New Designs from Paula Crevoshay
Paula Crevoshay came to Tucson with some new designs that once again showcase her unique talent.
The “Queen Thai” bracelet (figure 1) contains five large freeform fire opals. Accompanying the opal are micro-pavé brilliant tsavorite accents and blue zircons connecting the bracelet sections. Four of the fire opals are from Mexico, and one is from Brazil. Crevoshay pointed out that the four Mexican fire opals have better transparency, while the Brazilian one has a more saturated orange color. All of them show some green and blue play-of-color, which complements the tsavorite and blue zircon accents. In return, the strong blue and green color of highly refractive tsavorite and zircon accentuates the opals’ play-of-color. The intense orange color of the Brazilian fire opal forms a dramatic contrast with the Mexican stones and adds another layer to draw viewers’ attention. The mounting of the bracelet follows the profile of the freeform opals, giving the jewelry its own personality.
Crevoshay expressed her love of nature in two new pieces from the collection. The “Swallowtail” butterfly (figure 2, left) combines yellow diamond, black diamond, blue Yogo sapphire, yellow sapphire, and red spinel. She informed us that this swallowtail is modeled specifically after those found in Montana, a state whose natural beauty and sapphires she admires. She noted that she always tries to find an excuse to involve Montana sapphire in her artworks. The various stones are mounted over a large surface area, which allows them to optically interact with each other. The colors of the stones accurately reproduce the colors on the wings of these butterflies. When people move the piece in their hands, it vividly reflects the whimsical look of the real butterfly. The elephant head in figure 2 (right) evokes Crevoshay’s memories of visiting an elephant orphanage in Sri Lanka. Captured in this pendant is the extinct East African forest elephant, which is smaller and less aggressive than most other species. A special texture was generated on the gold to depict the elephant’s skin. A sapphire and spinel headdress shows the royalty of this creature. The eyes are tsavorite, while the tasks are carved mother-of-pearl.
Last but not least is the cuff bracelet featuring a large Australian boulder opal accented with sapphire (figure 3). To Crevoshay, “all opals are created by Monet,” since each is a striking blend of colors. The play-of-color pattern of this opal reminds viewer of a spectacular cityscape at night. There is a subtle red linear play-of-color across the middle of this piece. This long marquise-shaped boulder opal has blue as its deepest play-of-color, and Crevoshay selected the blue sapphire to go with it. According to color theory, blue is a color that recedes. The blue sapphire and the blue play-of-color seem to dominate the cuff bracelet but then recede to the background to allow the other colors such as the green and the red to take center stage.
