Affluent Page Presents A True Gem

By Author: John Santos
Total Articles: 40
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Artist and designer Paula Crevoshay's coveted collectables inspire awe in even the savviest of jewelry connoisseurs. It all begins with the heart of her pieces, the center stone from which all the other dazzling stones radiate, like blooms on a branch. Crevoshay's passion for designing jewelry stems from her attraction to all things rare and inherently beautiful. As a painter and sculptor, Crevoshay's approach to creating some of the finest gems begins from the center out, the center being the most brilliant gems available in the world, some of which take years to find and purchase. I connect instantly and actually see the finished piece on many of my purchases, or else just blindly fall in love and tuck it away until the finished piece becomes apparent, muses Crevoshay.

Some of Crevoshay's rare acquisitions include her second natural pearl, which she found in the Sulu Sea in the Philippines. She sold her Celestial Moonbeam ring, at the heart of which sits a gleaming white conch pearl, in June 2010. She admits it was quite a rare piece. I have a top rare natural black pearl from the Sea of Cortez in a ring that fetches ...
... a [top] price due to its quality and unavailability, she says. I also love opal and am known for having exceptionally rare and amazingly fabulous opals in the collection.

Crevoshay's opals are extraordinary. Some of the most incredible are found in Australia's Lightning Ridge. Approximately 90 percent of the opal seen in jewelry, or as loose stones, comes from the various deposits in Australia. The boulder opal from Queensland is another alternative and is more durable and stable due to the iron stone matrix that it merges with the Earth. Both of these varieties thrill me due to their painterly properties. The myriad play of colors inspires and delights the eye, Crevoshay swoons. She also works with Peruvian pink, electric blue, and rare Serbian green opals.

Paula feels strongly about where and from whom she sources her stones. As the luxury market turns more and more toward eco-friendly and socially responsible alternatives, the modern collector is not only looking for quality and rarity but for character, both in the gem and its designer. Crevoshay says, I often know the miners personally, as the globe has grown ever smaller over the decades. Our generation of gem dealers and jewelers has really helped to raise consciousness for improving conditions for the miners and their families. Many are raising funds to benefit some of the regions that really need our help. Her collectors, often bold entrepreneurs, also look for sustainable style. Retaining cultural practices has also been a hallmark of Crevoshay's genius. After spending time in Asia, particularly in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Nepal, Crevoshay studied ancient Asian techniques in the craft and melded those techniques seamlessly with their more modern counterparts. The delicate balance between ancient and modern is something that Crevoshay contemplates on a daily basis. The handiwork on her pieces is the arena where she can truly showcase the value of antiquated practices, affecting both appearance and wearability. A cast piece has a completely different feel from a hand-crafted one and has a completely different look as well. Because forged metal is much stronger than cast, I can design on a large scale without making a piece too heavy to wear comfortably. Hand engravings, versus machine stamping and carving into wax, versus intricately sawing from sheet gold are other examples of techniques that look and feel different.

Crevoshay's treasures retain their special qualities by at once embracing current trends and adhering to classic styles. They reflect the extraordinary, the rare, and the truly fine, whether in bold, screaming colors or ethereal, subtler pieces that seem to glow, simmering over low heat. No matter their nature, all of Crevoshay's confections are forever wearable and highly intricate. Her avid collectors, whom she refers to as angels, look to these details to distinguish a Crevoshay creation from a bevy of imposters. The Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania displays two of Crevoshay's pieces in its permanent collection. One was purchased from an endowment to celebrate the opening of the Wertz Gallery and another was donated to them, Crevoshay elaborates. She has an exhibition slated for 2013-2015 in the Middle East.

Crevoshay's impeccable beauties are available through her website and in New Mexico, where she lives and works. In addition to her unbelievably imaginative jeweled concoctions, she creates custom pieces for every skin tone, bone structure, and style. For a gift that truly speaks from the soul, a Crevoshay is the perfect choice.

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