Blueprint Jewels

I don't want to delude myself into thinking I have *ahem* fame woes, but at Blueprint's tradeshow in Singapore it did quite literally take fifteen minutes to walk less than ten metres in a space that isn't even that vast to begin with.  It was purely down to people stopping me to say hey, ask questions and more usefully, pass on information and lookbooks from their brand.  None of this coy tweeting "I saw Susie on the 43 bus". 

An old fashioned face-to-face "HALLO!" and a business card (I continue to be wholly unprofessional by not having any cards of my own…) was especially useful for the abundance of jewellery designers that were on display at the tradeshow when it was all to easy to miss their itty bitty gems on the stands.  I've always known Thailand was burgeoning with fashion talent but I've not yet looked into the jewellery offerings that have been coming from that part of the world.  I've rounded up a few here along with two that have ties to Singapore.

…………………………………………………………………………..

Trimode is the accessories offshoot of Trimode Studio, a trio of Thai designers that focus on fields such as interior design, product design and jewellery design.  Going through the website can be exhausting stuff as their back catalogue is quite hefty but the key thing to take away is that with a blend of influences and disciplines, you end up with jewellery pieces that really push the form that is being cast.  Rings and necklaces take on recognisable traits from architecture both old and new that attempts to propose unconventional shapes in jewellery. 

With the ring in particular, Trimode have done several series where they form stacking patterns and fit together in various formations…

They've also experimented in wood to form these inverted cog-like wheel rings…

Trimode also went into the woods with this solid interpretation of tree trunks and tiny woodland insects…

I'm especially amused by their depiction of beetles which kind of look like creatures that might be in Spirited Away…

Trimode's latest collection is a lot less complicated to decipher with LOVE and waving ribbons forming malleable chains that slink around the neck…

Thankfully all of these past and present projects of Trimode are well stocked at Bangkoksmiths, a very comprehensive e-store that sell their wares that also sell the next two designers featured here. 

…………………………………………………………………………..

Matina Amanita has probably had the most international exposure out of all the jewellery brands here and that's down to designer Martina Sukhuhuta who is sister to Pim Sukhahuta, head designer of Sretsis.  Manita Amanita as a label though has been well-established for a few years now but I hadn't happed upon it until this wonderful lookbook came into my hands.  Their A/W 11-12 collection entitled "Mathilda and her Gypsy Prince" is set out as a fairytale complete with 70s-style storybook manga drawings and a wack of magical fairydust that falls upon the ornate jewellery.  Lions, owls, crowns, moons and stars are involved in the tale…

… which then makes way for a tiny booklet of Manita Amanita's fine jewellery offerings, scaled down to more delicate pieces with rubies, emeralds and blue sapphires set into rings and necklaces.

There's something more old-fashioned about this collection than the rest of the designers but placed into this endearing story-book telling context, you can't help but be woed by at least one element of the tale be it a wild-maned horse or a knight's hat.  For more kitschy/cutie offerings, the label's past collections are again, available on Bangkoksmiths. 

…………………………………………………………………………..

I don't have a whole lot of information on Jogema other than they seem to like exploring more literal themes that are immediately apparent to the eye.  Pacman characters, gloved hands that encase the fingers or oyster shells that have been moulded together with a set-in pearl into cuffs and rings are just some of the motifs that Jogema have made their own by treating everything in 18ct gold or sterling silver.  All in all, it makes for pieces that sit on your fingers or around your neck for your to play around with inciting conversation and questions.   

…………………………………………………………………………..

Pitch is the creation of Pitchaya Srirapong and is well-represented by Singapore's Front Row agency.  The collection which caught my eye at the tradeshow was the 'Watch Collection' which takes the memory of an old man's watch and uses the accessories and complex parts of a watch to reconfigure into necklaces, rings and bracelets.  There's no actual time-telling but it's the dissection of the mechanical watch that sees the teensy tiny parts shaking about behind glass in a ring or watch crowns lining a bracelet that makes them quite striking.  It's a bit ludicrous to think that so much effort has gone into replicating these intridcate parts to exacting standard when there is no time-telling to be done but I suppose that's part of the ironic appeal.

Another collection by Pitch is called "Hello, I Miss You", inspired by wartime trinkets and mementos.  Crests, coat-of-arms and military emblems are used in a way that puts a new spin on cheesy bling including sovereign rings and wide-boy bracelet plates (remember that episode of Friends where Joey and Chandler become…bracelet buddies?  Ta E4 for repeating that damn show… ). 

…………………………………………………………………………..

The final designer is legtimately Singapore-based but designer Yuki Mitsuyasu is actually Japanese.  Her jewellery is fine and sentimental with a cleverness that can be seen on her website as little animations attempt to communicate her ideas.  Her 'Shine' series has abstracted the shape of two hearts so that they form pointing shards that fit together.  I've never been one to coo at lovey-dovey jewellery but it helps that I actually like the form of Mitsuyasu's pieces…

The same goes for this shape called 'The Lovers' as again two pieces fit together in perfect harmony and semblance… no need to interpret the symbolism there I think…

Everything Mitsuyasu does seem to come from very simple lines that are then moulded into more weighty shapes and the idea of parts coming together in a piece of jewellery is a constant theme of her work…

She has most recently collaborated with graphic artist and typographer Youji Noh to come up with a custom font that came from a flat sheet of paper that was then cut, folded and bent to make a 3D form.  The font was then used as the basis for these alphabet charms.   

The resulting font is actually available for download for PERSONAL USE and I love it in both lower case (the originating 2D skeletal structure) and upper case (the 3D form). 

…………………………………………………………………………..