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"Jewelers have been mining the past for inspiration since ancient
civilization. When you look at the history of antique jewelry, you see
themes and techniques vanish and then reappear, over and over again, altered
to fit the times. A great example of this exotic style was the wildly
popular Egyptian revival during the 1920’s, responding to the discovery of
King Tutankhamun’s tomb. The likes of Louis Comfort Tiffany, Louis Cartier
and Van Cleef & Arpels created high jewelry, in the finest materials,
setting the global imagination on fire with their reinvention of an historic
theme using contemporary techniques.
My inspiration stems from the architectural aspects of the ruins of the
ancient capitol city, Tikal (dating back to around 350 BC and abandoned in
the 9th century AD). This pre-Columbian Mayan civilization is located in the
archaeological region of the Petén Basin, which is now northern Guatemala.
Consumed by the rainforest, Tikal was “found” again in the 1840’s. The site
is famous for its soaring temples, large royal palaces, residences, gaming
courts and even a jail.
In Plain Sight revives the style of the temple pyramids that are found in
Tikal. From 125 to 230 feet tall, these temple pyramids are made of
limestone and have a stair-step style with a central staircase, carvings and
a flat platform at the top. The central component of the necklace is a
layering of CRAW square shapes, stacked on top of one another, topped with a
CZ platform. The edges have crystal embellishments to “tie” the shapes
together. A peyote stitch bezel around a pear CZ adds the dangling element.
The necklace consists of alternating smaller CRAW squares embellished with
CZ platforms and CRAW squares left plain, ending with a CRAW component that
leads to a flat peyote stitch strap and metal bar clasp.
A Parure, means a set, and In Plain Sight really needed a pair of earrings.
I used the small square CRAW component, the smaller bezeled CZ component and
the pear drop, connected to beautiful CZ set ear wires, for a stunning pair
of earrings."
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