He
has an original style and his creations can be considered works of art.
His
designs have been much appreciated within exhibitions in America, Europe and
Asia and he has received numerous awards and honors for them.
He is constantly in search for new knowledge on jewelry and he masterly succeeds
to transpose it into amazing creations.
Dear jewelry
lovers, I am honored to present you Claudio Pino, a jewelry designer world
renowned especially for his unique sculptural rings.
1. There is a story
behind every designer’s work but I felt a lot more in your collections. A great
attention to details, powerful meanings, reflections of the human’s journey
through time and space, the poetry of the world we live in, as you named it. Where
does your passion for jewelry come from?
The History of Jewelry always has fascinated me. Having a gem
connected to one's own body movements and having it associated with one's
personal appearance is a subject of investigation all by itself. In fact, my
passion for jewelry goes
back to my childhood. I would always ask to look inside jewelry boxes; I was
mesmerized by the vivid colors of the gemstones and the shinning gold, dreaming
of one day becoming a famous jewelry designer who could create a magic ring
like the ones in the dragon’s tales.
2. You are passionate about
gemstones and fascinated by their properties. Do you have a favorite
gemstone?
I often juxtapose hot and cold colors
together complimented
with the fresh hue of white pearls, searching for balance and equilibrium in my jewelry
designs. I do have a hick for diamonds, phrenites,
rubies and pearls, however, each gemstone is unique and draws its own beauty. Each
with different properties, rather physical, chemical, aesthetic and always
finds means to amaze me. As a gemstone lover, I always try to define their own
poetry and give tribute to their natural characteristics in my design.
3. How come you design
only rings?
Since
1995, I have been dedicated to create unique pieces of jewelry, seeking to
convey different emotions, always pushed forward my skills acquired while
assuring a total comfort for wearers. Captivated by the deep relationship
between rings and owners as well as their symbolism, and history, I started to
specialize in rings, both sculptural and kinetic. Sometimes, the set stones,
thanks to tiny mechanisms, can follow the movements of the body in multiple
ways. Whether being worn daily or on special occasions, rings are the most
common and evocative pieces of jewelry. They are very personal and submerged in
symbolic meaning. They can be worn as protective talismans or simply as
beautiful, precious accessories. Often, people will refuse to go out, or even
sleep, without their rings. What, then, makes a ring so powerful, even in contemporary times? Of course, we cannot disregard our past if we
are to understand why rings remain so important in our culture. From ancient
Egypt to the 21st century, its rich history of thousands of years is intricate
and fascinating. Rings endure as objects that have direct connections to our body language and serve as a
reflection of one’s appearance and style while recalling memories of our loved
ones, representing victories... and their vintage surface projects its unmistakable power...
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4. A visit to the Egyptian
Museum in Cairo offered you the chance to find out more about the symbolic
importance and origin of engagement rings. Tell us a little bit about this
journey.
To deepen my knowledge on the history of engagement rings, I went to the
Egyptian Museum in Cairo, which contains the largest collection of ancient
Egyptian Jewelry in the world. This collection includes one of the first
engagement rings, which was owned by Queen Aah-Hotep, the mother of Ahmose.
Seeing the Pharaohs’ jewelry and meeting with well-known specialists allowed me
to better understand the ancestral techniques and customs as well as to learn
more about the symbolic importance and origin of the engagement ring. This
research and creation project had a real impact on my artistic career, and it
is from this rich experience that I designed the Vena Amoris Collection. This
project was made possible in 2009, thanks to the Conseil des arts et des
letters du Quebec.
5. Which is the piece of jewelry
that you’re the most proud of?
Each of my jewelry designs brings me
different forms of satisfaction. It could be on both conceptual and technical
levels as well as based on the emotional drive, which the design can trigger in
the public. Recently, I created a sculptural ring entitled INOX Reverie made from stainless steel
and gold, which entailed a few technical and conceptual challenges. This ring
was built without any soldering point. Powerful, resistant, and strong, yet
lustrous and so soft to the touch, its design focuses on the unique properties
of stainless steel. It emphasizes the contrast between dark and light, hard and
soft, tough and tender. Thus, it juxtaposes the depth of black onyx to luminous yellow
Australian Prehnite. INOX Reverie suggests a dreamy, musing
state within the fast, contemporary realm and pace of urban life.
6. The Trilogie ring
encompasses your artistic development by bringing together “the importance of
the past, the intensity of the present and the possibilities of the future” (as
you said it). What’s next in Pino Fine Art Jewellery?
As
soon as a design is completed, I am continually searching for the next idea and
I am always thinking about what could be my ultimate design! The road of
creativity never stops.
You can find Claudio's amazing creations on his websites (pinodesign.net and claudiopino.lmrpr.com) or at his future exhibitions:
*** Upcoming Shows ****
2014 – Selected Exhibitions
Delirio y Cordura
Velvet da Vinci Gallery
San Francisco, California, USA
July 11 to August 12, 2014
Galerie Für Schmuck Meister und Margarita
Solo Show: Claudio Pino: The Power of Rings
Frankfurt, Germany
June 14 to June 20, 2014
SOFA New York
Option Art Gallery
New York, NY, USA
May 8 to 11, 2014
D’OR Exhibition
18Karat Gallery
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
March 31 to April 25, 2014
Gala San Jose 2014
Reinhold Jewelers
San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA
Feb. 18 to 22, 2014
Labels: Claudio Pino, gemstone, Georgiana Petcu, gold, infinity, INOX Reverie, jewelry blog, jewelry designer, jewelry love affair, kinetic ring, Nymphe de la Mer, platinum, Trilogie, Vena Amoris
