John Hardy Jewelry
John Hardy traveled to Bali from his native Canada in 1975, and fell in love with the exotic locale. He learned ancient jewelry-making skills from traditional Balinese silversmiths and incorporated these techniques into designs featuring complex patterns and shapes representing a philosophical harmony inspired by the culture’s stories, myths, and legends. John Hardy jewelry is handmade and involves the craftsmanship of over 600 skilled Balinese artisans.
A faceted square of cognac quartz hangs from a delicate silver chain.
Gold and silver floret accent on pendant.
Made in Bali.
16″ long.
Balinese kings once maintained villages of metalsmiths to make everything from ceremonial offering bowls and dance ornaments to jewelry. Most of the artisans Hardy works with are descendants of those royal metalsmiths, whose extraordinary skill and genetic memory of ancient traditions are lavished upon each item, imparting a strength, texture and integrity that machines simply cannot emulate.
The fold-over design of this wide sterling silver bracelet is accented with carved pebbles and openwork details.
7½” long
Made in Bali
In 1989, John Hardy fell in love again, this time with someone who also recognized the rich culture and creative power in Bali. This was Cynthia, who would become his wife and muse. Working together – with John’s ideas and Cynthia’s gift for logistics – the business grew very quickly.
Sterling silver bracelet has carved chain and hammered design.
Today, John Hardy Jewelry is found in the best stores in America, like Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. The company’s showroom and offices in New York are on the top floor of the landmark Starrett-Lehigh Building in Chelsea, overlooking the Hudson River. In July 2007, Hardy sold his stake in the firm, but remains the company’s visionary.
Artist Statement
I fell in love with the gorgeousness of everything about the island – the natural landscape, the spectacular Hindu rituals of the people, and the opulence of their classical arts. I wanted to use totally traditional Balinese crafts and re-invent them in a way that’s useful, timeless and at the same time, modern.
People can’t believe my designs aren’t made by machines because they are so perfectly rendered. But because there are always certain tiny imperfections in handwork, each piece is infused with a human energy that you can’t get from a machine-produced product. It’s like the difference between a beautiful hand-woven garment and a machine-woven cloth.
I think you can feel the hand of the artisan in our pieces. There’s a warmth of spirit that remains in the silver, in the gold.
The Hardys believe in the notion of sustainable luxury, that the value of an object depends not only on the quality of its materials and the expertise of its craftsmanship, but also on the feeling of well-being of the artisan who makes it. They believe that the things we wear every day should look and feel beautiful, that they are an integral part of the way we live, and should not be reserved for special occasions.
John and Cynthia, who now have two young daughters, remain committed to the life lessons they learned from the Balinese, and they continue to make Bali their home. The design studio – where some six hundred artisans handcraft the jewelry – is also an organic farm. Livestock, rice and vegetable gardens thrive between the studio buildings. Every day, the entire studio takes lunch there under a spreading banyan tree; every year, the John Hardy staff pays homage at the local village temple.
Source: http://www.jewelry-weblog.com/
Add comment May 12th, 2008
