With his latest collection, jewelry designer Christopher Duquet wanted to take one of nature’s most perfect transformations—the snowflake—and interpret it his way, using his tools of gold, pearls, diamonds, and moonstone.
Snowflakes are “spontaneous geometry,” Duquet says, combining his interest in mathematics and science alongside the metamorphosis that occurs when water crystallizes in the frigid air. Duquet says he wanted to capture the moment when that energy is transformed.
“I was fascinated by the mathematical and crystalline structures of snowflakes,” says Duquet. “When you really drill down almost microscopically and see how they develop, you can see these moments of instantaneous change. It gives you a real understanding of the structure that’s being developed in front of your eyes.”
For a jeweler based in Illinois, snow during the late fall and throughout winter can be a daily occurrence. It might make sense, then, that he may not be the biggest fan of snow and the impact on his life or that of his staff. Instead, Duquet says he finds these natural phenomenon incredibly inspiring as an artist.
While there are many jewelers who take on snowflakes or snow, Duquet says he hoped that his particular imagination, skills, and storytelling would bring something special to his new Snowflakes collection.
“I didn’t want to do everybody else’s snowflake, either. I wanted to do my own interpretation of it,” Duquet says. “A lot of it is about energy. It’s almost an explosion of crystal that takes place—I wanted to catch that moment. It’s about seeing that light shining off of the gold and the diamonds sparkling.”
That moment is a mix of science and magic, Duquet says.
“It’s a moment in time. It has never happened before, and it will never happen again. It occurs in a split second and then it’s over,” Duquet says. “With these pieces, it’s like a photograph (of that moment) or a remembrance.”
Storytelling is an essential part of what Duquet has done as a jeweler throughout his career. He works with clients and on his own pieces to come up with how the jewelry should interpret the story that the piece should represent.
Another recent piece that Duquet created told the story of a symphony’s 75th anniversary. As a special commission for the Evanston Symphony Orchestra, Duquet designed, crafted, and delivered a sterling silver and diamond baton for the symphony’s longtime conductor, Lawrence Eckerling, to use during the symphony’s November anniversary performance. The custom-made baton—light, sparkling, and personal—was a highlight of the special event.
The baton’s rich details—for example, the way its circumference includes the score of the concert’s opening song—tell a story about the Evanston cultural organization and its meaning to the community, Duquet says. Evanston is a northern suburb of Chicago, known as home to Northwestern University and for its location on Lake Michigan.
“Everything, at least in terms of jewelry, should have a reference—a story,” Duquet says. “There should be something about it that is more than just the object itself. It should transform you and take you to a different place—a moment or an idea. That is why the quality of the piece is so important because the object takes on that importance.”
Top: White Snowflake necklace in 14k white gold with 2.57 ct. blue sapphire and 0.26 ct. t.w. diamonds; $8,995 (all photos courtesy of Christopher Duquet Fine Jewelry Design).
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