Baubles At Play
Kinetic jewellery designed to react to your movements, where impressive feats of miniature engineering allow the pieces to shake, rattle, and roll
Jewellery is not merely encapsulated in three dimensions. There is a fourth dimension of movement and it is trending high on the charts. Introducing kinetic jewellery, a concept that was first invented in the 1950s by German goldsmith, Friedrich Becker.
Think of kinetic jewellery as a luxurious wearable toy, designed to react to your movements, where impressive feats of miniature engineering allow the pieces to shake, rattle, and roll. Today, this playful feature has inspired a new breed of jewellery designs that exude modernity, elegance, and a little bit of fun. Here are a few names to know that are literally bringing jewellery to life.
Alan Ardi
Alan Ardi created a unique range of jewels that capture the natural movement of the neck and chain to animate the pieces. Crafted from a combination of silver and gold, the jewellery incorporates kinetic parts that allow fish to jump, birds to swing, and hearts to roll.
“When I was at Art College, I was told to see my art as a ‘vehicle of my expression.’ Since then, I have put wheels and movement in my designs. Movement creates an engagement with the design and creates an interaction between the wearer and admirer,” shares Ardi .
Marie Mas
This Parisian brand by Marie Cabirou challenges the notions of standard jewellery with patented movement techniques. Ideas like a double post system allow you to turn earrings and wear them upside down. What’s more, diamonds and gemstones jump like a wave, while necklaces change colours when rotated.
“Movement has been an obsession of mine. For me, a good design is surprising; it looks alive and gives a soul to the object,” says Cabirou. “The wow e ect is also very important. A piece is a success if you see the sparkle in the eyes of the wearer!”
Messika
“Move” was the first jewellery collection by Valerie Messika and still remains an essential part of the Messika brand’s DNA. Comprising diamonds that move, the collection has been revamped over the years, with the latest being ‘Lucky Move’, enhanced with coloured gemstones.
“When I was a little girl, my father used to bring home some incredible diamonds and let me play with them. It was the movement of the diamonds in his hands that later inspired me to create the Move collection. The concept of the three moving diamonds is close to my heart and is deeply imprinted in me from my childhood. Move is my signature collection and symbolises the love of yesterday, today, and tomorrow,” explains Messika.
Victoria Walker
Signature flower lockets by Walker feature tiny articulated flowers that emerge and unfold from within, evoking a sense of theatre and play. A secret revealed only by the wearer, these kinetic pendants are poetic in creation and are handcrafted by Walker in her workshop in Cornwall, UK.
“I’m completely fascinated with the endless forms and shapes found in nature and how they change so dramatically both day-to-day and through the seasons,” Walker shares. “I’m also inspired by the traditional idea of a locket, in which the hidden contents is the most treasured and precious element of the piece.”
Michael Berger
Michael Berger loves transforming graceful hands into eye-catching stages spinning with kinetic energy. Following in the footsteps of his mentor, Professor Friedrich Becker, Berger views jewellery as more than just a piece of adornment.
“There is undoubtedly a certain playfulness involved if you design kinetic jewellery,” explains the awardwinning designer, who produces the extraordinary pieces by hand from stainless steel and gold. At first glance, his rings look like sculptures, but it is when you put them on and start moving your hands in flowing movements that their magic is revealed.
Yael Sonia
The ‘Perpetual Motion’ collection by Yael Sonia has enchanted us with its quirkiness and clever use of gemstoness. The products are an interaction between spherical gemstones that spin, rotate, and revolve within sleek geometrical structures of gold.
“I’ve always seen jewellery as a form of personal expression, transcending the notion of mere self-adornment,” says Sonia. “By focusing on kinetic designs, with each movement, pearls and gemstones are set in motion, reflecting the wearer’s unique rhythm and individuality.”