Eye Of The Beholder - Lover's Eye Jewelry

Delphina Lover's Eye Locket

I have written about this before (waaaay back in 2012), but considering recent developments - I thought this might be a good time to touch on this subject again. Some of you already know that my previous career, prior becoming a jewelry designer, was as an interior designer in Boston. That little snippet of information definitely explains my fascination with history, antiques and once again, the subject of Lover’s Eye Jewelry. You can read about the history of these remarkable little works of art in my blog post dated January 9, 2012, The Look Of Love - https://karensugarmandesigns.blogspot.com/2012/01/look-of-love.html

I was recently contacted by Abigail Esman, regarding these special little amulets for an article she was preparing to write on the subject for 1stDibs for one of their featured articles. As I mentioned to Abigail, I went a little nutty hoarding these gorgeous antique double glazed lockets, but in my defense - I had a plan - even though I had not set it in concrete at that point. The gorgeous antique lockets mostly had glass on both sides which allowed me to incorporate the miniature eye art on one side while adding very small gemstones and charms to the backside that would allow the purchaser to see the signature and date of the drawing - full transparency!

There are certainly tons of newly painted Lover’s Eye Jewelry currently on the market, most of which are not painted in the quality of the originals. Seriously, I think everyone that can hold a paintbrush must think they are an artist - nothing could be further from the truth! There are also many unscrupulous antique dealers (or unsuspecting) that have original Lover’s Eye paintings available. Easy enough to figure this out with a loupe, because it involves pixels from photos or printing rather than a hand-painted watercolor. I was so fortunate to collaborate with a wonderful artist that understood the complex and detailed criteria that was used in the original miniature eye paintings. Her execution is really flawless and has made these Lover’s Eye Necklaces, with their perfect execution and materials, the beginning of a new trend based on an old trend.

To read this fascinating article on Lover’s Eye Jewelry by Abigail R Esman, here is the link - https://www.1stdibs.com/blogs/the-study/lovers-eye-jewelry/

I would be very interested to know your thoughts on these unique works of art.