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Art or craft? japanese high jewelry

2019.10.2

1. The beginning of a 100-year story woven by Japan's leading jeweler "Gimmel"

"Lotus" is a pavé brooch that can be said to be the true essence of Gimel. This piece perfectly harmonizes the Western jewelry technique of pavé setting with the essence of the East. The motif is nature, which can be said to be Gimel's signature. brooch. Pt950, K18 yellow gold, pink diamond, colorless diamond, demantoid garnet, sapphire, spinel, beryl. Not for sale

European and American high jewelry is said to be characterized by its dynamic design and craftsmanship. On the other hand, Japanese jewelry has a design that embodies a ``delicate'' sensibility and a refined technique of ``precision.'' The brilliance of Japanese high jewelry, which is considered both art and craft, creates jewelry that seems to penetrate the soul. Premium Japan will introduce carefully selected brands.

Infusing eternal life into jewelry based on the “100-year plan”

``Gimel'' is not old, having been founded in 1974, but it is one of Japan's leading jewelry brands. Representative Kaoru Akihara set a goal of a ``100-year plan'' when launching the brand. That's because he thought it would take 100 years for them to be recognized as a brand. However, Akihara's prediction was wrong in a positive direction. At the 2000 auction held at Sotheby's Geneva entitled "Au Courant" (meaning the flow of the times), he was featured as one of 11 designers from around the world. Since jewelry originally came from the West, it is not easy for oriental jewelers to gain recognition in the historic world of European jewelry. However, Gimmel's sensibilities, which were not found in Western brands, and the extremely delicate craftsmanship, convinced European jewelry authorities.

A "turtle" brooch designed using the special crystals of "Trapiche emerald". A "turtle" brooch designed using the special crystals of "Trapiche emerald".

A "turtle" brooch designed using the special crystals of "Trapiche emerald". It is extremely rare to find crystal patterns that appear so clearly. brooch. Pt950, Trapiche emerald, emerald, diamond, alexandrite. Not for sale

The basis of Gimel's jewelry is a technique called pave setting. Pavé, as the name suggests in French, is a method of fastening gemstones tightly together in a precious metal frame, similar to cobblestones, and was often used in Art Deco jewelry back in the day. As you can see from Gimel's masterpiece "Lotus", it is extraordinary that the stones are set in such an orderly manner and that the natural gradations from colorless and transparent diamonds to pink diamonds or green demider garnets are expressed. It cannot be achieved through effort. This is only possible when the color, shape, and technique of the gemstone come together.


"Torchbearer" brooch. Pt950, K18 yellow gold, spinel, diamond. 2,200,000 yen excluding tax "Torchbearer" brooch. Pt950, K18 yellow gold, spinel, diamond. 2,200,000 yen excluding tax

"Torchbearer" brooch. Pt950, K18 yellow gold, spinel, diamond. 2,200,000 yen excluding tax

"Ruggerman" brooch. Pt950, K18 yellow gold, diamond, ruby, yellow diamond. 4,000,000 yen excluding tax "Ruggerman" brooch. Pt950, K18 yellow gold, diamond, ruby, yellow diamond. 4,000,000 yen excluding tax

"Ruggerman" brooch. Pt950, K18 yellow gold, diamond, ruby, yellow diamond. 4,000,000 yen excluding tax
The beauty of this brooch lies in the fact that the diamonds are cut according to the design, and the required size and number of baguette cuts are made. The detailed production is also attractive, such as using ruby ​​to represent the uniform and spinel to represent the torch.

Gimel's standards for selecting diamonds are extremely strict and are well known in the jewelry industry. The ``Calibre cut'' is used for the pin brooches for athletes produced for the Tokyo Olympics. This is a method of cutting and setting gemstones according to a design, and is usually avoided because it involves cutting down and shaping large gemstones, which is wasteful. The sublime brilliance can be said to be the result of immeasurable precision work.

 

(Titles omitted)

Text by Ikuko Watanabe (INK inc.)
Photography by © Gimel Trading co.,ltd.

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