Hypnotise Me
Austy Lee reaches into the depths of Earth in his latest mindblowing jewellery collection
With his deep interest in history and mythology, the artistic jeweller Austy Lee often creates fantastical worlds through his beautifully crafted pieces. He brings his fascination with geology to his latest range, the 10th Dimension Collection, and takes us to the very centre of Earth, conjuring— through precious stones that seem to pulsate with a neon-brilliant life force—what lies beneath the crust.
The centrepiece stone in the 18-karat yellow gold Hypnotic Magma Ring is the Afghanistan peridot, a rare gem-quality variety of the common mineral olivine that first formed thousands of years ago deep in Earth’s mantle, then was brought to the surface by volcanoes. It is imbued with legendary powers: the ancient Egyptians believed that this “gem of the sun” protected its wearer from the terrors of the night, while in Hawaii, it once symbolised the tears of Pele, the volcano goddess of fire who controlled the flow of lava. In Lee’s creation, the peridot is flanked by pink, orange, blue and green enamel which is punctuated by white diamonds.
The Hypnotic Magma Earrings in 18 karat gold also showcases peridots, this time from Burma, accented by pink, orange, blue, and green enamel as well as white diamonds. Juxtaposing stones against metal against enamel, Lee evokes something primal and ancient, yet very much alive: tectonic plates shifting, rivulets of lava coalescing in streams of bright colour. And in the midst of it all is the peridot, the stone of compassion believed to bring in good health, restful sleep and peace in relationships. Underneath Earth’s mantle may be chaos and fire, but the Hypnotic Magma rings and earrings inspired by this frenzy emit only positive vibes.