Ancient Inspiration
Austy Lee’s latest creations draw from medieval artefacts and historic symbols
High jewellery designer Austy Lee draws inspiration from all four corners of the world; for pieces in the Red Arrows collection, he retells timeless tales with contemporary designs.
The Arrow Asterisk ring—an 18-karat white-gold piece set with Brazilian indicolite, Colombian emeralds and white diamonds— depicts the four cardinal points of a compass. Red and black enamel depicts a series of arrows pointing in different directions. Lee’s design is influenced by the medieval manicule, a 14th-century precursor to the compass. During his painstaking creative process, the designer delved deep into the history of the navigation tool, unearthing an 18th-century illustration by engineer Bernard Forest de Bélidor.
Another piece from the collection, the Red Arrow bangle, boasts a similar motif: an arrow encased in red ceramic and inlaid with white gold and diamonds. Inspired by the bows and arrows used in ancient Egyptian and Nubian cultures, the bangle’s sharp lines create an abstract, angular design. The arrowhead is further inspired by 19th-century maps by cartographer Emil Reich, on which the symbols were used to connote military movements.
Bold red enamel lines permeate the Indigo Brick earrings from Lee’s Ikhor collection. The 18-karat rose-gold pieces are set with
Brazilian indicolites and fancy colour diamonds. Drawing its name from the use of fire bricks by the ancient Greeks and Romans, the earrings are a non-identical pair, differing in shape and boasting contrasting colours on the arrow points, which results in a more dynamic, three-dimensional design.
Three distinct pieces inspired by cultures and artefacts from all over the world, the common threads running through Lee’s creations are his signature flair and his desire to bring international inspiration to his designs.