Letizia Plankensteiner’s Imperfect Jewelry

Letizia Plankensteiner’s œvre is a testament to the natural world, its subtle lines and simple forms. It is the perfect refuge from the overly perfected and overly engineered aesthetics we have become privy to in the 21st century. Sculpting and molding recycled and fair trade silver and gold metals, is a constant, as Letizia Plankensteiner […]

Malachite

An observant and deliberate painter, Vermeer produced only 36 known works in his lifetime, while many of his contemporaries completed hundreds. Like his peers, he mostly depicted scenes of ordinary life, later called “genre” painting, often of women at daily tasks. Notable examples include Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window (c. 1657) and […]

The D-to-Z of Diamonds

An observant and deliberate painter, Vermeer produced only 36 known works in his lifetime, while many of his contemporaries completed hundreds. Like his peers, he mostly depicted scenes of ordinary life, later called “genre” painting, often of women at daily tasks. Notable examples include Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window (c. 1657) and […]

Angels’ Tears or Gems of the Ocean

Of delicate beauty, extreme rarity and immense value, pearls have always been objects of desire. Back in antiquity, people went pearl hunting in the Persian Gulf in search of pearls of superlative quality. After Alexander the Great conquered Persia, they also made their way to Europe. In the course of time, pearls have become shrouded […]

Max Ernst, the Würth Collection

Max Ernst The Würth Collection 18 July 2020 through 17 January 2021 Parts of Max Ernst’s biographical notes are fictitious, and he always remained ironically detached from his own works and techniques. His pictures feature figurative elements as well as imaginary forms, and his works have been created from mixed media. Max Ernst was a […]

The History of Jewelry

The earliest jewelry known to mankind was created by Neanderthal living in Europe. Some 115,000 years ago, perforated beads made from tiny Nassarius sea shells were discovered in the Cueva de los Aviones, a cave located on the southeast coast of Spain. In Enkapune Ya Muto, Kenya, beads constructed from pierced ostrich egg shells were […]

Rise of Constantine the Great

A melting pot of jewelry influences, originating with Constantine the Great and the Eastern Roman Empire in Byzantium to Northern Europe, Southern Europe, the Black Sea, Pannonia and south of the Alps. No matter the location, jewelry has often been a subject of luxurious tastes and aristocracy, imperial courts and honorary gifts of merit, as […]