Designing Dreams with Stacey Lorinczi of Lorinczi Jewelry
In addition to collecting jewelry, I also have an assortment of loose gemstones. Stones that have somehow spoken to me are various gem shows, trips and the like over the years. One of the first gemstones that I collected was a large, spring green colored emerald. I've had in my personal collection for years now but never knew what to do with. It has a wonderful jardin in it - as many natural emeralds do - and although I love those imperfections, many do not.
When Stacey Lorinczi from Lorinczi Jewelry reached out to me about the beauty she saw in this emerald from a photo I had posted of it, I knew it would be a match made in heaven! Over the years, I have collected several of Stacey's pieces and am quite familiar with the exceptional quality and thought that she puts into every one of her wearable works of art.
The first step in the design process was to send her the emerald so that it could, in a sense, speak to her as it had spoken to me. We also had to opportunity to discuss my ideas, vision and such. From the get-go, Stacey and I had very similar thoughts.
Because of the grass-like color of the emerald and its jardin within, we felt there was a natural connection between the emerald and the environment around us. When Stacey mentioned snakes, I immediately knew I'd made the right choice!
As a child, the first pet I truly have a memory of was a little garter snake. I would feed it, carry it around the yard and stroke it. As a child, I was very attached to my little snake. I have no memory of how long it lived but I vividly remember its little funeral that we had in the backyard under an apple tree.
Historically there is quite a bit of mythology surrounding the serpent from the tale of Adam, Eve and original sin to a representation of the fertility of nature such as in the Hopi celebration of the union of Snake Youth (a Sky spirit) and Snake Girl (an Underworld spirit) to ouroboros as a symbol of eternity or the multi-headed nāgas as guardians of temples or other premises. And, of course, there is the most simplistic representation as that of the battle and balance between good and evil.
The initial wax carvings Stacey created were very realistic - scales and all. It had an almost tangible feel - as if the snake would jump from its confines at any moment. The initial designs were amazing.
After sitting with that initial design for a bit, Stacey reached out with a more modernized, almost contemporary series of serpent designs. These designs had an almost ethereal feel to them. The serpent appeared to take on the role of the protector over the little emerald garden. His gaze seemed to be affixed upon the little microcosms within the stone itself - almost mesmerized by them.
The mixture of metals - brushed yellow gold and oxidized sterling silver - give even more dimension to the little bit of artwork around my neck. Stacey fully understood and realized the vision and story that the emerald was trying to tell. The snake curls up against the stone as if curiosity has gotten the best of him to peer into the depths from above feeling protective over the little world below him.
Stacey went above and beyond! Her attention to detail, how the sleekness of the snake contrasts perfectly with the rustic characteristics of the stone itself coupled with the richness and texture of the metals make for an instant heirloom piece that I will cherish for years to come. Thank you Stacey for capturing the dreams I hadn't yet realized for this amazing stone!
When Stacey Lorinczi from Lorinczi Jewelry reached out to me about the beauty she saw in this emerald from a photo I had posted of it, I knew it would be a match made in heaven! Over the years, I have collected several of Stacey's pieces and am quite familiar with the exceptional quality and thought that she puts into every one of her wearable works of art.
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| Stacey Lorinczi |
The first step in the design process was to send her the emerald so that it could, in a sense, speak to her as it had spoken to me. We also had to opportunity to discuss my ideas, vision and such. From the get-go, Stacey and I had very similar thoughts.
Because of the grass-like color of the emerald and its jardin within, we felt there was a natural connection between the emerald and the environment around us. When Stacey mentioned snakes, I immediately knew I'd made the right choice!
 |
| Sometimes the most interesting stones aren't the ones without flaw but the ones which tell their own story. |
As a child, the first pet I truly have a memory of was a little garter snake. I would feed it, carry it around the yard and stroke it. As a child, I was very attached to my little snake. I have no memory of how long it lived but I vividly remember its little funeral that we had in the backyard under an apple tree.
Historically there is quite a bit of mythology surrounding the serpent from the tale of Adam, Eve and original sin to a representation of the fertility of nature such as in the Hopi celebration of the union of Snake Youth (a Sky spirit) and Snake Girl (an Underworld spirit) to ouroboros as a symbol of eternity or the multi-headed nāgas as guardians of temples or other premises. And, of course, there is the most simplistic representation as that of the battle and balance between good and evil.
The initial wax carvings Stacey created were very realistic - scales and all. It had an almost tangible feel - as if the snake would jump from its confines at any moment. The initial designs were amazing.
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| A selection of some of the first renderings that Stacey created. |
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| The very first initial carving that Stacey created with the emerald seated within the wax. You can really see the detail in the snakes from their scales to the patterned heads. Exceptional! |
After sitting with that initial design for a bit, Stacey reached out with a more modernized, almost contemporary series of serpent designs. These designs had an almost ethereal feel to them. The serpent appeared to take on the role of the protector over the little emerald garden. His gaze seemed to be affixed upon the little microcosms within the stone itself - almost mesmerized by them.
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| Nine of the 12 modern designs that Stacey developed. The stylized version of the serpent has a very organic yet powerful feel to it. I love the modern take on the classic snake. |
The mixture of metals - brushed yellow gold and oxidized sterling silver - give even more dimension to the little bit of artwork around my neck. Stacey fully understood and realized the vision and story that the emerald was trying to tell. The snake curls up against the stone as if curiosity has gotten the best of him to peer into the depths from above feeling protective over the little world below him.
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| After narrowing down the design that most spoke to me from the 12 previous designs, Stacey was able to tweak it a bit with my feedback so that the initial design became something that took a bit more of a storyteller vibe to it. |
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| The finalized version after casting prior to stone setting & oxidization. |
Stacey went above and beyond! Her attention to detail, how the sleekness of the snake contrasts perfectly with the rustic characteristics of the stone itself coupled with the richness and texture of the metals make for an instant heirloom piece that I will cherish for years to come. Thank you Stacey for capturing the dreams I hadn't yet realized for this amazing stone!
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| The finished project. |
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| I love how the emerald glows through its open back & the little snake appears to be peering into a green pool. |
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The snake pattern is what makes the emerald unique. Really very stunning.
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