At this year’s JCK Show - Las Vegas, I met Lene Vibe of Vibes, a new exhibitor to the show and to the Fragments showroom. Lene hails from Copenhagen, Denmark, home of:
The Little Mermaid statue was a present from Carl Jacobsen of Carlsberg Breweries to the city of Copenhagen around the turn of the century. This bronze mermaid was inspired by the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen and was brought to life by little-known sculptor, Edvard Erichsen. This dame is tough, too, as Danish pranksters have a history of vandalizing her: the Little Mermaid has been painted, decapitated, had her right arm severed, and, pushed in the water.
The Danes are so modest. The Carlsberg Brewery sign near Strøget, a long street filled with shops, reads “Probably the Best Beer in Town.” I’ll confirm their speculation; Carlsberg is, indeed, the best beer in their town.
Tivoli Garden (which, from my personal experience, I think is highly overrated);
I went to Tivoli about five years ago. Everyone in Copenhagen said it was a must-see, so we went, but I wasn’t impressed. Tivoli is like Great Adventure meets Central Park. It’s a fun place for small children, I suppose, but adults might rather tour Kronborg Castle.
and perhaps Denmark’s biggest jewelry branding success story, Ole Lynggaard. [Read “A Day in Denmark,” an article I wrote when I visited Lynggaard in his studio in Copenhagen several years ago.]
I interviewed Ole and daugher, Charlotte, Lynggaard when I visited Copenhagen. Their jewelry is also quite beautiful.
Lene utilizes 18k gold, colorless and cognac diamonds, and my personal favorite, Tahitian and South Sea pearls. Her designs are quite organic looking, as though they were plucked from a fruit-bearing tree or dug out of someone’s garden. Motifs include snails, shells, butterflies, and flowers.
To learn more about Lene’s work, check out her web site or contact Fragments in New York at (866) 966-4688. The following images show some of her jewelry designs.
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