18k White Gold Diamond Glove By Daphne Guinness and Jeweller Shaun Leane.

You may have seen a few images of this custom creation being touted as the "World's Most Expensive Glove" but it is so much more than that.


above: Jewelery designer Shaun Leane and his sketch of the diamond and 18k white gold glove

The artisanal creation, a collaboration between legendary style icon Daphne Guinness and fine jeweller Shaun Leane took over four years to be realized. Named Contra Mundum (translated as Against the World), the armour-inspired gauntlet is made up of more than a thousand grams of gold and is set with over 5,000 pavé white diamonds and was unveiled in a very dramatic fashion.




above three images shot by Nick Knight

The Piece
Weighing over 1,000 grams, the 18k white gold chain maille glove has striking diamond birds cascading around the arm, as though caught in mid-flight. The hand is protected with a bold 18k brushed white gold metal cuff, hand-forged and beautifully engraved.




Made in two parts, the cuff can be worn alone as a hand glove, or extended into an evening glove. Every detail in the piece, including the chainmail, has been carefully constructed by hand to ensure a perfect fit to Daphne’s arm.


above image from W magazine by Nick Knight


The Presentation
This collaborative effort was unveiled in typically dramatic fashion. The piece was exhibited by Jay Jopling of White Cube gallery, in an exclusive viewing in London, with Daphne lying in state only to be wakened by a kiss from director and designer Tom Ford as her fashionable Prince Charming.





Guests watched Daphne’s beautiful presentation of the piece - dressed in the bespoke glove and shrouded in white silk tulle, her lie-in state symbolised the concept of the objet d’art; Sir Thomas Malory’s compilation of the legendary tales of the Knights of the Round Table.





As the evening drew to a close, guests (which included Tom Ford, Suzy Menkes, Lily Cole, Livia Firth and Alexander McQueen’s Creative Director Sarah Burton) were presented with a gift bag containing a solitaire diamond and a beautiful message signed by Shaun and Daphne as a remembrance of a beautiful summer evening.

Information courtesy of Shaun Leane and images courtesy of Vogue Italia, W Magazine, Zimbio and Daphne Guinness

Clever Commentary Jewelry by Amsterdam Designer Sacha Lannoye

Amsterdam based product designer Sacha Lannoye has a clever line of jewelry and accessories for the neck and body that make a commentary on society. Gold-plated and silver-plated brass necklaces, brooches, nameplates for shoes and belts are engraved with words that suggest more than just decoration.

Blablabla and YadaYada:



above and below: "Blablabla" and "YadaYada" are persiflages on the well-known golden necklaces of someone’s name. "Blablabla" and "YadaYada" anticipate the superficial side of communication between people. For those who wear it, as well as for the viewers "Blablabla" and "YadaYada" confronts and shows the relativism of things.

size: 80 x 14 x 1,7 mm
material: gold-plated / silver-plated brass




Flowers For Your Lapel:


above: People are constantly looking for renewal. At the same time they want recognition to see the obvious. "Brooch", "Red Rose" and "Corsage" are representations of the actual thing.

Size: 47 x 14 x 1,7 mm
Material: gold-plated / silver-plated brass

Max 20 kg:


above: "Max 20 kg" makes people think about the absurdity to strive for the perfect body. But what do we perceive as "the perfect body"? No healthy woman, old enough to walk on high heels, can measure up to this required weight limit. It indicates that nobody’s fits this propagandistic ideology of the body.

Material: leather, gold-plated / silver-plated brass


Size Zero:



above: A golden or silver label is attached to this belt, which reads "Size 34" (unfortunately, this is a European size, not U.S. sizing so it doesn't make as much sense in the states). The label covers up the original jeans-label that would reveal your real size. "Size Zero" criticizes the pressure society puts on woman towards their appearance. Lots of woman get frustrated, even obsessed by wanting to look skinny.

Size: 88 x 58 x 1,7 mm
Material: leather, gold-plated / silver-plated brass


Workaholic:


above: "Workaholic" is a necklace that mocks with people who are obsessed with their work. It's a customized, golden business card, which you can wear as jewellery. This thick golden plate also functions as a small carrying case for your own business cards.

size: 62 x 89,7mm x 7mm or 89,7mm x 62 x 7mm
material: gold-plated / silver-plated brass

photography by Diederik Boel

about the designer:
Sacha Lannoye studied product-design at the academy of Fine Arts in Maastricht (ABK). She currently lives and works in Amsterdam.

There are many beautiful and practical products available all over the world.
Despite the overkill of these products, caused by mass-production, people's needs remain unfullfilled.

Sacha Lannoye occupies herself with these subjective needs of people. Her products represent her way of thinking, which is a response to human behavior. She strives to combine content, function and aesthetics in a way that they reinforce each-other.

By putting recognizable ingredients in a new context, products pass out a message and show people her astonished, ironic view of the world. Therefore they become powerful tools, reaching beyond material matter. (text courtesy of soonsalon)

See more of the clever products by Sacha Lannoye here
The above jewelry is available for purchase from the Soon Salon.

Funky Find Of The Week: NEWD Adhesive Jewelry

NEWD of Italy is a company who designs and sells 'skin jewels' or 'wireless jewelry'. Gems and crystals set in precious and non-precious metals you can apply directly to the skin via an adhesive backing. They carry five collections and the prices vary depending upon the collection.

The 5 collections consist of The GOLDEN and SILVER Collections (some solid, some plated) , The MY STONES collection (with real gemstones or colored Swarovski crystals), the FASHION collection (wings embellished with Swarovski crystals, buffalo heads with real horse fur, and skulls with cubic zircons) and finally the exoskeletal My BONES collection (rhodium plated silver with your choice of colored Swarovski crystals in a vertebrae-like shape).





While the simple silver and gold flat iconographic pieces look like interesting shiny tattoos on the skin, the 'My Stones' and 'My Bones' collection designed by Italian journalist, politician and tv personality, Irene Pivetti, are certainly far creepier.

The 'My Stones' collection looks eerily as if one has broken out in bejeweled lesions and the 'My Bones' collection makes the wearer look like a Borg.

However, I commend them for a unique approach to the long hardly unchanged tradition of jewelry. See what you think.


Various Skin jewels from the Golden and Silver Collections:







Irene Pivetti's 'My Stones':






Irene Pivetti's 'My Bones':




The Fashion Collection:





The innovative adhesive film, Skin Touch was developed by the company’s internal research center. The results are a non-toxic-anallergic-waterproof film.

SKIN TOUCH is naturally an exclusive patented invention of Newd which guarantees maximum versatility for every type of jewel designed and created by the company.

How to apply Skin Touch:



•Clean your skin with soap or methylated spirits, and dry well.
•Detach the Skin Touch from its transparent film.
•Attach the Skin Touch to the back of the jewel, pressing well.
•Remove the protective film trying to avoid touching the adhesive part that will come in contact •with your skin.



•Apply the jewel to the clean part of your skin.
•A new Skin Touch must be applied every time the jewel is detached and then re-attached to your skin.


Visit the site and shop for the items here.