The Chiwara jewellery assortment by Lalaounis

Open to influences from world wide Lalaounis, the Greek jewelry home, presents the Chiwara assortment. The yellow gold and diamond Chiwara jewels are impressed by the sculptural carved headdresses of the Bamana folks in Western Africa. The chiwara is used at planting and harvesting ceremonies and is related to fertility and the passing on from era to era of farming traditions. A number of variants exist of the chiwara  or ci wara as they’re additionally recognized. Known as boli energy objects they are often male or feminine and even summary and embrace a stylised antelope kind. Throughout ceremonial rites, the chiwara is worn on prime of a basket on the top, the individual’s physique completely hid below a shaggy raffia cloak.

Learn extra concerning the historical past of Lalaounis jewelry right here.

As soon as seen, by no means forgotten, the Chiwara sculptures are one of the recognisable artwork types of Africa. Their elegant, stark traces, distinctive triangular markings and complex use of unfavorable area have impressed many C20th Modernist artists together with Constantin Brâncusi and Fernand Léger. At this time the maison honours the well-known Chiwara with a textured gold line of rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets as Maria Lalaounis, Artistic Director of the Greek jewelry home, brings a treasured interpretation to this age-old iconic artefact.

Demetra Lalaounis Auersperg, co-CEO and Director of Worldwide enterprise of the Greek family-run and owned agency explains: ‘The elegant, linear and zig zag open-work carvings of those female and male headdresses, in addition to the wealthy symbolism behind them, impressed us to create this minimalist and geometric assortment.’

The jewelry home Lalaounis has a historical past of imbuing its jewels with narratives from completely different cultures. Ilias Lalaounis, who based the agency in Athens in 1969, started making jewels impressed by his ardour for historical past and particularly the cultural heritage of his nation. His first jewels echoed the designs of vintage artefacts in evocative and huge scale items made utilizing historic strategies resembling hand-hammering and filigree work in 18 or 22–carat gold. This was the beginning of  the home’s custom of designing jewels evocative of  cultures starting from the Paleolithic instances to the Minoan, Classical and Hellenistic eras and later shifting into different civilisations such because the Byzantine, Far Japanese, Celtic, Viking and Native American worlds.

‘Because the 1970’s the significance of ethnic international tradition has been key to the Lalaounis model. We’re all the time on the lookout for the widespread delineator which is jewelry with a narrative to inform and decoding it in our distinctive method. The preliminary attraction to the Chiwara was visible however the extra we researched the topic, the extra attention-grabbing it grew to become because it has such an incredible story to inform and talks about agriculture, the significance of women and men working collectively and respecting the planet, matters that are so related at this time,’ explains Lalaounis Auersperg.

The African theme carries on from the extremely profitable Nubia assortment that interpreted engravings discovered on Nubian pottery into high-quality jewels. Just like the Nubia, Chiwara has clear minimalist traces with a powerful character whereas sustaining the attribute Lalaounis model’s  fashion. Textured, polished gold in circles or bars are delicately linked collectively to create jewels which might be ethereal and lightweight however with an arresting visible influence.  Like all of the Lalaounis agency’s designs, the Chiwara just isn’t a literal interpretation however an essence of the fashion and the spirit of the sculptures. Components such because the zig zag  kinds and the tapered horns of the stylised antelope are captured within the slender gold bars and hoops. The wealthy, wavy texture of the gold evokes the hand-made ethnic enchantment of the unique Chiwara and the diamonds function highlights to the fastidiously honed kinds.

Evocative and common of their simplicity, the Chiwara jewels are simple to put on each day and evening. The double and triple-drop earrings provide a complicated dressed-up look that will look equally pretty much as good with a kaftan on the seaside. Lalaounis is ready to create such unique and refined jewels because it has its personal manufacturing facility in Athens. Working carefully with the design workforce, every jewel is fine-tuned and tweaked till it meets the home’s rigorous requirements, a luxurious few impartial jewelry homes can declare.

The timing of the launch of Chiwara chimes with the rising curiosity in African artwork and respect for sources of ancestral data. The spark was first lit when artistic director Maria Lalaounis noticed a chiwara sculpture.  ‘Generally I see one thing,’ says Lalaounis Auersperg, ‘typically my sister Maria sees one thing, we give it some thought and speak it by way of and when the time is correct we develop the thought.’ The household ethos of working collectively continues in thrilling new collections like this, stamped with the home of Lalaounis’s hallmark fashion and magnificence.