Jeweler Kim Kaufman creates elaborate gold lockets and pendants that reference ancient symbols and sacred geometry to create jewelry that is both artistic and meaningful. “In ancient times, people were buried in their jewelry because it had so much meaning,” says the New York–based designer.
An elaborate pendant locket, for instance, was inspired by a Japanese wood box from the Edo period featuring flying cranes, which symbolize freedom from limitations in Japanese culture. The pendant is carved on both sides with white, yellow, and rose gold cranes that are surrounded with 479 round diamonds. Another series is inspired by the sacred geometry in the mosaic tile work found in Venetian churches. These sleek, geometric patterns in gold appear like talismans on either gold chains or black silk cords.
Kaufman, who launched her collection at Bergdorf Goodman for spring, has an arts education including a bachelor of fine arts from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and a master of fine arts in sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Each completely handmade piece is made in limited editions, and prices range from $14,800 for a pendant on a silk cord to as much as $125,000 for an intricately carved piece embedded with gemstones. (www.kimkaufmandesigns.com)
