Inspiration for The Primavera Collection

by lauren jennings

What is PS Primavera?

My first collection of rings launches on April 5th, 2020 (Palm Sunday) and I've decided to name it 'Primavera' after the Italian word for Spring.

Overall Vision

I acquired the visual inspiration for this collection over the course of several years, on various trips abroad, bookended by trips to Florence, Italy and to Crete, Greece.  The collection is rooted in the feminine, featuring water-like gemstones, ethereal pearls, and golden braided details. Lines are kept simple and modern, with a nod to Mediterranean style.

Color Inspiration

While in Crete I had the good fortune of visiting one of the most enchanting beaches of pink sand and aquamarine water called Elafonisi. I was transfixed as the cool sparkling water washed in over the vibrant coral sand creating the most beautiful natural color palette. I knew I wanted to source stones in these colors as soon as I returned to the States to recreate the magic of Elafonisi on your fingers.

Gemstone Selection

This year was my first year traveling to Tucson for the country's largest gem + mineral show. I luckily found plenty of beautiful stones there that matched my color inspiration including Mint Beryl, Tourmaline, Aquamarine, Sunstone, Prasiolite, and Pearls.

Motif Research

While in Florence, Italy, we visited the Uffizi Gallery where we saw Sandro Botticelli's 'Primavera.' I was struck by the size of the panting and the level of magnificent detail. I documented several motifs from this painting that I felt would translate well into jewelry: hands, flowers, leaves, hair tendrils, and braids.

Idea Exploration

I began playing around with these motifs as two dimensional shapes and then started to brainstorm on how these could become three dimensional rings. I decided I would not only have to fabricate rings from flat metal sheet, but I would also need to research lost-wax casting as a means to create the more organic sketches I'd drawn.

Collection Launch

I'm continuing to work hard from my in-home studio during the Coronavirus outbreak and hope to deliver a collection of at least 30 rings to you on April 5th. HOWEVER, I do believe there will be a second installment launching in June (or whenever my production partners are back up and running) that will include more of the organic, casted rings that are not able to be made currently due to distancing.

Want To Know More?

I'm a lover of creating visual moods and gathering inspiration (if you can't already tell) and I document most of my research on Pinterest.
This blog post is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to building out the foundation of my brand and I'd love to share ALL of it with you.
Click on the link below to discover the rest!
Back to The Palm Sunday Times