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Mother Russia The former Soviet Union is a fertile breeding ground for new jewelry talent Nearly two decades into the great capitalist experiment, Russia and its former republics are a bastion — perhaps the last bastion — of unbridled spending, plunging oil prices and sinking stock markets be damned. It makes perfect sense, then, that on the international scene, Russian jewelers are finally having their moment. From the rebirth of the Faberge brand under new management (scheduled for spring 2009) to the emergence of a new class of designers whose jewels draw on traditionally Russian themes and techniques — skilled enamel work and expert stone-setting, chief among them — the Russian jewelry diaspora is more active than ever. In Los Angeles, M&L Jewelry, founded by brothers Michael and Leon Landver, originally from Kiev, has manufactured a collection of cocktail rings that re-create the cupolas of Red Square and the pillows once used by czarinas to rest their royal feet. Designed by Armenian expat Jirayr Gyurjyan, the dramatic semiprecious stones that make up the collection — picture jawbreaker-sized spheres of faceted quartz and topaz set atop wide 18-karat gold shanks — suggest that the Russian aesthetic is “elegant but also a little barbarian,” says Michael Landver.
70 l Designing the Trends 2008-2009 l COUTURE International Jeweler
Brooklyn-based designer Lena Sklyut, who emigrated from Belarus 16 years ago, would probably agree. Her Julia cuff features a smoky topaz of nearly 500 carats, and conveys in both scale and symbolism an unmistakable sense of power. It’s fitting that her signature motif is a snake, an animal she describes as “elegant, wise and flexible — like all the good parts of a woman.” Equally enticing are the “romantic avant-garde” jewels of Kiev-based Lobortas & Karpova, founded 17 years ago by the husband-and-wife team of Igor Lobortas and Irina Karpova. The company’s collection of one-of-a-kind rings, brooches, necklaces and earrings celebrate Ukrainian culture, as well as the ancient Greek and Byzantine traditions that preceded it. Some pieces incorporate religious icons, like medieval crosses or Stars of David, while others have been designed as objets d’art. A point of pride for Lobortas & Karpova is that all the jewels are handmade, including the enamel series, which takes its inspiration from the enameled eggs designed by Peter Carl Faberge, the legendary jeweler to the czars. “We have spent many years trying to find our own secrets and jewelry techniques,” states the company Web site, “because our main goal is to create things that can be compared with high-class works by Faberge, Cartier, Shlumberger and other jewelry gurus of the past.” Although the faltering economy may slow Russian jewelers’ efforts to go global, appealing to domestic consumers may be the most viable option, given the Russian predisposition to luxury. “These people want the best of the best,” says Dr. Clotaire Rapaille, a cultural anthropologist currently studying what he terms the “Russian code.” “They have no notion of the future, so they don’t have to save. There’s a notion of spending a lot of money to prove you’re alive.” Post-Soviet style Since the Soviet Union’s collapse, Russian-speaking jewelers from its former republics have proven that skilled artisanry didn’t die with it. From top, the Couture Emerald Skin necklace by Lena Sklyut; Tree Cross brooch with diamonds and enamel by Kiev-based Lobortas & Karpova; cocktail rings by M&L Jewelry in Los Angeles; and the Kindest Kind of Dragon ring by Lobortas & Karpova featuring a 44.9-carat amethyst.