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| Gems & Jewelry |
Tomorrow's Classics
Jill Newman
08/02/2004
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When assessing a
collectible, jewelry historian and advisor Joyce Jonas asks herself, “Does the
piece make my heart pound?” She looks for uniqueness, beauty, quality and
proportion. “Above all, a piece must exhibit grace,” she explains. “The old
French jewelers are still desirable, even today, because their designs exemplify
beauty, grace and fluidity.”
 | | MICHELLE ONG, necklace. |
Only a small group of designers is willing to
invest the time and money it takes to produce a mere sprinkling of masterpieces
each year, balancing the demands of artistic cachet against those of the
marketplace. An overexposed designer can easily diminish in both appeal and
value. “As the legendary jewelry houses seek wider distribution and exposure, it
builds an even greater desire among sophisticated consumers to uncover the
uniqueness and personalization found in the smaller, lesser-known jewelry
houses,” observes Peter Shemonsky, jewelry department director for Bonhams &
Butterfields. “When a woman puts on her jewels, she doesn’t want to see them on
anyone else. She desires a jewel that is recognizable, but that is completely
her own.”
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