Loren Nicole

THE ANCIENT'S DEFENDER

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Loren Nicole at Work Bench creating handmade jewellery

Jun 14^th

Loren Nicole: The Ancient’s Defender

Jun 07^th

Lily Gabriella Fine Jewellery: Honouring a Gemstone

LATEST UNSIGNED JEWELS

Apr 18^th

Emerald Oiling – The Pursuit of Perfection

Mar 18^th

Serpent Rings, an Entrancing Motif

Mar 15^th

What is Tian-tsui? Unique Kingfisher Jewellery

Apr 18^th

Emerald Oiling – The Pursuit of Perfection

Mar 18^th

Serpent Rings, an Entrancing Motif

Mar 15^th

What is Tian-tsui? Unique Kingfisher Jewellery

Mar 12^th

Victorian Sapphire Brooch Pendant

Coral Ring Side

Mar 11^th

Coral Talon Ring: A Drop of the Ocean

Mar 10^th

Falize: An Unmasked Jewel

Apr 18^th

Emerald Oiling – The Pursuit of Perfection

Mar 18^th

Serpent Rings, an Entrancing Motif

Mar 15^th

What is Tian-tsui? Unique Kingfisher Jewellery

Mar 12^th

Victorian Sapphire Brooch Pendant

MEET THE FOUNDER OF PING PONG RING

MEET THE FOUNDER OF PING PONG RING

INSPIRATION

Loren Nicole Granulation. [Link in bio: The Ancien

Loren Nicole Granulation. [Link in bio: The Ancient’s Defender] One of my favourite techniques Loren uses, and probably the most satisfying to watch, is Granulation!
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This technique is believed to have originated in Sumer 5000 years ago. It is a delicate dance of finding the perfect temperature and just the right amount of time to equal a bond. The difficulty of mastering this technique has caused it to become scarcely practiced today. When mastered, it becomes a beautiful element to subtly texture the surface. Finding the unique balance between honouring this ancient technique and making it relevant in today’s modern aesthetic is a skill Loren has certainly mastered.
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Read about more fascinating techniques, and see @lorennicolejewelry latest collection Viking Trove in my editorial, link in bio.
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#gold #goldjewellery #jewellery #jewellerydesign #jewellerydesigner #jewellerylover #jewellerytechniques #granulation

[Link in bio: The Ancient’s Defender] Chasing an

[Link in bio: The Ancient’s Defender] Chasing and repoussé is the most expressive and the newest technique Loren has incorporated into her designs. It is a form of metalworking that has a long history throughout ancient times, but truly found a home in the Florentine region of Italy, where it is practiced by master artisans today. It involves working a sheet of metal from both sides, using a hammer and handmade tools to push forward or raise the design from behind and then shape and refine the details on the front or exterior surface.
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Loren spoke to me on one of her latest bangles, “The Hippo Bangle is one of the most difficult pieces I’ve made to date; created from a single sheet of gold it’s very difficult to get the forms that high without [the sheet] breaking…I spent a good two days moving metal from the outside of the sheet to the centre. Additionally, you begin with the Repousse (working from the reverse) and it can be hard to judge if the piece is where I want it to be before I remove it from the tar and see it for the first time.”
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For more advanced pieces it’s not unusual for Loren to first work in a non-precious metal, such as copper, to work out the most problematic areas. A single bangle will take up to eighty hours of work to complete. But, the process is worth the effort as Loren says, “It’s like magic.”
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Follow the link in my bio to read the complete editorial on @lorennicolejewelry!
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#gold #goldbangle #goldjewellery #lorennicole #jewellery #jewellerydesigner #jewellerydesign #jewellerylover

[Link in bio: The Ancient’s Defender] To quote I

[Link in bio: The Ancient’s Defender] To quote Indiana Jones, “If you want to be a good archeologist, get out of the library!” I wonder if it was these words that echoed through the mind of Loren Teetelli when she set out to create her studio @lorennicolejewelry in California. However, unlike Indiana who hunts for treasure in Amazonian jungles, Loren spends her time digging up lost and dying gold-smithing techniques to bring them back to life through her one-of-a-kind creations.
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While interning at the American Museum of Natural History and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Loren developed her jewellery career by devoting her weekends to gold-smithing courses. Originally intending to grow her understanding of the metal objects at work, her passion for connecting history with jewellery quickly eclipsed her academic path, and she decided to relocate to California to open the Loren Nicole studio. Loren explained, “It really became this place where I get to do everything now. What’s more exciting is that I’m immediately getting to share my knowledge of history with clients and the public; I get to see the excitement as they talk about their trips to Egypt, or about a memory from a childhood school trip…it’s very fun getting people excited about history.”
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Follow the link in my bio to discover the complete a#editorial on @lorennicolejewelry!
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#jewellery #jewelry #handcrafted #handcraftedjewelry #antiquejewellery #jewelrydesigner #jewelleryaddict #jewellerylover #jewellerycollections #jewellerycollector

Let’s discuss this sensational @Cartier necklace

Let’s discuss this sensational @Cartier necklace worn gracefully here by @joanna.y.gong and sold today @sothebysjewels!
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This awe inspiring jewel was created by Cartier Paris in 1915. Its platinum and gold settings are are hold over 58 carats of diamonds, and terminate in a solitaire marquis diamond clasp. While there have been whispers of its provenance across the auction floor, I think this necklace’s story is a bit more interesting when we delve into its design.
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When you think about it, this necklace is actually quite forward for its time. During the Edwardian era, diamond fringe necklaces were very popular — designed with layers of garlands, and set with countless rose, pear, and old cut stones, they were a scintillating delight to the eyes. However, this piece is a strong departure from the typical romantic style, and for good reason too.
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When it was made, WWI had just started and precious metals were being rationed, I’m sure that when Cartier set about designing this piece there was an intentional focus on restraint and discretion, skills which gave birth to a precursor jewel in the Art Deco style.
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Cartier’s elegant use of simple colette galleries and balance of circular and rectangular forms speak to the masterful “Cartier Style” and the pending golden age of Cartier’s work during the Art Deco movement.
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Furthermore, to think that this necklace has survived two world wars and hasn’t been disassembled through generations of owners is pretty incredible, and I’m thankful we are able to view it today and appreciate its textbook beauty and craftsmanship. It’s a true Cartier masterpiece.
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#cartier #sothebys #cartierdiamondnecklace #diamondnecklace #antiquejewellery #artdeconecklace #artdecodesign ##artdecojewelry #antiquejewellery #antiquejewelry

I believe one of the biggest challenges we face as

I believe one of the biggest challenges we face as creatives in the jewellery industry is how to best honour the medium we are working in. From the blank gouache board, to loose gemstones, and un-cast metals we are kept awake at night with endless questions about how a jewel should take form and how to maximize its beauty - all the while remaining true to ourselves and personal design beliefs.
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Enter Lily, of Lily Gabriella Fine Jewellery. Gifted vision from her childhood, gemological education from the GIA (Gemological Institute of America,) and work experience at Christie’s Geneva, I see a rising star of the jewellery industry who is quickly building her notoriety and becoming a leading force.
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Lily creates contemporary designs which come across as both strikingly forward thinking and unconventional, but also warmly familiar and reminiscent of a past era. Her gemstone’s are masterfully set in creations which honour their medium and push the jewellery industry forward.
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Follow the link in my bio to read the complete interview with Lily on how her childhood shaped her dreams, where she goes to feel inspired and so much more!
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#jewellery #jewellerydesign #pingpongstories #lilygabriella #womeninjewellery #jewellerylover #jewellerylove #jewellerycollections

The 1917 Faberge “Tsesarevich Constellation” E

The 1917 Faberge “Tsesarevich Constellation” Egg is the only Imperial Egg never to be completed. In a 1922 letter Faberge head workmaster Franz Birbaum described the piece to Eugene Faberge as “…an egg of blue glass, inlaid with the constellation of the day, on which the Heir apparent was born. The Egg was held up by cupids of silver and clouds of matte rock crustal. If I am not mistaken, inside was a clock with a rotating dial. Production of the Egg was interrupted by the War. The cupids and the clouds were ready, but neither the Egg itself with its inlay nor the pedestal was finished.”
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In 1925, the Egg’s last owner, Agafon Faberge, delivered several dozen Faberge pieces to the academician A.E. Fersman. Among these pieces was the unfinished egg which was not recognized at the time of its donation. It wasn’t until 1999 when Tatiana Fabergé released images she had found of the original sketch for the egg that the Institute realized what was sitting in their archive.
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The egg still resides in the collection of the Fersman Mineralogical Museum in Moscow.
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#faberge #fabergeegg #antiquejewellery #jewellery #missingjewels #hiddentreasure #mystery #missing #sky #nightsky

This was the first image of Faberge’s 1902 Empir

This was the first image of Faberge’s 1902 Empire Egg. The Egg was created in the style of its namesake, and became one of the more controversial eggs after its discovery. Crafted in Nephrite, the egg is embellished with gold, and a diamond crown, additionally, mounted inside were diamond framed miniature portraits.
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This egg was controversial as most experts believed that the egg should contain a portrait of Tsar Alexander III, even though the original bill of sale simply described it as, “Egg, 'Empire', from nephrite, with gold, two diamonds and miniature”. So when this polaroid photo circulated in the 1990’s, most believed it not to be the 1902 Imperial egg. However, the error likely stems from this description, “Egg from nephrite, on a golden base, and with portrait of the Emperor Alexander III in a medallion.” Which came from the Moscow Armoury Inventory.
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After the egg surfaced, it would make its way into a price New York collection where it remains today. Years later in 2015 it would be verified as the true Empire Egg when another description was found by a group of experts studying lists of the personal property from the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna in the Gatchina Palace, “Egg with gold mounts, on two nephrite columns, with portraits of Gr. Dss. Olga Alexandrovna and Duke P.A. Oldenburg inside".
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#faberge #fabergeegg #antiquejewellery #jewellery #jewelleryaddict #jewellerylover #mystery #missing

Believe it or not, what you’re looking at is the

Believe it or not, what you’re looking at is the only photo (if you could call it that) known to exist of Faberge’s 1888 Cherub with Chariot egg! If you swipe left, you will see its partially obscured by the Caucasus Egg, but you can just make out a ghostly reflection of an egg, the wheel, and head of the Cherub.
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Only. Brief hand written description of the egg exists made by N. Petrov, the assistant manager to the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty, it was found in the St. Petersburg Archives in 1984. It describes the object as, “In 1888, Angel pulling chariot with egg-1,500 rubles, angel with a clock in a gold egg 600 rubles.” It would make sense from the description that there is a clock hidden inside the egg as the “surprise.” The egg also appears in both the 1917 and 1922 list of confiscated Imperial jewels.
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Like yesterday’s, the Cherub Egg was likely displayed to the public outside of Russia after the revolution. In 1934 Arman Hammer hosted a travelling exhibition, and tan eerily similar description of the egg appears at the Lord & Taylor sales catalog. The catalog described the piece as, “No. 4524-miniature silver amour holding wheelbarrow with Easter Egg, made by Fabergé, court jeweller. From children’s half of the Alexander Palace. Inventory no. 935.”
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The egg has never been seen since, and it wasn’t until 2007 that its reflection would be noticed by Anna and Vincent Palmade in this 1902 photo of the von Dervis 1902 exhibition. I wonder if the Egg is still in America somewhere just waiting to be discovered?
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#faberge #fabergeegg #antiquejewellery #jewellery #jewelleryaddict #jewellerylover #mystery #missing

The Nécessaire egg of 1889 is probably one of the

The Nécessaire egg of 1889 is probably one of the most interesting missing eggs, mostly because it made a single appearance after the Russian Revolution @wartski1865 in 1949.
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The egg first appears in the 1917 register of confiscated Imperial treasure. It was described as “gold egg/nécessaire, decorated with multi-colored stones and with brilliants, rubies, emeralds and sapphires.” It would also appear in the 1922 register.
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What happened between the revolution and the 1949 Loan Exhibition of the Works of Carl Fabergé at Wartski is pretty unclear. The egg was loaned to Wartski anonymously, and we are treated to a more in-depth description as “a Fine Gold Egg, richly set with diamonds, cabochon rubies, emeralds, a large colored diamond at top and a cabochon sapphire at point. The interior is designed as an Etui with thirteen gold and diamond set implements.” The egg would go on to be sold, “to a stranger” and hasn’t been seen since. See Image 3 for a photo of the egg on display.
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In 2017 an amateur Fabergé sleuth, Kellie Bond found the best image yet found of the Nécessaire Egg (Image 1 and 2.)
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What I find so curious about this piece is that it hasn’t been seen since 1949. I can only assume that either the person who purchased the egg is unaware of its Imperial provenance, or is keeping it hidden for security. Either way, I would love to see this jewel come out of the woodwork for a public exhibit! Why do you think it hasn’t been found? Let me know in the comments!
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#jewellery #antiquejewellery #faberge #fabergeegg #jewelleryaddict #jewelleryofinstagram #russianjewellery #losttreasure #jewellerylover