Jewellery takes on essential silhouettes that skim the contours of the body in pieces by London-based design studio Dina Kamal. Its eponymous founder is driven by a desire for architectural forms in her designs, which draw curves in 18ct gold, punctuating broken loops with diamonds or sinking pearls into puffed quilts of beige gold.
‘All our pieces start with what I refer to as “objects of fascination”, says the designer. ‘They can vary from nature to history, stories and characters, like the Michelin Man (or Bibendum), sea urchins and tribal jewellery – or our clients commission the works. It is about selecting an object of fascination, a thought or a feeling, and recreating it in a new form.’
The smooth loop of the ‘Tube Torc’ necklace is inspired by the neck rings historically worn by men as a marker of strength – this piece encourages an awareness of form and posture. In the ‘Falling Water’ earrings, baguette diamonds in rivers of beige gold bring a fluidity to the stones. A grey South Sea pearl perches on the fluid curve of the precious metal in the ‘Venus Pinky’ ring.
‘My goal is always to create a piece that is structured yet sensual, masculine and feminine. I feel this gives a powerful balance and allows it to be subtle yet bold,’ Kamal adds. ‘I love to define the character of the piece. To expose its “soul”. There is a balance that I aim to reach so that the work is bold yet understated. Also, there is a balance to be found between the structural and architectural, and the delicate and sensual. I feel when I give attention to these factors, the works tend to be stronger and more timeless.’
Kamal prefers to work in 18ct beige gold, otherwise known as raw white gold – ‘It is 18ct gold without copper, the true white gold,’ she says – with its understated sheen making it an elegant foil for the punctuations of diamonds. ‘Being an architect I always consider form, proportion, context, structure and beauty in everything I do. Most of all I consider how a piece or design can impact us emotionally. My goal is always to find the right balance for each piece, in order for it to feel part of you and to give you the edge to be in your element.’
INFORMATION
-
MoMA names Christophe Cherix its new directorThe Swiss-born curator has worked in the Museum of Modern Art’s drawings and prints department since 2007
-
The Yale Center for British Art, Louis Kahn’s final project, glows anew after a two-year closureAfter years of restoration, a modernist jewel and a treasure trove of British artwork can be seen in a whole new light
-
How Le Corbusier defined modernismLe Corbusier was not only one of 20th-century architecture's leading figures but also a defining father of modernism, as well as a polarising figure; here, we explore the life and work of an architect who was influential far beyond his field and time
