Designer Spotlight: Atelier Zobel

18kt gold and platinum set with champagne diamonds lapis lazuli brooch (this is like a painting of a sea scape with the horizon line in the distance and the sky at dawn above.)

18kt gold and platinum set with champagne diamonds, rutilated quartz brooch
18kt red gold and platinum with light pink diamonds and champagne diamonds brooch (this reminds me of pictures of Mars or maybe red clay in a desert... do you see it too?)
925 silver, pure gold with raw diamonds and champagne diamonds brooch (i like this one alot...the composition is great, the color palette is beautiful, but the real reason i love it so much is that it reminds me of the regulating lines for projects from architecture school! lol!)


So in the last post about the conch pearl, I mentioned a designer named Michael Zobel. I didn't know alot about his work having seen only a couple of his pieces. So, I took a look around the 'net and holy moly he's aaaaamazing! Each piece is like a miniature painting or sculpture.
925 silver, 22 + 24 kt gold, chalcedony, black diamonds and raw diamonds bracelet (omg...i want to wear this so baaaaad!)

925 silver, gold, platinum, tourmaline, raw diamonds, black diamonds heart pendant/brooch
925 silver, 22 + 24 kt gold, rough diamonds cuff


Here's what I learned about Zobel: the atelier is in Germany (not surprised...Spiralz showcases many German designers. Their aesthetic usually works well with ours - cutting edge and premium craftsmanship), he has over 37 years of jewelry design and now he's left his successor in charge (Peter Schmid) of the business side while he focuses on design. Michael was born in Morocco, raised in Spain, studied in Germany, and worked as a jewelry designer in France! Wow! He's a true 'citizen of the world' don't you think? I think his cosmopolitan background really influences his work...whether its conscious or not.

925 silver, platinum, rose cut diamond, black diamonds cuff (so drool worthy, no?)
18 kt gold, platinum, round diamond and rough diamond pyramids earrings (right)
18 kt rose gold, platinum, rough diamonds strung in line, diamonds set in platinum earrings (left)

He does amazingly beautiful compositions with a mix of metals and stones. He uses raw and organic shaped stones as much as cut and polished ones. I think the better pieces are the brooches and cuffs but there are quite a few rings and earrings that are just as exquisite. Do you have a favorite? Each piece is uniquely beautiful...it makes it hard to choose!

18 kt gold, root wood, black diamonds (top center ring)
925 silver, platinum, gold, champagne diamond black diamonds, champagne diamonds ( right ring)
925silver, gold, quartz, 6 light yellow diamonds, 10 champagne diamonds (bottom center ring)
18 + 22 kt gold, pearl, cognac diamonds, champagne diamonds (left ring)

18 kt gold, platinum, diamond, rough diamond pyramids ring
925 silver, 22 + 24 kt gold, aquamarine, black diamonds, champagne diamonds ring


So, what do you think of his work? Isn't it fabulous?

luxury fatigue

I read a great post over on 39thandbroadway about the symptoms of 'luxury fatigue'. Luxury fatigue is "The consumer is literally getting tired of keeping up with the Joneses and spending larger and larger percentages of their income on fashion merchandise. Part of our fatigue is due to the abundance of luxury goods, which as we all know, quantity can dilute quality." There's a backlash against high-end luxury fashion as result of the worsening economy and the recent cultural switch to "change, going green, cutting back, homemade, sustainability, service and rejecting the greed that got us in this situation to begin with". The post suggests that wearing indie and lesser known designers will become more of a trend and encourage focus on individual style.



The post frames the issue of luxury fatigue in fashion terms but I think its an interesting idea to explore in terms of high-end jewelry. In the jewelry world, is luxury defined by brand recognition or by quality recognition? What is your definition of 'luxury' for jewelry?




Spiralz define luxury not in terms of brand name recognition but in terms of the quality and 'specialness' of the product. High quality materials, exclusivity, fine craftsmanship, unique design, exacting attention to detail, rare or one of a kind stones, bold construction...these are the indicators of true jewelry luxury.

Conch Pearls!! they look like jelly beans...

michael zobel brooch


Definitely candy for the eyes and not the mouth, Conch (pronounced 'konk') pearls are the rarest type of pearl and always a natural (not cultured) pearl. Technically, its not even a pearl since it has no nacre, instead its made up of a structure of coarser aragonite and calcite crystals. They are so rare that, "1 in every 10,000 conch produce a pearl. From that, 1 in every 10,000 of those (that produce a pearl) has a flame. And 1 in every 30,000 of those (that has a flame) is of gem quality, and 1 in every 150-175,000 of those (that has gem quality + flame) has size AND quality" - Charles Ellias, our studio director, gemologist and creator of the conch pearl grading system among other things. Because no one has yet to figure out how to culture conch pearls like oyster pearls are, every conch pearl you see is natural.

Conch pearls come in a varity of colors; pink, red, orange, brown, tan, yellow, and white. The most sought after color is pink or red with a strong flame. White with flame is rare.

Queen Conchs are scarily close to extinction due to over-harvesting. This has forced countries that are conch producing to ban harvesting or severely limit it to protect the conch. These limits have only increased the rarity and value for gem quality conch pearls. The reason for the over-harvesting is not because of pearl demand, but because conch meat is considered a popular delicacy. The pearls are actually a by-product of the harvest. When fishermen are cleaning their catch, sometimes they'll find a pearl in the innards.

Conch pearls are a wonderful stone to set into jewelry. I really like how michael zobel incorporated a pink conch pearl in his brooch design. I think its great to set these pearls in a nontraditional design than the typical setting of a recreated conch shell in white or yellow gold set with the pearl or a traditional prong set ring. Zobel made a brooch look like a painting or even a zen garden depending on how you look at it. I think it sets the pearl off in a unique and beautiful way, don't you?

Well that wraps up this post. Charles is going to Tucson for the big gem show soon and will be giving a lecture on the conch pearl. We'll probably have another post about the conch pearl again after he's returned. (And we'll have fun stuff to tell about the Tucson trip of course!) So what do you think of the conch pearl? How would you like to wear it? Was this an informative post for you?

Here are some other links about conch pearls, if you'd like to learn more:

article from Modern Jeweler

Emeralds International

Pearl Guide

disclaimer: the photos in this post are not the property of Spiralz. They were found at the following sites: compass webworks, modern jeweler, and allaboutgemstones.

Designer Spotlight: Amitai Kav- beauty in the details

earrings 18kt yellow+white gold

earrings 18kt yellow gold

necklace 18kt white + yellow gold beads with stones

necklace/clasp 18kt white + yellow gold

bracelet 18kt white + yellow gold + silver

These are pieces from an Israeli designer friend of ours, Amitai Kav. Every part of each piece is hand forged and fabricated. He's a self-taught designer and brings influence from his studies in dance and movement notation. Other influences are precision machinery, human anatomy, Art Nouveau, Baroque, and even Chinese, Egyptian, and Middle Eastern motifs.

We love his work because not only is it unique but its obvious how much 'work' and attention to detail goes into his pieces. He crafts every bead that he uses for bead necklaces and earrings. His clasps are integrated into the overall design...so much so, that for some of his necklaces the clasp is the 'jewelry'. The picture above the bracelet image is a prime example. The clasp is the decorative focus and its sooo beautiful!

Amitai's jewelry has been and is worn by state and world leaders. From his website:

"Amitai created the Dove of Peace which became the recognized symbol of the Middle East peace process. The Doves were worn by Reuma Weizmann, wife of the President of the State of Israel, and Queen Nur, wife of King Hussein of Jordan, at the historic ceremonial signing of the peace agreement between the two States. During the ceremonies surrounding the signing, Hillary Clinton and Leah Rabin also wore art jewelry created by Amitai Kav. It is most unusual for the wives of all the major participants in such a momentous event to wear jewelry designed by the same artist. A silver Dove of Peace was presented to each member of the Israeli and Jordanian negotiating teams. Other exclusive works by Amitai Kav were presented by the late Prime Minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin and his wife Leah to a number of dignitaries, including King Carlos of Spain, Mrs. Jihan Sadat, Mrs. John Major, the wife of the Emperor of Japan, and the wife of the Prime Minister of South Korea. A special rendition of the Dove of Peace in gold was given to the queen of Norway."

We are proud to showcase his work in our studio! We will be updating our gallery to add images of the Amitai pieces we have in our studio soon. You can see his full collection at his site: http://www.amitaikav.com/index.asp

What do you think of his work?

**UPDATE** we've added Amitai pieces to our showroom gallery!

Worried about a little jewelry wear and tear?

Its inevitable. One day you look down at the ring or bracelet you're wearing and you notice the scratches and other signs of abuse. No matter if your piece is in steel or 24kt gold, after some time, it'll get a little banged up. There are some precautions you can take to extend the life of your jewelry a bit such as, not sleeping with your jewelry on (so many people do! how is that comfortable?), removing your rings and bracelets before doing chores, keeping them clean, taking them to your jeweler to have finishes put back on, etc... its about being mindful really.

If you know you're hard on jewelry you can choose metals that have the ability to withstand a lot of abuse. Metals like steel and 18kt gray gold are good choices. The steel that we use for jewelry is the same as in high-end watches and looks beautiful set with stones or on its own. Steel will get some scratches after a lot of wear but can be easily buffed out depending on the type of finish it has (satin, matte, semi-matte, etc).

18kt gray gold (that's right, 'gray' not white) is our proprietary alloy that's a true white metal and doesn't need to be rhodium plated or 'dipped' like white gold (un-plated or un-dipped white gold has a yellowish tinge). Gray gold is also more durable than other white metals such as, white gold, platinum, and silver. Depending on the type of finish, gray gold can look identical to platinum but hold up so much better.

Its always a good idea to bring in your jewelry at least once a year (especially if its pieces you wear everyday or very often) to have your jeweler inspect for damage. For example, if you have stones set in a prong setting, your jeweler will take a look at the wear on the prongs and be able to alert you to worn down or weakened prongs before you loose a stone.

Bring your jewelry by our studio for an inspection and free cleaning. We'll be happy to answer any questions you have for proper care and cleaning. We also have expert experience in conserving period pieces, so if have period items bring them in for us to take a look!

A fellow blogger, Wendy Brandes, has some helpful information on how to care for your fine jewelry. There's a link in our link list to the right or you can just click here. Its a good supplement to this post.

Now while this post is about the negative effects of wear on your items, we'll also post on the positive effects in tomorrow's post. Yes, there are positives! You can get really interesting effects from simply wearing your favorite pieces...its all in the chemistry between your skin and the material of your jewelry. More on that next time!

Designer Spotlight: Barbara Berk- Handwoven Metals

Aqua Rhapsody This one of a kind 950 woven platinum (3 11/16” H x 1 1/4” W x 1/2” D) with a 31.08 ct aquamarine drop carved by Sherris Cottier Shank and cultured pearls. Designed by our friend Barbara Berk. Here's her website: http://www.barbaraberkdesigns.com/html/one_of_a_kind.html. We also have a few of her pieces in our gallery: http://www.spiralz.com/siteimages/Galleries/showroom/showroom.html

Barbara makes each of her pieces by hand. She actually weaves the metals, whether she works with gold or platinum. Here's an excerpt from her site on the process of making the Aqua Rhapsody:

"The process was extraordinarily fun and rewarding. I began by sketching various shapes for a pendant, and then interpreted those shapes in pipe cleaners to find the one most pleasing. When the best pendant form emerged, I wove it in silver to test my ideas in metal, and determine the approximate dimensions for the drop. Only then, when every detail of the design was technically correct, did I create the final pendant in platinum."

Barbara's work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Her work is also exhibited in other museums and shows across the US. For a list of the exhibits, follow this link: http://www.barbaraberkdesigns.com/html/meet_barbara.html

I'm sure you'll agree, every piece by Barbara is a wearable work of art.

Designer Spotlight: Todd Reed elegant pin and pendant

These are new pieces by one of our favorite designers, Todd Reed. The pin (bottom image) is made with 18ky gold, diamond macles (20 ct), raw diamond cubes (3.3 ct), hand forged and fabricated. The dimensions are 4" x .8

The pendant is made with 18ky gold, princess cut diamond (.17 ct), raw diamond cubes (1.2 ct), hand forged and fabricated 10mm square.

Todd does some great things with raw diamonds and his aesthetic is recognizably unique, don't you think? Another reason why we love his work is that its all hand fabricated and hand forged. Lots of skilled work goes into each and every piece.

You can dress the pin down by pairing it with a blazer/tuxedo jacket over jeans and a tee. How would you wear it?

dressy casual nite out - by Spiralz on Polyvore.com

belated introductions

So, you wanna know who is Spiralz Studio? We will all be posting to the blog, so get to know who we are. Here's a run down of the people behind the blog:


Diane is the owner of the studio. She has always had an affinity for the arts and contemporary jewelry. She realized that there was a hole in the market for a place to contemporary, edgy jewelry in Michigan and decided to open a small studio in Birmingham, MI. In 2002, she became the owner of a great (ok... so thats a little biased, but its true!) studio specializing in custom designed jewelry and pieces designed by high-end cutting edge designers from around the world.


Charles is the studio director and custom designer for Spiralz. He's has over 25 years of experience in the jewelry industry. click the link to see the full story of his background. http://www.farlang.com/profiles/charles-michael-designs/complete_storyhttp://

If you need answers to questions on jewelry, appraisals, gems, watches, or even need an expert witness then this is your go-to guy.


John has a background in art and architecture and came to Spiralz from the art gallery world. He's been thoroughly trained in jewelry, gemstones, and watches by Charles. The influence of his art background brings a unique and fresh perspective to the jewelry retail world.


Hope has a background in architecture and graphic design. She is also rigorously trained by Charles in all things jewelry, watch, and gemstone related. Our ads, website, and any other Spiralz collateral are designed by her. She is also the most frequent poster to the blog.

Carved Pink Tourmaline Lady's Ring

This is another custom designed piece: 18kt gray gold ring with a bezel set pink tourmaline (6.48ct) with 32 full cut round brilliant diamonds (.32tcw). The stone was cut by Sherris Cottier Shank, an award-winning North American Gem Artist.

photo credit: amy balthrop

can't forget the guys...

This is the custom guy's wedding band in the raw diamond crystal wedding set. Its 18kt yellow gold with a freeform raw garnet crystal (2.72ct) burnish set.

Unique beauty of raw diamonds part 2

This is the custom wedding band that complements the raw diamond engagement ring. Its 18kt yellow gold thick half round band with 3 natural crystal diamond octahedron tops burnish set.

Unique beauty of raw diamonds part 1

This is one of our custom pieces for one of our favorite clients. Its a yellow gold engagement ring with raw diamond (4.63ct) crystal. We needed a precise cut of stone for the ring. This rough diamond was on the cutting table about to be cut and polished when our studio director called to get the stone! We got it in the nick of time!

Photo shoot!!

Today is freezing! Its 10 degrees but feels like -2. Entirely too cold...can't wait for spring!

Guess what? We had a photoshoot today! Some of our pieces will be in the spring issue of a new fashion magazine, StyleLine. Everything went well; the shoot was in a lovely hotel, the Royal Park, and we had a model as beautiful as our jewelry! When the spread is published, we'll post some of the images.

Its show season!

Well, its that time of year again. The falling snow and freezing temperatures of January signal its time for the mad rush to prepare for Tucson! Our studio director, Charles turns into a whirlwind at this time every year. Its not just a trade show for him, but he also has lectures to give. Last years lecture covered colored gemstones. I'll ask him to see what's on the agenda for this year.

What's Tucson? Well, besides a city in AZ, its one of the largest gem trade shows. Its a two week event that attracts the world's best mineral, lapidary (gem art), and jewelry dealers. The 'main event' is the Gem and Mineral Show. This year its held from Feb 12-15th.

This show is very important because we get to see what's new and replenish our stock of natural, untreated, colored gems. Also, many of the miners and dealers are friends and Tucson is a good time to reconnect with them. Are any of you going to the show? Maybe we'll see you there!

Happy New Blog!

Happy New Year! Welcome to our new blog! We're also celebrating our new website (http://www.spiralz.com/). We hope you enjoy our little corner of the web. We hope you have a fantastic and prosperous 2009!