By Apples Aberin Sadhwani
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines—Precious yet playful best describes Tamara Comolli’s fine jewelry pieces. The designer, who was in Manila recently, presented her new collection of multi-colored stones accented with witty, surprising little details.
A seriously gorgeous 17-karat peach sapphire ring with one-karat diamonds on each side, for example, reveals an unexpected cut out of the company logo, a water drop (not a tear drop, mind you) on the bottom side of the ring. A bangle that seems commonplace is made special by the choice of stones and the fact that the stones move from side to side as the wearer moves. An ordinary necklace is also made unique with diamonds on one side and sapphires on the other.
Based in Germany and the US, manufactured in Italy, and available in Rustan’s Makati, the Tamara Comolli Fine Jewelry Collection was first established in 1992 by Comolli.
“When I founded the company, I thought there was a little bit of fun missing in the world of fine jewelry. It was all very serious and intimidating. And the whole emotion and fun behind wearing jewelry, all this feminine joy, was missing. I said I was going to
create a brand with color, but high-end,” she said.
As such, Comolli designs her pieces based on color stories, making her one of the first designers to use multi-colored stones in fine jewelry. In fact, one of her standout pieces in this collection is a bracelet-aptly named “candy”—a piece brimming with vibrantly-hued sapphire charms that look sweet enough to eat.
Established
She also used a lot of Rose Gold for this collection. “Now Rose Gold is established in fine jewelry. We were one of the first brands in Basel, in the international jewelry show two years ago to introduce a full range of Rose Gold collection. It was the biggest talk of Basel. And after us, the other brands followed.”
Although best known for her “Mikado” bracelet, which is composed of little acorn-shaped stones, Comolli’s first-ever piece was the CV or Curriculum Vitae bangle, a bangle with sliding diamonds that you could collect and augment.
“I wanted to give people the chance to collect,” she explained. “So they buy one for their birthday, engagement, baby. It was the thing we were most known for. But now, we are most known for the pieces with the little acorns. That’s what in the end really made the breakthrough.”
Comolli offers high-end one-offs (the 17-karat sapphire ring, for one) and casual pieces, like water drop pendants on leather cords. The brand’s following range from teenagers to octogenarians who all want to wear her extraordinary pieces.
Comolli’s designs are also versatile and innovative. A potentially dowdy-looking rope of pearls, for instance, is designed for versatility. The wearer may don it in countless ways—looped around twice or thrice, as a modern lariat, or as a normal necklace.
“I want to do precious, high-end jewelry that is not intimidating,” said Comolli. “I want the ladies to wear it. I don’t want it to be locked away. They should wear it casually, as well as elegantly. That’s the idea behind it. That’s the future of fine jewelry.”
Email the author at afashion@inquirer.com.ph
Source: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle
