DANIELLA KRONFLE

Showing posts with label Angelina Jolie. Show all posts

An official portrait of my friend Isabel,
in jewelry by Daniella Kronfle.
Photo by Victor Rodriguez

Every ring, or fabulous piece of jewelry I design, has a wonderful story behind it. Sometimes I am inspired by the past, or glamourous women such as Slim Keith and Jackie O, or even imagined heroines in books I've read or art I've seen. Other times, as is the case with this week's masterpiece, my muse is in the present.

I was so excited when my dear friend Isabel Bucaram commissioned the special ring you see above. Isabel is one of my favorite people here in Miami, and through the years, we have seen each other advance in our careers. She grew up, like me, in Ecuador, and I have known her for a long time. Working with friends can be tricky, but when a woman knows exactly what she wants, it is my duty to look to my skills as a designer and give it to her.

When she came to me, Isabel wanted very clearly to have a ring with meaning. After much research, we settled on a serpent because being one the oldest and most widespread symbols in western culture, it represented to her eternity and renewal. As far as fashion and design, we looked at serpents that have been worn by powerful and successful women like Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba and Rihanna, giving us a great starting point and a little inspiration.

The serpent is a very popular motif in jewelry and rightfully so because it has a wonderful mythology behind it. Since ancient times it has been used in imagery and amulets to signify fertility, immortality, and most importantly, it represents the creative life force. They are also guardians and are known to have the fiery quality of dragons, often being used interchangeably with them.

When designing this piece, I took all of the history and lore of the serpent into consideration before even choosing the gemstones I was going to use. I also put much though into Isabel herself,, her personality, the size of her hand, and even her skin color. All of these are very important when designing a custom piece like this. Isabel is an incredibly beautiful, energetic and compelling woman, with a very outgoing dynamic. When I thought about the shape of the ring I was not about to go big, since she has the temperament to match.

My gorgeous friend Isabel and me

Since the imagery of the serpent was already so strong, I knew that I could not overpower the design with too many colors or varieties of gemstones. Isabel and I chose diamonds and 18kt yellow gold for the materials, with the special touch of two beautiful emeralds for the eyes of the snake. The results were spectacular and she was thrilled to receive such a stunning piece.

Snake and serpent jewelry has been worn since ancient times, so when creating this ring we had to breath new life to an old classic. Snake jewelry is best given as a gesture of good fortune, good health and as a protective charm. It also is known to represent the eternal union between a couple, as well as the never ending love for one another. For Isabel, it was symbol of her femininity and individualism, as well as a high fashion, and luxurious piece of fine jewelry.

I loved designing this very special ring for my friend and the results, as you can see are amazing. Stay tuned for more previews of what is to come in the fall.

Love Always
Dani K

Happy May my gems! This year is going by so fast! Why it was only yesterday when the bling of the month was garnet back in January, and now here we are already talking about one of my first loves, the always classic, always popular emerald for May. Anyway here goes...

Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl and gets its coveted green coloring from amounts of chromium and vanadium. Their hue can vary from yellowish green to blueish green, but only the gemstones that are a perfect medium to dark green are considered emeralds. Light-toned gems of the species are known specifically as green beryl, and also made into beautiful jewels.

But today is all about the emerald, its properties, its magic and its lore. As far a properties goes, the emerald subscribes to same 4 C's as the diamond: cut, color, clarity and crystal. When dealing with colored gemstones, normally color is the most important property, however when it comes to emeralds both color and crystal are just as important. A fine emerald must posses not only a pure verdant green hue, but also a a high degree of transparency to be considered a top gem.

These earrings and ring I just designed are a great example of high quality emeralds. Their rich color and beautiful cut was the first inspiration when it came to creating the design. As an artist, sometimes before I even start working I have a clear vision of a piece, but with these pieces I had a very special set of gems first and the design came later.

Their beautiful pear cut, lent itself quite nicely to create these stunning drop- shaped earrings, while at the same time, if reversed, making for a gorgeous cocktail ring. The earrings are surrounded by white diamonds, while the post has the added surprise of being a yellow diamond solitaire. The matching ring, which can be worn together or separate, is also surrounded by diamonds. Both pieces are set in 18kt yellow gold.

Many of the worlds most stunning beauties have worn emeralds: Liz Taylor, Maria Felix, Angelina Jolie, Anette Benning, and even Kim Kardashian. They are a timeless gemstone, and their green color is quite stunning, making it a great choice for a special occasion. Just last week, when I had a high profile event in San Juan, I chose emerald and diamond earrings I designed a few years ago. They could literally be seen from across the room.

Emeralds and diamonds:
at the Semillas de Esperanza event at the Ritz in San Juan
with my gorgeous friend Mari de la Cruz

Top celebrities in Emeralds

Emeralds are not just classic beauties, they also have interesting myths attached to them. The Egyptians used to burry their mummies with emeralds in their throats because they guaranteed safe passage to the underworld, while according to the Greeks, Hermes wrote the laws of the land on a tablet of pure emerald. In the Bible the Holy Grail came from an emerald.

All around the world emeralds have a played an important part in myth and folklore. They are even granted the psychic abilities of clairvoyance, and have for a longtime been a symbol of spring. To me, emeralds are a delight to work with, and knowing that they have such a rich and colorful history just adds to the magic they already posses. Hope you have a great month and celebrate with emeralds.

Love Always
Dani K

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