On the surface, the jewelry business appears to be divided into two main groups: Luxury jewelry made of gold and precious stones and avant-garde items, usually the work of independent designers. Based on this tacit division, the exclusive brands do not produce seasonal, trendy and cheap items, whereas the independent designers make mostly trendy items, from any material they fancy and the price range is seemingly endless.
A look at what is taking place at Miller Shops and Galleries, a local chain of jewelry stores, indicates that it be cannot included exclusively in either group. The collection it offers includes a range of possibilities that border on both worlds. Alongside rows of classic jewelry manufactured in the Miller family's factory, there are brand-name items such as solitaire rings with diamonds, tennis bracelets with uniform inset diamonds, and classic gold chains. But there are also completely different collections, produced by assorted designers, mostly Italians, who work with the company.
Haim Miller, one of the company's owners, says he is careful to provide a showcase for the designs of some of his favorite designers and to be attentive to what is going on in the world.
So for example, the company's outlets recently reintroduced silver jewelry. According to Miller, until around a year ago, the metal was considered inferior, but due to the sharp rise in the price of gold, silver is back in fashion. Miller says he is aware of local tastes which skew toward gold, preferably as yellow as possible, and therefore he looks for capsule collections of designers who use both materials and create items made of gold and silver, either in one piece or separately.
The Italian designer Pesavento's collection, which recently arrived at Miller's stores, is a good example. The company's designers see silver as a successful raw material and in the two collections they designed, silver in its preliminary state is used and additional materials are inset in it, such as diamonds in different colors and unusual sizes.
The two current collections differ in concept: one, Dreams Dust, consists of oversize jewels made of silver coated in 18 karat pink and yellow gold. This collection features rings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants and earrings. Some of them very much resemble each other, but only on closer inspection is it possible to discern the differences in the shades of the gold or in the color of the diamonds and it seems that the collection will gain fans among young women who favor a gothic look, and are seeking a uniform set of jewelry.
Notable in the collection are the necklaces made of silver links and black-rhodium coated links, creating a rocker feel that is still very elegant and fancy looking. Another necklace, made of a leather strip and a pendant coated in blackened rhodium, might have seemed trendy and almost simplistic, but the quality of the material and the bright gleam of the rhodium create a rather clean and noble look.
Those who prefer a feminine, refined look, will probably be more fond of the other Pesavento collection, Pixel, whose name reveals the design concept behind it: the items in this collection look like a dense collection of gold bas-relief against a black background and different shades of pink, gold and silver. The collection features rounded lines, mostly in its bracelets, rings and earrings and the items come in a range of oversize dimensions.
The bracelets and rings in the collection stand out in particular and it is advisable to choose just one of them in order to get an avant-garde look that will attract attention. For example, a ring with 18-karat inlays colored black will coordinate with the oval link bracelet and not with the earrings that are identical to the ring. The earrings in the series can certainly provide the wearer with the same very fashionable and elegant look if they are not combined with another item, because they are big and stand out enough.
Prices: NIS 990-6,300. Available at Miller shops; details on the website: www.miller.co.il
