Jewelry designer Etienne Perret has been enamored with ceramic for about 20 years. But creating fine jewelry out of the extremely hard material has been difficult nut to crack. The solution was to use diamond cutting tools.
The Camden, Maine-based artist introduced his new line of rings and bracelets made from gem ceramic, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, held November 11-14 in Philadelphia.
The ceramic jewelry can be created in several colors—although white, black and pink seemed to be dominant colors at the show. The ceramic is paired with more traditional jewelry materials, such as precious metals, diamonds and pearls. And he can create custom pieces. With the high-cost of gold, Perret said his ability to work with the material may have come at opportune time.
“I had no idea when I started this that gold was going to end up at $1,400 an ounce, so the timing seems right because you can make a ring or bracelet with some volume and still keep the price affordable,” he said.
Photographs of his ceramic pieces can be found here.
Below is a video of Perret at the craft show explaining his work with ceramic and showing pieces from his collection.