Lapel-Friendly Gecko

Brooches made a fashionable comeback on the red carpet earlier this year. The pin surely is in, but this one-off design from Los Angeles-based Omi Privé is not for the fainthearted. Jewelry designer Niveet Nagpal has created an assortment of men’s jewelry for his brand – and amongst them is a lapel-friendly gecko named Alexis. “Extremely inspired by the unique color-changing properties of Alexandrite gems” Niveet set about collecting them over a span of five-six years. “Finer quality Alexandrites are extremely rare, and not well known to many people, which makes each mesmerizing design more valuable.” Niveet bought a parcel of rough Alexandrites from the Lake Manyara region in Tanzania on one of his gem buying trips in 2008. “Several years later, with the smaller rough pieces I had left, I decided to make a brooch – a chameleon because alexandrite has color-change properties when viewed in different light. However, as we went through the design and crafting process, the shape and size of the rough dictated more of a lizard or gecko.” It took his team nearly eight months to finish. Some wax carvings and iterations were made, some were scrapped until the right shape and movement for the gecko brooch was achieved. “As the tail and limbs are fully articulated, it is quite a design and engineering feat,” adds Niveet. The biggest challenge, he admits, was creating the piece with some delicacy, movement, and detail, while still making sure it is durable enough to be worn often and last long. The rough natural color-change Alexandrite and diamond gecko brooch, handcrafted in 18k white gold, has black rhodium detailing and black diamonds. Seven rough gems align to form the torso, while two round green tsavorites sparkle as the eyes, and a round ruby is set culet-up to depict the gecko’s lashing tongue. | omiprive.com