Carolyne Zinko, Chronicle Staff Writer
A ring, a necklace or a bracelet can be more than a metal or stone object. It can also be the keeper of a memory – just ask its owner, or its maker.
There were plenty of personal stories to go around at the 12th annual Designers by the Bay jewelry showcase at Shreve & Co. on Post Street in San Francisco.
About 21 of the Bay Area’s top jewelers showed their wares to 135 clients and industry colleagues, thanks to the Northern California chapter of the Women’s Jewelry Association, which coordinated the event. Manak Couture won first place in a design contest judged on technical excellence, creativity and market appeal.
Early in the evening, Bill Whetstone of Paradise Associates pulled a tiny coral carved elephant figurine out of his pocket, a treasure he says he carries at all times. It’s an 18th century piece from India, representing Ganesha, the Hindu god of success.
“I showed it to a dealer in Jaipur with whom I was having trouble in my dealings,” he said. “He touched it to his forehead and said, ‘This is a very old piece.’ He was a collector of Ganesha, it turned out, and from that day on, he allowed me to buy every rare gemstone I wanted, and at a reasonable price.”
There were no obstacles to buying jewelry at the show, which featured the latest in trends: sustainable jewelry created from recycled gold and laboratory-made gems.
Amber Marie Bently’s Oro collection featured necklaces with medallions of recycled gold on rubber cords made of recycled tires, as well as bracelets with removable turquoise and other gemstone centerpieces for mixing and matching, at $1,800 each.
Mireille Schwartz bought citrine earrings for herself and amethyst for her daughter, Charlotte, who is Bently’s goddaughter. “I wanted something almost identical, but a little different, so that Charlotte could be independent and spread her wings with her own color,” Schwartz said.
In the next cubicle over was Fernanda Fisher, whose Nandiz line is sold at Manika and contains delicate and chunky statement pieces favored by many in the social set, including her famous mom, Rita Moreno.
Meghan Connolly Haupt showed her lab-created jewelry in the same booth as Jennifer Dawes’ ethically sourced diamonds. “These are optically, chemically and aesthetically comparable to their mined counterparts,” Haupt said, “and they have almost no social or environmental issues.”
Gordon Aatlo, who won the Spectrum Award – one of the industry’s most prestigious – in 1999 and 2000, was there with his tsavorite garnet and diamond swirl-design ring, costing $12,500. And there was John Brana, a former vice president at Charles Schwab, who left the corporate world after some soul-searching following the deaths of two family members. His Monterey collection included a necklace that featured aquamarine metal mesh ribbon from Italy paired with amazonite stones and fine, non-tarnishing silver.
Designer Clare Ullman worked as a men’s fashion consultant at Macy’s for 12 years before becoming a jewelry designer. She’s known for her South Sea pearl bracelets and necklaces with an ethnic but polished flair, sold at Manika on Maiden Lane and at private shows.
Carlos Chanu, of PCD Fine Pearls, who represents the Italian Marchisio line in the United States and designs pearl jewelry, had the best story of the evening. He showed a bracelet in 18-karat rose gold with a handmade arabesco finish and diamond rondelles, with a $10,500 price tag. It was stretchy, thanks to its inner workings, made from the spring of an Italian racing car. “You can tell people at a cocktail party, ‘Want to see my Ferrari? It’s on my wrist.’ ”
Source: http://www.sfgate.com/
