Talisman, Tooth, Claw, Tusk, Quill & Feather

June 24, 2011 - PRLog -- The release of the first from the series of these creative tangents, “Talisman”, is a subtly evocative piece and forms part of the universal ring range, pieces that are easily turned from pendant to ring, even though the lucky few whom have managed to pre-order versions of this piece never want to take it off their finger.

The piece has been crafted in such a way as to create tension in the negative space between the two bullet cabochons, drawing the eye into the void between the stones. The metal itself has been lovingly shaped by hand from a single ingot of gold, using files and Ruby sandpaper and traditional techniques that have little changed since the dawn of time.

Duncan’s thought process includes research into the heritage of all of his materials; every element selected having deep meaning. In Talisman, the use of gold carries the symbolism of prosperity, the essence of old gods and the Yang charge. The colour purple of Iolite carries within it the power of healing, wisdom and awareness and the green of the Peridot denotes prosperity, luck, beauty, youth and healing.

“Talisman” (pictured 14k yellow gold with Iolite and Peridot), is an open-ended ring with two bullet shaped cabochons facing each other. (*An 18k carat gold version with a pair of diamonds, a black and white diamond, along with variations with Emeralds, Sapphires and Rubies, all set with their points facing out, will soon be available to order as well as an entry level version in Sterling silver.)

The ring version precedes the earrings and bracelet from this style, and the “Talisman” ring is a taster from the forthcoming capsule collections to be released throughout 2011 by Duncan Stevens.

Not to give the game away, but the upcoming creations from Tooth et al are all slightly unsettling, as they have a savageness and menacing beauty to them. These capsule ranges are a return to Duncan’s former tendency for paired-down or layered and gritty offbeat pieces that certainly are more fringe than mainstream.

Check out www.duncanstevens.com to see images of the Talisman ring and more stunning works from Duncan Stevens or join the Duncan Stevens Jewellery Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Duncan-Stevens-Jewellery/83... or get jewellery styling & gift tips @DSJewellery on Twitter

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The Duncan Stevens atelier is a growing South African brand that has received attention from clients as far afield as Australia, with clients including the Princess of Poland, HRH Tamara Czartoryska and local South African counter-culture celebs such as Pippa Tshabalala.

The formation of Duncan Stevens truly began in 2007 and was born of a love for jewellery & objets d’art.

Duncan Stevens Jewellery is available from Reads Gallery (The Zone, Rosebank, Johannesburg), through Makia Online (South Africa), TWO Boutique (Johannesburg, South Africa),), Egality Gallery (Johannesburg, South Africa), Frazer Atelier (Cape Town, South Africa), NJAL (London, UK) and JewelleryIreland (Dublin, Ireland). *More stockists to follow. For an updated list, please see website.