The future is golden

You’d expect futuristic jewelry to be very geometric and hard-edged, perhaps wide, thick silver cuffs that cover the entire arm or a solid heavy necklace that seems to beam out laser rays from a huge polished stone. Jeweler Kristine Dee sees the future differently, however. In her debut collection for luxe novelty house Firma, unveiled in a group show, Triad, along with two other young, fashion-forward designers Paul and Michelline Syjuco, the designer gives her own take on the next step in jewelry, and none of it resembles an Arturo Luz creation.

Dee’s pieces are still high-tech but more in construction, rather than design. Combining her knowledge in industrial design (she took her masters at Brooklyn art house Pratt University) with a natural inclination for femininity, she comes up with sculpted pieces with smooth finishes, yet soft detailing. “My training as an industrial designer really is the backbone of all my jewelry ideas. I have been trained to really give attention to function, form and proportion (and in this order, too),” explains Dee.

Maybe knowing that Dee was inspired by Queen Amidala, the lady lead in the Star Wars prequels, gives a sense of the future that she has in mind — the regal figure’s elaborate costumes and exaggerated accessories were particularly stirring. Mostly working with gold and brilliant stones such as amethysts, citrines, garnets, pink sapphires and pink tourmalines, Dee’s ode to the future includes a gold perforated cuff set with amethysts and diamonds that can be matched with a pair of perforated earrings, made more interesting in a softly twisted form, as if they were liquid metal that had undergone a cryogenic procedure. She also has gold lace earrings that look deceptively fragile. “Combining these with the future’s longing for peace, serenity and a great sense of hope, I am able to come up with pieces that have a strong feeling of grace, beauty and lightness. They all have that inviting feel that will make you smile when you see them. It will make you want to touch and try them on.”

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Kristine Dee’s new collection is now available at Firma, Greenbelt. Visit www.kristinedee.com for more information.

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