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Jewelry
designer Margo Manhattan allies a certain Gothic rock' n' roll
sensibility with Upper East Side sophistication, marrying bold
silver settings with an array of semi-precious jewels.
Bursts of color then like flowers against metal-gleam of
silver -- sky-blue of topaz, lovely deep purple of amethyst,
ruby red of enamel...
Perhaps
Manhattan's aesthetic sense was informed by evenings spent
watching her mother Karin von Aroldingen, a principal dancer for
George Balanchine, perform at the New York City Ballet. The
refined elegance of a simple relevé, the exciting whip of
a speedy fouétté, the sensuous fluidity of an arabesque
find themselves mirrored in the subtle pas de deux of
silver on gem, gem against skin.
But
Manhattan also pays homage to the cosmopolis whose name she took
for her own -- her Metro Collection injects a hint of retro
deco flair into a warm evening of Village jazz or a romantic
carriage ride through Central Park, reflecting skyscraper and
moonlight off gems contoured in shimmering sterling. But,
always with an edge, all her work is possessed of a certain
barbaric chic….
Manhattan's
most popular piece, the brash Desire Ring, unites two rows
of facing hearts, a symbolic linking together, yin and yang,
opposite but complementary forces that structure the
universe. Perhaps when the two bands of the desire ring are
worn singly they become a memento of absent love, each half to be
completed by the other. The iconography of the heart goes
back centuries, before Victorian and Catholic representations, to
the Egyptian ib or 'heart soul' -- one of several souls in
traditional Egyptian religion -- perhaps all the way back to the
North African city-state of Cyrene where today's easily
recognizable heart-shape may have first appeared in early
coins. The heart is reincarnated -- made flesh or
symbolically alive again - in this ring from the Passion
collection. The tiny rounded hearts unite into one daring
piece that injects a bit of funk into an otherwise saccharine
conceit. Alliances, hearts, links -- ancient themes for sure
-- but updated and made more brazen, the perfect accessory for a
sophisticated dinner dress or a piece of shiny upscale bling to
accompany streetsmart rap threads. Coup de Coeur!
Links:
margomanhattan.com
Tags:
jewelry
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