16 ~ Sunday, July 28, 1991 - North Shore News FASHION STATEMENTS NO LONGER does good taste dictate that real dia- monds are strictly for “after five,”’ that pearls are predictably strung on_ str- ings, and that wearing gold implies a simple wedding band or earring stud. For the °90s, the best jewelry injects the precious with the capricious and is called ‘bridge jewelry."’ The boundaries are blurred between fabulously fake and fine formal wear in bridge jewelry, which is designed to ‘“‘bridge the gap’’ between costume and genuine gems. Women are now reaching for investment jewelry that reflects their personality and their mood instead of the tine of day. They are choosing semi-precious high fashion jewelry over costume pieces because it has more lasting quality, and instead of traditional fine jewels because it is more wearable, and has greater impact. These works of wearable art are 100% genuine. They incorporate 14 K and 18 K gold (14 karat is 58.5% gold and 18 karat is 75% gold), small diamonds, cultured pearls, sterling silver and semi- precious stones. Colorful stones such as deep blue lapis, green malachite, tourmaline in a variety of translucent shades including salmon and watermelon, pink rhodonite, black onyx, jade, rose quartz, and amethyst are inter- preted in a variety of shapes. Large geomeiric or free form brooches, neck cullars, individu- alistic rings, and dramatic earrings are textured with metals in bur- nished or molten effects. Some pieces have interchangeable semi- precious stones for versatility, others incorporate found objects or antique jewelry pieces for all- occasion wear. They mix gold and silver with other metals for different colors. Colors do not reflect its value, color merely depends on the alloy used, When silver is added to gold the result is green gold. Copper, nickel and zinc mixed with gold produces white gold. Yellow gold has copper and silver added, and pink gold has copper added. Two fine jewelry firms that have introduced creative high fashion to their designs are Rudi Peet Goldsmith and Swedish Jewellers. Rudi Peet is a well-respected goldsmith living in North Van- couver who creates his designs and sells from his boutique in The Landing in Gastown. Peet's jewelry is inspired by the organic forms and shapes found in nature. He likes the harmony and beauty of nature, and things that ‘‘have substance.’’ He enjoys cars and other aspects of design which are created ‘‘with people in mind and work well that way." He states, ‘tI do not like overly graphic, monumental designs (or people) that are done for effect.”” Peet prefers round, smooth shapes to square angular ones for women’s jewelry because they are more true to the body’s shapes and therefore enhance a woman more. He takes special care in designing for the personality and lifestyle of the particular client because he wants others to be able to see the whole picture, not just the ornamentation on the woman. Born in the Netherlands, Peet was European-trained and estab- lished a reputation for meticulous craftsmanship. He emigrated to Canada in 1974, moved to Van- couver in 1987 and opened Rudi Peet Goldsmith. As well as being exhibited in major galleries and acclaimed in national magazines, Peet has won several awards. In 1985, he was presented the coveted DeBeers Diamonds Today Award for an innovative ring using meteorite and diamonds, and in 1989 he won the award again for a ring featuring one ‘‘NMoating’’ diamond on a wave of gold. Some of Peet’s most pro- vocalive pieces include a woman's collar necklace which has a yellow and white gold band finished with a slab of meteorite, which has a burnished silver lock. ft is ac- cented with a collage of cultured pearls and five or 10-point dia- monds. Geometric cuff links and asymmetrical rings are also made from meteorite. A large pendant on a gold chain is highlighted by a slice of FASHION Works of wearable art photos submitted amolite, which is a rare and col- orful stone taken from the fossil of a snail found only in Alberta. The fossil surface is similar to an opal or bright mother of pearl. Curved and folded gold creates the background for this unique stone. Peet uses sterling silver in an unusual anti-clastic method of JEWELRY for the ‘90s bridges the gap between costume and genuine gems. At left, is a Mabe Pear! necklace with pearl “enhancer’’ from Swed- ish Jewellers, well known for its fine quality jewel- ry. Above, a Rudi Peet creation: a pendant made with semi-precious stones. Peet's designs are inspired by nature’s organic shapes and forms. Bottom left is another creation from North Vancouver goldsmith Peet. Women are looking for Invest- ment jewelry that reflects their personality and mood rather than pieces worn for certain times of the day. making jewelry. For a large solid bracelet, a strip of the silver is continuously hammered only one way so that the edges fold over in the opposite direction. It results in an unfinished cylinder with jagged edges. The piece is oxidized on the inside to give it a burnished cen- tre, Peet also works with the sculptures of Thomas McPhee, a renowned gem carver from Bowen Island who creates miniature works of art from semi-precious stones. Intricate faces which are inspired by Greek and Renaissance images and animals are etched and shaped from stones that may be the size of a fingernail. Rudi Peet Goldsmith is current- ly showcasing pieces by McPhee in moonstone, black jade, lapis, citrene, watermelon turmaline which is translucent pink with a natural bright green edge, and agate, which layers different col- ors of rock so that the surface carving is one color while the background remains another. Peet will encase the stone with gold and jewels in a ring setting, a pendant or as a brooch which enhances the sculpture. A major portion of Peet’s work is custom pieces for clients, and some of the requests are rather eccentric. One couple commis- sioned him to create engagement and wedding bands covered with large carved and jeweled straw- berries. Swedish Jewellers is well known for its distinctive and fine quality jewelry which is most often created by the retailer's own de- signers. The 40-year-old firm is owned by West Vancouver resi- dent Helen Stewart. Scottish born, Stewart moved to Canada in 1961, and purchased the company in 1970. Stewart, who now has stores in Park Royal, Pacific Centre and in Bellevue Square, WA, explains that most gemstones are bought unset, so the shape and color of the stones can inspire their own setting and end use. She allows ihe staff of her stores to take part in designing the jewelry, according to customer demand. The firm travels to Italy, Belgium and Switzerland to import unique pieces and to keep abreast of the trends. Stewart feels that Swedish Jewellers’ specialty, other than for personalized wedding rings, is high end bridge jewelry that is very versatile. “We focus on interchangeable Pieces that can be mixed and mat- ched,”’ she says. The store sells Mabe pearls, large non-uniform pearls with a flat back, that are made into “‘enhances,”’ clip-on pieces set in 18 K gold which can be changed from a pendant on a necklace to earrings. Earring jackets have been in- . troduced for casy coordinating. Fashionable gold settings are made with interchangeable studs for a variety of earring designs. Studs, which are semi-precious or Precious stones, can simply be removed to change the color of the jacket. Innovative pendants have large, removable discs made from semi-precious stones. Inter- changeable discs range from quartz marbled with silver veins to private collectors’ ancient coins dating from 2006 BC, to carved Indian water emeralds accented with mother of pearl. Carol Crenna’s quick snips Giove For Men A new outlet in The Landing, 375 Water St., opened on June 18, It showcases Italian menswear designs by Valentino, Versace, Ferre and Massimo Osti. Situated one block from Leone on Water Street, the store now competes with that retailer for its couture Versace jean sales, though it also carries men’s wear lines not available at Leone. Suit jackets, shirts and pants by Massimo Osti and baseball jackets, cotton sweaters and polo shirts by Valentino represent a large portion of the current stock. An olficial opening has been planned for September. Morton expands Christine and Co. recently opened its new showroom in Paris at 35 Rue de la Republic, stocked with its fall collections. “We feel that the European market is important for us because we are new there. Cus- tomers are buying the line for the first time, and excitedly repeating really good orders,’’ said designer Christine Morton. The company is showcasing its Trousseau and Sleeping Beauty silk lines, and has also introduced its L’Ambiance and Wild Flowers polyester lines for the first time. Morton feels that the positive response received by the synthetic fabrics is due to its easy-care pro- perties and the fact that fine qual- ity polyester is still considered a luxury in Europe. It is priced at two-thirds of the wholesale cost of the silk line. Wear Else? Wear Else? stores in introduced a corporate Vancouver club to promote the service-oriented firm. Aimed at ‘‘busy corporate types,”’ corporate club member- ship includes a subscription to Something Else, the retailer’s newsletter, invitations to fashion presentations produced 10 times per year to help members plan their wardrobes, shopping by ap- pointment with a personal shop- ping consultant, exclusive shopping evenings and wardrobe seminars for members only, and free downtown office delivery, in- cluding completed alterations on purchases. The corporate club service is available at all four locations, For more information contact Joey Dabell, corporate club man- ager or Wear Else? stores, at 732-1655.