Redefining Haute Couture
By Claire Patterson

Jack and Elizabeth Gualtieri frame an abalone blister pearl with 22kt gold granulation in the “Empress I Pendant.”

When you hear the phrase haute couture, the first thing that probably comes to mind is high-end fashion. Artist Suz Andreasen is out to change that notion with The Couture Jewelry Awards, a highly selective new competition for studio jewelers, juried by some of the most knowledgeable curators and professors in America today.

A one-day exhibition and sale unveiled the winning artists’ work to the public in December at the Pratt Mansion in New York. It featured 44 jewelers, who sold work ranging from plastic married with silver to luxurious 22kt gold coupled with precious stones.

Debra Adelson’s “East/West” pendant stands out with colorful acrylic and unexpected tanzanite accents.

Andreasen chose the word couture to emphasize the wearability of the jewelry. To “change the perception of jewelry, you have to completely re-identify it in a new movement,” she maintains. In essence, it’s not mere ornament, it’s wearable art.