Look Book

42 | The Jewelr y Book "FLORALS? For spring? Ground breaking." So said Miranda Priestly in e Devil Wears Prada. While there was no mistaking the mixture of condescension and contempt dripping from Meryl Streep's voice when delivering this line, we cannot ignore the fact that some- times a cliché has become a cliché because it's proven itself to be true. In the case of florals being synonymous with spring (April showers bringing May flowers, garden parties, Easter dresses, etc.), it's coded into the way we think. Back in the repressed and very-coded Victorian Era, flowers in jewelry were as much of a semiotic code as handkerchiefs in the leather/cruising scene of the 1970s; communicating the wearer's (or giver's) intentions to those in the know, through the careful use of the variety (and oen the color) of the flower portrayed in the jewelry. Of course, that was nearly 200 years ago. Sure, it's entirely possible that Alexander Laut's Climbing Ivy Earrings represent fidelity; that Austy Lee chose blue for e Iris of Iris Brooch to signify faith and hope; and that Saboo Fine Jewelry's Enamel Pansy and Conch Pearl Earrings and Oscar Heyman's Gold and Platinum Pansy Brooch denote loving thoughts and memories. Or that the innocence invoked by daisies inspired Tonya Farah's Large Daisy Bangle with Diamonds and Christina Alexiou's 5 Flowers Chain Bracelet; and that the pink lotuses in Amrapali London's OOAK Spinel and Diamond Anohki Earrings and Munnu's Lotus Cuff Bracelet are meant to let their respective wearers channel the divine. Oentimes though, a rose is just a rose; whether abstract, as with Jamie Turner's Rose Ring; figural, such as Andreoli's Large Rose Brooch; or hyper-realistically carved from a huge piece of Angelskin coral, like the Large Twig Cuff by K. Brunini Jewels. In fact, I'd wager that in most of the floral-themed designs herein, the flowers signify nothing more than wearable representations of the beauty found in nature. And there ain't no shame in that game. Best of all, nobody ever got hay fever from standing too close to a sparkly flower pendant (because, if they did, you'd find a cut-crystal bowl of Claritin samples on the counter of the Crevoshay booth at COUTURE). ALEXANDER LAUT: Climbing Ivy Earrings featuring Tsavorite Garnets (7.52tcw), set in 18K White Gold. AlexanderLaut.com CREVOSHAY: Passion Flower Pendant featuring 403 Pink Sapphires (23.70tcw) and Green Enamel, set in 18K Gold. Crevoshay.com TANYA FARAH: Large Daisy Bangle with Diamonds featuring Diamonds (3.75tcw) and Emeralds (0.30tcw), with a hinge closure, set in 18K Gold. TanyaFarah.com ARA VARTANIAN: Inverted Black Diamond Bamboo Earrings featuring Brilliant-cut Black Diamonds (3.60tcw) and Brown Diamonds (2.91tcw), set in 18K White Gold. AraVartanian.com CHRISTINA ALEXIOU: 5 Flowers Chain Bracelet featuring 18K Gold oval links with 5 "daisy" links on a chain, with an S-clasp. ChristinaAlexiou.com AIDA BERGSEN: Convolvulus "Opal Salamander" Shoulder Piece featuring Opals (4.70tcw), Tsavorite Garnets (1.42tcw), and Diamonds (1.35tcw), with Coral and Vitreous Enamel, set in 18K Gold. AidaBergsen.com HOWL: Diamond Flower Ring featuring a round Diamond (0.65cts), set in 18K Gold. HandleOnlyWithLove.com RETROUVAI: OOAK Paraiba Tourmaline Modern Love Flower Ring featuring seven Diamonds (0.62tcw), and a Paraiba Tourmaline (0.43cts), set in 18K Gold. Retrouvai.com Florals for Spring? Absolutely! by Michael Shulman C U R R E N T O B S E S S I O N

• Cover