F or his Mécaniques Célestes collection, jewelry designer Elie Top was influenced by the mysteries of outer space. Here he expands on three of the pieces being sold in the Jewels by Elie Top Online sale, explaining the inspiration behind each one and how his signature playful designs reveal the jewels' true nature.
1. This ring is named after Sirius, the brightest star in space. The moving gold sphere reveals a peridot cushion surrounded by diamonds and the daisy pattern recalls a traditional engagement ring design to create a past/present contrast between the pure sphere design and the historical precious interior.
2. This necklace is the most emblematic piece of the Mecaniques Celestes collection. Here are five hard stone planets with their diamond satellites, inside fives gold spheres. Once they're closed , the necklace – all gold and distressed silver – shows its bold and radical lines but once the planets appear, it shows a poetic galaxy in a retro-futuristic style .
3. Desdemona was Shakespeare's Venetian heroine, married to the Othello, the Moor. Closed, the cuff of this bracelet, made out of ebony with a white gold and silver center, recalls an African aesthetic, like a shield. Opened, it reveals its precious multicolored heart, a dome recalling the palaces and churches of the rich Venice of the Middle Ages. It presents two worlds on the same piece: the Occident and the Orient reunited, like Venice itself.
