí collaborated with the Italian jeweler Fulco di Verdura on a set of five jewels inspired by mythology and themes of loss and love. Later, Dalí continued to experiment with jewelry design in collaboration with another jeweler, Carlos Alemany. Lips, eyes, melting watches and telephones inspired the artist. 

Anish Kapoor

“I have made jewelry for many years. It is a way of making small objects that are like sculptures on the body.” 

Anish Kapoor creates wearable sculptures – contemporary and organic, his jewels are real masterpieces. His first piece – the Large Water Ring – was created in 2003. Later, Round and Tear-shaped rings appeared, followed by Squared, Rectangular and Crescent ones. The main distinctive features of all the artist’s jewelry are their smooth hypnotizing surface, simplicity and elegance of form. 

Man Ray

Man Ray and the Italian goldsmith GianCarlo Montebello created a number of amazing jewelry pieces in collaboration with each other. For example, famous Pendants Pending – or «the lampshade earrings». 

Georges Braque

At the age of 79, this french artist, known for his fauvist and cubist paintings, started collaboration with a jeweler Heger de Löwenfeld. They created over 100 gold pieces inspired by ancient Greek mythology, birds and fish. 

Jeff Koons

The artist created a platinum rabbit pendant and bracelet for their collaboration with Stella McCartney. This rabbit is a reference to his famous 1986 sculpture. The Rabbit is not only a work that brought Koons to international fame, but also a symbol of prosperity and good luck. 

Meret Oppenheim

In the spring of 1936 Oppenheim proposed the idea of a fur bracelet to fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. A little later, a furry metal cuff was released in that year’s winter collection. We know that Pablo Picasso was very fascinated by the design. 

Yves Klein

In 1956 Yves Klein produced Petite Vénus Bleue – the Venus torso in Klein Blue color that could be worn as a brooch or a pendant. 

Max Ernst 

In the 1960s Max Ernst started a collaboration with his old friend and goldsmith François Hugo. Together they created 34 gold brooches and pendants that resemble masks or faces. 

Jewels made by artists are truly exceptional. Painters and sculptors are free of technical constraints and not restricted in the manifestation of their imagination. This leads to the birth of absolute masterpieces in the jewelry universe. 

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