DESIGNER JEFFREY APPLING – ‘THE REBEL OF LUXURY’ Californian jewellery designer Jeffrey Appling is known as ‘The Rebel of Luxury’. He is one of the world’s leading designers working with gemstones today. His high-end, one of a kind designs are housed in museums and gather respected awards within the industry. Pushing the boundaries of what can be done with gemstones is a passion displayed in every one of his creations. His key pieces excite and tempt with their exotic flair and surprising affordability. Jeffrey sees all his pieces as art first and jewellery second. Using the precious gifts of nature as his paint and canvas, he strives for complete uniqueness that is wearable and has a high compliment count! The pieces we have selected for our collection ‘RINGS THAT ROCK’ let the wearer show they have attitude without the cliché.
RINGS THAT ROCK ‘KICK START HER HEART’ – The terminology originates from Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue’s song ‘Kick Start My Heart’. It almost describes what will happen when the ring is gifted! The anatomy of human hands and bone structure, have never been perfected in jewellery – until now. Not only are the details in these rings anatomically correct, they are to scale! One side of the ring is polished and the other is textured to allow the ring to be worn different ways, giving a new look and feel each way it is worn. The Metal Horns are instantly recognizable and give a ‘Rock n Roll’ feeling to the ring. They also mean ‘I love you’ if the thumb is kept in. The two fingers holing the other side of the stone were used as a ‘peace’ sign by the hippies or rock, but turned the other way was as an offensive gesture in the UK! The silver in these rings has a minute amount of the element Germanium to make the silver resistant to tarnish – an Appling imperative! The centre stone is an 8mm faceted Black Onyx. There are two faceted 4mm round Garnets, one each side. One side of the ring is bead blasted for a contrasting finish. With the Diamond option, all the diamonds are SI-2 clarity with a total weight of 0.9 carats. They are NOT chips – each has the 57 facets – the same as would a 1.00 carat diamond! ‘BAD ASS’ – the name ‘American Bas Ass’ came from Kid Rock. Now bad ass is an international concept, not just American, and we want to capitalize on the fact that a lot of people wish they were bad asses. They may not have a motorbike or be a true rebel, but they can buy the ring and be part of the sister/brotherhood. Represent! The bullet is not about guns, it’s about attitude and heartfelt expressionism. They can simply point to what is says on the back of the bullet casing and say “because that’s how I feel – like a BAD ASS”. A gold bullet was chosen as silver bullets are so cliché and associated with Werewolves and The Lone Ranger. Solid gold is unique and LUXURY.
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The ring uses the same non tarnish silver as the Kick Start Her Heart Ring. The heavy solid 18 karat bullet has a SI-2 .08 carat diamond in the tip and the tip is bead blasted to make it “pop”! The centre stone is faceted black Onyx. ‘SURFER RING’ – this is a ring not directly aimed at surfers, the name is just a hook. People ‘surf’ the net or ‘channel surf’. The inspiration and the soul of these rings comes from the soul searching long board surfers of the 1960’s and 70’s. The crest and trough shape surrounding the pearl can represent the patterns in life – or waiting for that perfect wave. The cool neon colours come from Jeffrey’s experiences in the 1980’s during his gemological training in Santa Monica. It was where he was exposed to everything neon from stickers, zinc cream, Oakley sunglasses to Body Glove swimwear and more. These rings evoke a personal response. Surfer rings are made to anatomically fit the shape of the human finger with a cushion shape – yet another unique Appling innovation - making them the most comfortable ring you will wear. They can be flexed in or outward to fit the individual, so no ring sizing is needed. Powder coating on jewellery is very rare due to its difficulty, to which Jeffrey just sees as a delicious challenge! The coating flexes with the ring and is designed to wear off over time, giving each ring a finish as unique as the wearer. Each ring has two genuine, unique, luxury pearls set into the ring.
You can find examples of Jeffrey Appling’s work on his following websites: www.jeffreyappling.com and www.ringsthatrock.com and www.jeajewelry.com
JEFFREY APPLING’S IS NOW INTRODUCING HIS “RINGS THAT ROCK” TO NEW ZEALAND – HE WILL START OFF WITH THE KICK START HER HEART RANGE , THE SURFER RINGS AND THE BAD ASS RINGS – HE PLANS TO INTRODUCE HIS COMPLETE NEW RANGE OF JEWELLERY IN 2011. His rings are available online via www.ringsthatrock.co.nz and at Scooter e Motion, 102 Newton Road, Newton. Retail inquiries: please email gnclassics@hotmail.com PUBLISHED FIRST FRIDAY EACH MONTH (except January)