Behind the Design: Vicente Agor’s Favorite Designs
Vicente Agor’s favorites
Everyone has a favorite restaurant or uncle. But a favorite piece from your own collection? How do you choose? This month, designer Vicente Agor (vicenteagor.com) of San Francisco shares one of his favorite designs.
What’s one of your favorite pieces that you designed and why?
This 18k gold ring from our Volcánico collection was designed back in 2007 and represents a milestone: My business partner joined me full time that year. It is one of our favorite pieces from that collection. Harkening back to my life in Hawaii, the fire opal in matrix reminds us of a tempestuous volcano. The scrollwork on the side of the ring represents waves of water, and the blue and cognac diamonds represent the land that is created when lava hits the water. Although the ring is now in a private collection, it has been recognized in the national consumer and trade press, as well as in the book 21st Century Jewelry: The Best of the 500 Series by Lark Books. Six years later, I appreciate how other designers have started using opals in matrix or other stones in matrix in their collections.
What is one of your favorite pieces that someone else made and why?
When I first saw a photo of the Mexican actress Maria Felix dripping in over-the-top layers of jewelry back in the ’80s, I fell in love with it. For me, the photo was less about a specific piece of jewelry and more about the style vibe of a strong, independent bohemian woman.
In 2009, the Cartier and America exhibit came to the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco. At the exhibit I saw the Crocodile Necklace that Ms. Felix commissioned, which stunned me initially in the aforementioned photo. Legend states that Ms. Felix brought her baby crocodiles to Cartier in Paris and asked for a necklace that bore resemblence to her pets. And she told Cartier to hurry since her crocodiles wouldn’t be babies for long. Who doesn’t enjoy a good story behind the creation of jewelry!
Call it my Mona Lisa moment (that moment when you see a work of art in person after seeing it in print for years), but I was transfixed at the museum vitrine. The diamond- and emerald-encrusted necklace is massive and wonderfully detailed. It is a majestic piece to see before your eyes.
Crococile necklace photo by Nick Welsh, Cartier Collection© Cartier.