Carnet by Michelle Ong

A lavish survey of over twenty-five years of beautiful gems from Carnet, Michelle Ong's Hong Kong-based boutique jewelry house Michelle Ong’s multi-hued jewels crystallize natural forms with invisible mastery. The hovering translucency of dragonfly wings, the succulence of ripe fruits, the whisper-light touch of a feather, the seductive fragility of black lace, meticulously hand-wrought from silver, the velvet petals of an anemone, a voluptuously curled seashell, the evanescence of a floating cloud evoked in ascroll of diamonds: each jewel is a miniature sculptural work ofart. Michelle Ong established Carnet, her Hong Kong-based boutiquejewelry house, over twenty-five years ago, and her unique one-off creations draw on Chinese motifs and her love of European culture and craftsmanship. Jade, China’s imperial gemstone, is reworked into an Art Deco-style cocktail ring. Her Chinese dragon, a fiercely benign creature, writhes in blackened gold and pavé-set emeralds, breathing a stream of fiery rubies. Michelle Ong is now acknowledged among the greatest names in high jewelry, renowned for her sublime designs, idiosyncratic colour combinations and deft craftsmanship. This volume will be required reading by serious collectors and aficionados, and a source of deep delight for all those seeking inspiration from the finest of contemporary jewelry creators. Joel Arthur Rosenthal, the master jeweler-artist better known byhis initials, JAR, has written a foreword that pays homage toakindred spirit. Contents List Foreword by Joel Rosenthal • Introduction by Vivienne Becker • Earth, Sky, Sea • Flora • Nature • Patterns