An Interview with Jewelry designer Sharon Layani
EXPERIENCE
I have over fifteen years in the jewelry industry and I never tired of it. In fact each year it feels like my passion and admiration grows. I believe that you are never done learning, so I try to focus on finding new materials and methods to make jewelry that truly stands out. I have learned all the ancestral techniques of fine jewelry and I use these as a platform to inspire and challenge myself to create highly complex and unique pieces of jewelry that move people.
INSPIRATION
I am profoundly inspired by nature. I watch the natural elements move before me and try to capture their essence in my work. My jewelry is fundamentally tied to this natural movement. They have linked in my mind and through the creative process, it’s all about being able to visualize this aesthetic so that a wearer will feel it, whether they fully understand what they are feeling or not.
VISION
I seek nothing less than greatness in what I do. I aim to leave pieces of true art scattered across the world.
CRAFTSMANSHIP
We need to invent the present and foresee the future with the tools of the past. Today’s jewelry is to perpetuate traditional techniques but in combination with modern cutting-edge technology.
FAVORITE PIECE
I have many favorites but WAVE is the piece that comes to mind first. The natural flow of the gold is envisioned as a stage, lifting the pearl like a dancer to an elevated state of grace. When I design I think about the pearl inside its shell. How it evolves and transforms after several years of growth. I imagine the continuation of the pearl as if it had never been removed. What would have happened? What shape or size would it have evolved into? I complete the process when I blend the gold to the pearl - the marriage of two equally beautiful elements.
