In 2004, Ettore Sottsass, the Italian architect and designer, was asked to curate Cartier’s vaults of vintage jewels, clocks, watches, pens and other goodies and handpick items for an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.
And in that exhibition’s catalog, Ettore Sottsass commented on the power of adornment:
“Tens of thousands of years ago, women and men already adorned their bodies with necklaces and markings…
Shiva is one of three major gods in the Hindu religion and his role is Destroyer of the Universe (but only so the universe can be recreated).
When he’s depicted as a man, he’s usually shown holding a trident, with three stripes of ash across his forehead to hide his third eye, and a cobra around his neck.
The cobra, which is able to shed its skin,…
I’ve only just begun reading Susan Freinkel’s timely book, Plastic—A Toxic Love Story, and I’m already enthralled.
For instance, did you know we’ve produced as much plastic in the past decade as we did in the ENTIRE twentieth century?
But what’s most disturbing is that unlike metal, glass and paper, which can truly be recycled without adding new materials, plastic can’t.
Melting plastic for recycling damages plastic’s polymer…
Miriam Haskell opened her first retail boutique in 1926 at the McAlpin Hotel in NYC. Named Le Bijou de l’Heure, which, if my high school French still serves me, roughly translates as “the Jewel of the Hour,” the boutique was filled with her spectacular custom-made creations.
Catering to the best-dressed society women of the day, Miriam attracted many fans including Coco Chanel and later, Lucille Ball,…
I’ve recently been spending my evenings with David Bennett’s and Daniela Mascetti’s irresistible tome, Understanding Jewellery. It’s 496 pages of pure jewelery delight written by two Sotheby’s experts and filled with 919 of the most drool-worthy pictures of jewelry you’ll find anywhere.
And get this: each image has been taken to show the piece of jewelry at its actual size. Now THAT is what I call…
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