PAD London, one of the world’s leading fairs for 20th-century art, design, and decorative arts, is happening this week. As we recently reported, buyers, collectors, and press will have an opportunity to view some extraordinary jewels at the weeklong event. London-based jeweler Glenn Spiro will be exhibiting at the event for the first time.
But this is not his first rodeo per se, not in a million years. Spiro is considered a world-class master jeweler, especially in London, where his elite circle of fans know him simply as “G.”
“We have a very confident, cool, and quite a bold aesthetic,” says G. “Every piece we create is an artwork in its own right, so it resonates with the collectors who visit PAD.”
From 1992 to 2004, he worked as a senior director and international specialist in the jewelry department at Christie’s. He is currently known for his sculptural sensibility, penchant for bold proportions, and work with exceptional stones like fancy-shape rose-cut diamonds, lavender sapphire briolettes, or ombré tsavorites that must have taken months to source in order to achieve the perfect pavé gradation on a butterfly-shape cocktail ring (Beyoncé recently donated hers to the William and Judith Bollinger Gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum).
G’s also a bit of maverick. Consider the important necklace below, a reimagining of a design from 1902 that belonged to Helen Hay Whitney, the socialite and philanthropist. The main diamond components originally hail from Cartier and according to an official product description display a “water” characteristic typical of old-mine, “Golconda-style” stones. Altogether the jewel beautifully balances G’s sense of daring with a keenly felt reverence for its provenance.
Whitney necklace with three pear-shape diamonds (55.54 cts. t.w.), one 8.7-ct. marquise diamond, three cushion-shape diamonds (4.16 cts. t.w.), and 629 single-cut diamonds (2.17 cts. t.w.) set in titanium on an adjustable gray Japanese silk cord, price on request
G also favors unconventional metals like titanium, which keeps his pieces lightweight and wearable (even when laden with 60+ cts. of diamonds).
See more examples of his extraordinary work below.
Necklace featuring 28 oval star ruby cabochons (300 cts. t.w.) set with 28 cushion-shape old-cut diamonds (32 cts. t.w.) and matching earrings in oval star ruby cabochons (31.55 cts. t.w. ) set with cushion-shape old-cut diamonds (1.93 cts. t.w.) and 73 round diamond accents (0.21 ct. t.w.), both in 18k white gold, price on request
Ring with 4.4 ct. marquise diamond center stone, agate pieces, 2 cts. t.w. marquise diamond accents, and 142 round diamonds (1 ct. t.w.) in 18k white gold, price on request
Earrings with 636 tsavorites and emeralds (43.75 cts. t.w.) and 30 diamonds (0.35 ct. t.w.) in titanium, price on request
Top: Flower earrings with one 3 ct. cushion-shape rose-cut diamond, one 4.19 ct. modified heart-shape diamond, one 1.15 ct. modified trapezoid rose-cut diamond, one 1.56 ct. marquise-shape rose-cut diamond, 72 purple diamond briolettes (14.09 cts. t.w.), 495 variegated spinels (2.38 cts. t.w.), and 48 round diamonds (0.15 ct. t.w.) in titanium, price on request
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