Artifact jewelry proves what's old is edgy and full of romance

December 15, 2007

Richard Korwin's reversible diamond-heart pendant in 18-karat gold with a genuine 1897 gold coin peeking through the heart lacework.

By Mary Wisniewski

Gainesville, Fla.—In a fickle fashion world that swiftly outs the old to bring in the new, it's nice to know that jewelry designers don't live by the same credo.

After all, using ancient pieces in today's jewelry designs is fashionable, with plenty of designers already on the retro-modern bandwagon. Bernard Reller of Reller Gold in Gainesville, Fla., is one such designer.

His hobby of treasure-salvage-diving in the Caribbean has inspired designs that use genuine treasure items. He also uses silver and gold bars from shipwrecks to make replica coins and artifacts. Besides being conversation pieces, Reller says, the jewelry is a sign of luck—and not just for the wearer.

"The piece has survived four centuries or so and now has come to light," he says. "Someone got reasonably lucky to find it."

Reller says he likes to work with ancient treasures because they carry the romance of the sea and prompt people to think about history and their own place in it. And he is not alone on his quest to transform the old into the right-now.

Richard Korwin, president of Wideband Jewelry, who works with ancient coins ranging from 1,600 years old to more than 2,400 years old, says the coins help his pieces transcend typical modern designs.

"It's a fusion of art and treasure," Korwin says. "I take things that are exciting and interesting and make them fun to wear."

He says coin jewelry isn't for everyone, and that it's geared toward people who are dreamers, leaders and entrepreneurs—people who want to be different from others.

Inspired by his daughter and by the difficulty in obtaining authentic coins, he also uses ancient replica coins to create younger, fashionable pieces.

Jewelry designer Carol Taylor embraces the old too, using ancient gemstones to make one-of-a-kind pieces. The gemstones, she says, have a certain mystique that pulls her in.

"The stones have history to them," Taylor says.

And some of the stones she uses wouldn't be what they are if they didn't, Taylor says, adding that coral, for example, has to be old to have the best color.

Taylor says she designs what appeals to her, incorporating numerous stones into the necklaces and usually sticking to asymmetrical shapes. This sometimes results in necklaces exceeding eight feet in length, ideal for wrapping around.

Reller Gold treasure coins (from left): 1679 Eight Reales (Piece of Eight) from the Wreck of the Consolacion, Four Reales from the Lucayan Beach Wreck and 1675 Eight Reales also from the Consolacion.

Helena Krodel, associate director of media for the Jewelry Information Center, says that antique jewelry fits right into the sentimental jewelry category that is popular now. Such pieces carry romantic appeal and can be converted into instant heirlooms to pass on.

If the antique is purchased, Krodel says, the wearer can also ponder where the piece came from and who might have worn it years ago.

Sharing this interest in the past is estate jewelry connoisseur George Mandelbaum, who seeks out one-of-a-kind estate jewelry pieces and says remodeling old jewelry is a fashion statement that synthesizes two needs for people: the old world and the now.

"You are caught up in the contemporary world but not fully," he says. "You are driving with a brake on."

Mandelbaum views himself as somewhat of a purist but sees no harm in altering ancient pieces if what is done can be undone. But he sees no reason to change a $1 million Cartier bracelet, for instance.

"It's like marrying Marilyn Monroe and saying to her 'You have to get plastic surgery,'" Mandelbaum quips.