EXAMPLES OF BI-MONTHLY

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I WRITE FOR A LUXURY JEWELRY
COLLECTION
I RESEARCH THE PROVENANCE AND
SIGNIFICANCE OF ART-JEWELRY
AND IMPORTANT VINTAGE
JEWELRY, AND COMPOSE LOT
ESSAYS WHICH ARE THEN SHARED
WITH MUSEUM CURATORS,
CLIENTS, AND MEDIA OUTLETS
A Rare Brass Wire Necklace by Alexander Calder
Circa 1932
Biography:
Born into a family of artists in Pennsylvania in 1898, Alexander Calder eventually
became one of the greatest American sculptors, known for a variety of mediums including
mobiles (which he is credited with inventing), colorful paintings, and wire jewelry. Calder
earned a degree in mechanical engineering before his sculpture and performance art piece
Cirque Calder (1926) lead to acclaim from critics and peers alike. Throughout his life he
created more than 1,800 fantastic pieces of jewelry by hand. He died in 1976.
Significance:
Made by folding, twisting, hammering, and coiling lengths of brass wire, Alexander
Calder created this necklace of protruding cones in 1932, a diminutive version of his well-
known, monumental sculptures. As is characteristic of Calders work, it is linear in the way
it drapes long over the neck of the wearer, but three-dimensional in that each individual coil
extends outward, creating depth.
Much like Calders mobiles, this piece assumes a distinct form from each vantage it
is observed. Calder imparted the wearer of his jewelry a great significance. "When a mobile
by Alexander Calder is seen packed in a crate, it is a flat, lifeless object," notes curator
Mark Rosenthal. "Picked up by its highest element, all of the components take their
assigned positions, and the mobile will become animated, three-dimensional, and imbued
with motion. A necklace by Calder lives in the same way - inside and outside a crate. The
only real difference between the two is that the structure of the mobile, with its rigid metal
spokes, creates the breadth of the work of art, whereas the necklace usually depends on the
body of the wearer to expand from a static state to fullness. Both works are of a piece and
cut from the same cloth of activity."
The metalwork from numerous ancient cultures significantly influenced Calders
brass creations. Calder was avid collector of primitive art throughout his life. In 1931, the
Exposition Coloniale Internationale took place in Paris, in an effort to showcase the rich
cultural history of Frances colonial empire, especially in Africa. The inspiration he drew
from works presented at the exhibition are demonstrated by this necklace, whose coiling
cones with gently sloping curves recall the pagodas of coastal West Africa.
Calder created much of his jewelry as gifts for loved ones; this necklace was made
by Calder for Silvia Luzzatto, the wife of Parisian art dealer and gallery owner Pierre Loeb.
After the first World War, Loeb became close friends with Pablo Picasso, and in the years
that followed, he promoted Surrealist artists, exhibiting the works of Joan Mir, Max Ernst,
Paul Klee, Jean Arp, and Victor Brauner. Although Calder was reluctant to associate himself
with any particular movement, he was very active in the Paris art world during this time,
and found harmony in the company of Pierre Loeb and the artists he supported. Loeb
married Silvia in 1928, and a few years later, Calder gave Silvia this necklace. She was
struck by the contrast between Calders imposing stature and the light, ethereal nature of his
creations; she compared his jewelry to the way in which Calder was surprisingly light on
his feet and very graceful when he danced with her.
A Rare Hammered Silver Wire Necklace by Alexander Calder
Circa 1940
Biography:
Born into a family of artists in Pennsylvania in 1898, Alexander Calder
eventually became one of the greatest American sculptors, known for a variety of
mediums including mobiles (which he is credited with inventing), brightly colored
prints, and wire jewelry. Calder earned a degree in mechanical engineering before
creating toys and the Cirque Calder in 1926. These artistic creations led to
exhibitions of his wire sculptures. Throughout his life he created more than 1,800
fantastic pieces of jewelry by hand. He died in 1976.
Significance:
In 1943, when he was just forty-five, Calder was the youngest artist ever to
receive a retrospective of his work at the Museum of Modern Art. The MoMA
chose this necklace to exhibit in the retrospective on Calder, heralding it as a
masterpiece of modern art.
The necklace is a silver version of the first gold piece of jewelry Calder ever
made, which belonged to his wife Louisa. Its likely that this silver rendition was
its prototype, and very well may have originally belonged to Louisa as well. Calder
made jewelry for his wife that she was known to wear daily. Their courtship began
after he sent Louisa a bracelet of hammered wire spelling out Medusa (Calders
sobriquet for her) following an encounter aboard a ship.
Made in 1940, this work embodies Calders singular aesthetic. With its
coiling spokes of hammered silver, it creates motion in a way that only Calder
could achieve. Elisabeth Agro, curator of the blockbuster Calder Jewelry exhibition
said of his jewelry: Space. Its about occupying space. And he just sees the body
as a grounding element for this other aspect of his work. Not that the body gets in
the way the body is one part of this larger work of art, when you put it on.
Calder personally collected art and objects from African, Oceanic, and pre-
Colombian cultures; his jewelry has more in common with the body adornments of
ancient tribes than with the quintessential gem wear of Western Europe, or the
sleek symmetry of Art Deco. This influence can be seen in the spiral motif of this
necklace. Calder famously refused to subscribe to, or associate himself with, any
certain art movement, and his jewelry was no exception; his style belongs to only
him, making pieces like this instantly recognizable.
An 18K Gold, Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, & Diamond Bracelet
by Seaman Schepps
Circa 1940
 This bracelet, made by Seaman Schepps in 1940 for Emily Hall Tremaine, is an example of
the best work from Americas Court Jeweler.
The aesthetic of Seaman Schepps is as quintessentially American as his story. He was born
to a poor Jewish family in 1881 on New Yorks Lower East Side, and achieved success as a dealer
in California before returning to New York and setting up shop on Madison Avenue.
As great jewelers often do, Schepps transformed ordinary materials into something more
spectacular. While European jewelry houses were relying on only the highest quality stones,
Seaman Scheppss jewelry emphasized the design of the finished piece rather than focusing on
preconceived notions about the intrinsic value of the materials. Although he did use diamonds and
precious stones in his designs, he often mixed them with semi-precious stones and materials such
as wood and shell.
In the 1920s, Schepps made frequent trips to Paris, where his wife and children were
living. He was excited by the unconventional, sporty look presented by Coco Chanel. He found
inspiration in the Orientalist dcor of the Ballets Russes; in the galleries, he was thrilled by the
joyful colors of Matisse paintings, and the whimsical works of Picasso. Indeed, his jewelry came to
resemble a colorful Dadaist assemblage.
In Depression-era New York, this sensibility behooved him. Wealthy, fashionable women were
already outfitted with the requisite diamonds, and were looking less for a hefty investment than for
something unique to wear, perhaps something less ostentatious to agree with the austerity of the
times.
In his colorful jewelry, Schepps combined cabochon rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, with
smaller diamonds, in what became his interpretation of the Tutti Frutti jewelry Cartier made
famous in the 1920s. Instead of massing the stones around an undulating diamond branch, with
leaves and berries in engraved colored gemstones, he placed cabochon rubies, sapphires, and
emeralds, within a free-flowing diamond framework, writes Janet Zapata. This bracelet, made for
Emily Hall Tremaine, does just that.
A prominent customer of Seaman Schepps, Ms. Tremaine was known for having assembled
one of the preeminent American holdings of Twentieth Century art, and served as one of the early
members of the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art. The architect Philip Johnson,
a close friend of Emily Tremaine, marveled at the original eye she possessed. "She had tunnel
vision. It was art. That was her universe." She and her husband Burton began collecting work by
European avant-garde artists, including Picasso, Klee, and Braque, and later became some of the
first buyers of American Pop Art. The scope of their collection communicates the Tremaines close
engagement with the emerging art scene domestically and overseas.They maintained friendships
with artists whose work they admired, including Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. Tremaine
wrote that she was enchanted by Pop arts reflection of the wonderful, vulgar, jazzy, free and crazy
New York. Surely she was drawn to the same multicolored, unapologetic vivacity reminiscent of
New York City in the work of Seaman Schepps.
 EXAMPLES OF EDITORIAL AND
COMMERCIAL WORK I HAVE BOTH
ASSISTED WITH AND DIRECTED,
ALONGSIDE EDITORS INCLUDING GRACE
CODDINGTON, TONNE GOODMAN, AND
CARINE ROITFELD, FOR PUBLICATIONS
AND CLIENTS INCLUDING VOGUE, HARPERS
BAZAAR, AND E! NETWORK. I HAVE ALSO
HELPED DEVELOPED CONCEPTS FOR STILL-
LIFE PRODUCT SHOPPING PAGES AT
PUBLICATIONS INCLUDING VOGUE.
EXAMPLE OF A LOOKBOOK FOR
WHICH I SELECTED CONTENT,
WROTE COPY,
AND ART DIRECTED
H O L I DAY 2 016 CO L L E C T I O N
 THE STEPHEN RUSSELL HOLIDAY 2016 LOOKBOOK
draws on the approach of artists whose works
seem modern today, such as Suzanne Belperron (page 15) and
Alexander Calder (page 4-5). From the craftsmanship to the
effortless style, the attention to detail is resonant.
This perspective inspires the original creations from the
Stephen Russell collection, like the tri-sapphire ring on page 28.
These pieces, old and new alike, can be combined
effortlessly with one another, and with what
already lives in your jewel box.
This is jewelry that is wearable, timeless, and collectible.
ANTIQUE & VINTAGE
Stephen Russells Antique & Vintage
collection represents the finest examples
of jewels from a range of design eras,
most notably Victorian, Edwardian,
Art Deco, and Retro, especially from
influential houses of the time. These
timeless jewels continue to influence
and inspire design today.
RARE JEWELRY BY ALEXANDER CALDER
1898 -1976
 A GOLD AND SAPPHIRE SERPANT BRACELET
by Fontana Frres; circa 1885

DIAMOND, PLATINUM, AND GOLD TOURBILLON RING

by Suzanne Belperron; circa 1942
 A PLATINUM AND DIAMOND
BAZU BAND BRACELET
by Cartier, Paris; circa 1920

AMAZONITE, ROCK CRYSTAL,

AND DIAMOND BRACELET
by Marzo, Paris; circa 1925

PLATINUM AND DIAMOND

ART DECO BRACELET
by Boucheron, Paris; circa 1930
1940S GOLD TANK BRACELETS
circa 1940
 IBERIAN DIAMOND GIRANDOLE EARRINGS
circa 1780

EDWARDIAN PLATINUM AND DIAMOND PENDANT

circa 1910
 Vogue Paris, April 1936

AN EXTRAORDINARY DIAMOND FEUILLE BRACELET

by Suzanne Belperron; circa 1936
 VICTORIAN DIAMOND
NECKLACE AND EARRINGS
circa 1850
 DIAMOND AND PLATINUM RIBBON EAR CLIPS
French; circa 1930

A RUBY AND DIAMOND HARLEQUIN RING

by Cartier, Paris; circa 1955
AN EXCEPTIONAL RUBY AND DIAMOND NECKLACE
by Suzanne Belperron; circa 1938
 PLATINUM, DIAMOND, AND
BURMA RUBY BRACELET
circa 1930

PLATINUM, DIAMOND, AND SAPPHIRE RING

by Suzanne Belperron; circa 1947
 COLLECTION
The Stephen Russell Collection features
exquisite jewels that combine timeless
designs with exceptional gemstones. Designed
in-house, the collection maintains the same
tradition of timeless design and inpeccable
craftmanship that is found in the jewels
that comprise the Stephen Russell Antique
& Vintage collection. The collection that
results is wearable, fashionable
and, ultimately, collectible.
 RUBY AND DIAMOND I LOVE YOU BANDS
from the Stephen Russell Collection

A MAGNIFICENT PAIR OF PIGEON-BLOOD

BURMA RUBY AND GOLCONDA DIAMOND EARRINGS
from the Stephen Russell Collection
 ROSE GOLD AND LOZENGE-CUT
DIAMOND RING
from the Stephen Russell Collection

PLATINUM RING FEATURING

THREE CUSHION-CUT SAPPHIRES
from the Stephen Russell Collection
 ROSE GOLD AND DIAMOND CUFF
from the Stephen Russell Collection

SAPPHIRE AND BLACKENED-GOLD EARRINGS

from the Stephen Russell Collection
DIAMOND, NATURAL PEAR,
AND SPINEL CHAINS
from the Stephen Russell Collection
9 70 M A D I S O N AV E N U E N E W Y O R K C I T Y 1 0 0 2 1
212.570.6900 stephenrussell.com
PLEASE BE IN TOUCH WITH ANY INQUERIES:
BRIEZABIEREK@GMAIL.COM