Hard work and a little luck.

AGTA Spectrum 2015- Platinum Honors.© Mimi Favre

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I have won an award! Having entered the AGTA Spectrum Award Competition seven times, my entry for 2015 was awarded Platinum Honors in the Classical category, a distinction from the Platinum Guild of America. I admit…. it feels good! 

The AGTA Spectrum Awards competition was created to promote colored gemstones in fine jewelry. Designers and manufacturers of all levels enter. Many have more resources including access to the newest technology like laser welding and CAD or amazing (expensive) gemstones. It's not hard to feel a bit defeated before starting. Last year I skipped this competition, and I nearly talked myself out of it this time, too. And, like any competition, the process of choosing winners is by nature subjective. 

Nonetheless, I enter for several reasons. Obviously, winners do garner publicity, and recognition is always welcome, but competitions have parameters and deadlines that create a framework, and freedom for the artist to create something of their choice, without the constraints that usually exist when the piece must meet the needs of a customer. So, for me, it’s about the spirit of competition and the personal fulfillment of completing a challenge.

Like many artists, I work alone. I design and make the prototypes in my jewelry. Aside from using some skilled services such as casting, I also do all of the construction and finishing on my work. I bought this group of tourmaline one year ago. I am drawn to green stones and especially the shades found in tourmaline that are found in many colors. I thought the green would show best against white metal. Platinum is the whitest of precious metals and great to work in.

Once I had settled on a long dangle with the two thin marquis stones, I re-arranged the stones over and over.  

 

©Mimi Favre

©Mimi Favre

©Mimi Favre

©Mimi Favre

The olive green stones are pretty, but I decided not to use them. The faceted prasolite did not belong.

Next I fabricated silver setting prototypes. 10mm, 9mm, 8mm  and a marquis setting. These were cast in platinum.

M. Favre

AGTA Spectrum 2015- Platinum Honors. ©Mimi Favre

 

South Sea Pearl & Sapphire Platinum Earrings

Recently, I completed a pair of sapphire and South Sea pearl earrings. What began as 'show and tell' of recent additions to my inventory became a new jewelry project for my friend!

14mm x 16mm baroque South Sea Pearls.

I met this client over a decade ago in a botanical painting class. Our friendship began when we discovered that we had gone to the same art school (different years) and that we had both had a wonderful design teacher there whom we had learned a lot from even though she was a stickler for detail and a tough grader. She had taught both of us design and color theory.

Usually I paint the design when I make a custom piece but in this case my artistic friend knew exactly what she wanted. I had shown the pearls to her after a Tucson buying trip and a few months later she showed me a design with blue stones and yellow gold. She likes dangle earrings and wanted to use sapphires. We met once more after I had procured the sapphires to go over the fine points of the design. It was decided that all white metal, in this case platinum, would compliment the silvery white baroque pearls and cornflower blue sapphires.

For this pair of earrings I made setting models with six prongs to be cast in platinum. The center wire is round platinum stock that I drilled at each end. The earring is flexible  in two places to allow swinging movement . The pearls move side to side.

Mimi Favre Studio

South Sea pearls and sapphires- Platinum. ©Mimi Favre 2011

South Sea pearls and sapphires- Platinum. ©Mimi Favre 2011