Vibrant metallics and colorful stones spark individuality and invite transformation
Luxury artisan jeweler John Hardy celebrates a season of light and discovery, renewal and rejuvenation with its spirited Spring ’19 collection. A potent elixir of metals and stones, the collection introduces a spectrum of shine that echoes spring’s dynamism and the way in which the season incites evolution.
Gold, silver and blackened silver imbued with nature’s untamed strength ignite a prism of colorful gems selected for their organic beauty and raw power. From blue topaz, amethyst, citrine and pyrite to hematite, black sapphires and brilliant diamonds, each possesses an innate meaning and intentionally irregular cut that refracts and reflects the originality of its wearer. These materials manifest in powerful designs both iconic and daring, with a disruptive intent: to inspire self-expression. Made to layer and stack, they communicate an unapologetic existence that ritualizes extraordinary moments and everyday moods — and embodies the intersection of power and grace.
“The collection was inspired by the transformative beauty that is omnipresent in Bali,” explains Creative Director of John Hardy Hollie Bonneville Barden. “The island is framed by volcanoes and waves, which creates a duality of power and grace that is both profoundly raw and exquisitely refined. I’ve translated this into designs that invite the wearer to explore and express these traits.”
In the Women’s collection, this duality is echoed by the interplay of the heritage handwoven Classic Chain and sculptural Asli Classic Chain Link, Bonneville Barden’s exploded interpretation of the Classic Chain. Introduced in fall, it reappears in new gauges, with mixed metals. These designs feature as pure explorations of the Asli Classic Chain, including reversible versions, and in curated, pre-stacked necklaces, cuffs, bracelets and rings that combine Classic, Asli, and modern knife-edge links — some fluid, some frozen — into eclectic expressions that are equally strong and sensual.
Singular and multi-strand chains are also punctuated by colorful stones full of power and inspiration. Bold asymmetric pear or marquise-inspired cuts exude John Hardy’s trademark originality, while Bonneville Barden’s take on the brand’s signature Lava pavé setting mixes cuts, shapes and unexpected gradients, including transparent and opaque stones, to unexpected and captivating ends. This same boundary-pushing approach applies to Modern Chain, inspired by the architectural elegance of Balinese palm trees and crafted with contrasting materials — brushed gold paired with silver or silver combined with leather — that accentuate its bold lines.
Emphasis through contrast also defines the brand’s Dot collection, which explores form of the mon’s phases and Bali’s cosmic connection through interlocking or gradient spheres, including juxtaposing gold with diamonds and turquoise, respectively. Additionally, the Bamboo collection offsets sinuous silver branches with sharp black spinel stones, while the Naga collection contrasts black hematite and freshwater pearls with silver to create both flowing and figurative representations of the protective dragon, whose majestic scales are also magnified and articulated in gold, silver and blackened silver, with select gold designs embedded with diamonds.
The Men’s collection is similarly statement making, projecting a sense of freedom, ease and individuality. Bold chains — combining Box, Asli and Curb links — showcase eclectic combinations of leather, mixed metals and stones, from lapis, black onyx and howlite to tiger’s eye and turquoise. A hand-carved cross also features on the season’s chains, a nod to talismanic power that broadens in the Eagle collection. Reimagining the brand’s Eagle legend, it highlights the visual weight of wings paired with an updated expression of the eagle’s head — again articulated in a variety of raw materials, including blackened silver; silver, gold and dual-tone leather; and silver and turquoise. Naga continues the study by depicting the full dragon relief, a traditional Balinese motif.
