Couture, the US’s noted international fine jewellery and watch fair at the Wynn, Las Vegas, celebrated its twenty-first year at the start of summer. International powerhouse brands aside, Couture has always sought to support the new breed of designers who might struggle to stand out at bigger international shows. As such, the Couture Design Atelier section is a choice pick of widely known names and offbeat brands. There’s an impressive show of specialist collectives, too – Muse Showroom, Rainbowwave and Stephen Webster’s Rock Vault among them. Overall the annual Las Vegas event is boosting its position as the go-to global platform for an international independent designer jewellery edit. Not only does it present a well-considered mix of new design thinking, it marks out those savvy designers aiming to take their brands beyond the maker’s studio and onto the world stage. Here’s a taste of what we saw…
Carole Le Bris Perez: She studied sculpture in New York in the 1990s and as the wife of sculptor and painter Enoc Perez, both the city and her favourite artists are creative fuel for Carole Le Bris Perez. Her witty jewellery designs are as nicely crafted as you’d expect of precious pieces and her Picasso earrings and Basquiat rings don’t take their eponymous inspirations too seriously. Nor do they seek to imbue them with empty academic meaning. Hence they work exactly as they should – as brilliant little jewels, not art
Raphaele Canot: Her previous design roles at two major houses – Cartier and de Beers – set Canot on the right road to creating her eponymous brand. Her respect for and understanding of precious materials and classic design codes is evident: she admits to a perennial love-affair with diamonds and there’s a Cartier-esque Deco feel in her approach. But, free from the constraints of megabrand expectations, Canot’s dainty wit reigns supreme in her ever-stylish eponymous designs
Deborah Pagani: American society hostesses did as much as Hollywood stars to promote fine and high jewellery as everyday wear. And this year Deborah Pagani pays homage with her ‘Americana’ collection, in which she seeks to highlight the ‘American style of timeless quality’ in blue sapphires and white gold. As such she cites the casual glamour of elegant Americans such as Nan Kempner, Lee Radziwill and Babe Paley as inspiration. The collection is billed as ‘contemporary classic’, an often misappropriated and clichéd phrase in design terms but Pagani’s clean, classic take and healthy disregard for fashion trends renders her beautiful take exactly that
Arman Sarkisyan: There’s a distinct Los Angeles vibe to Arman Sarkisyan’s baroque style but more so, it is defined by the Eastern European jewellery handcrafted traditions that he inherited from his father, a master jeweller working in Armenia and Russia, and whom he still consults today. These include exceptional metalwork, precious and semi-precious material mixes, clashing cultural references and a joyfully complex spirit. And that’s just for starters
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