Brush Strokes

Go behind the design of Ilene Schwartz’s Monet-inspired brooch/pendant

By Tina Snyder

(Originally Published by MJSA March 2024)

Ilene Schwartz

Hudson Valley, New York

Bringing to mind Monet’s water-lily series of impressionist paintings, a gorgeous piece of fossilized coral was the inspiration for the A Garden of Flowers brooch/pendant by Ilene Schwartz. The Hudson Valley, New York–based jewelry designer let the center stone dictate the design as she hand fabricated the 18k yellow gold piece.

“I wanted to draw out the subtle colors inherent in the coral while really showcasing the floral patterns,” she says. “The bottom corner of the stone is dark and draws the eye right to it, so I wanted to add an engraved 18k gold flower to the side of the bezel there to complete the flower and slow the eye down.”

Schwartz specifically chose colored gemstones that echo the subtle peach, lavender, and brown shades in the coral, opting for smoky quartz, imperial topaz, tanzanite, and rainbow moonstone. She began by building a sturdy bezel for the quartz.

The design around the bezel evolved organically. “I hand fabricated the florals and leaves separately and played around with the placement over and over,” says Schwartz. “I had initially planned to do a flower bed surrounding the stone, but I ended up with an asymmetrical garden instead.”

Although Schwartz originally designed the piece as a brooch, she decided to add a bail, allowing the wearer the option to wear the piece as a pendant.

When she was ready to solder the flowers and leaves to the bezel, she set everything up on a ceramic soldering stone, using the holes in the block as a guide to place the various elements. “This is a little trick I use, especially when making earring pairs,” she explains. “I use a lot of hand-cut, noncalibrated stones in my work, and I find that using the holes in the soldering block is an excellent way to easily line up detail pieces before soldering them to the main piece.”

Texture was critical to achieving the designer’s vision for the piece. To mimic the rich texture in the center stone, Schwartz used a chasing tool on each of the bezels for the accent stones. She dapped out the 18k leaves and flowers to make them concave, and then used engraving tools to add dimension to each element.

Although Schwartz created this piece as a brooch, she wanted to give the wearer the option to wear it as a pendant. The finished piece is substantial, measuring 2 inches long by 1.25 inch wide by 0.25 inch deep. She handcrafted a converter from a piece of tubing that integrates seamlessly into the design. The tubing slides over the pin stem and is pinched at the base so it doesn’t slip side to side. A large jump ring is soldered onto the piece of tubing and attaches to the bail, creating a halo around one of the circular elements at the top of the brooch.

“A lot of my work is very linear with negative space,” says Schwartz. “This piece pushed me a bit beyond what I normally do.” Recalling Monet’s water lilies that inspired her, she adds, “It’s as close as I get to painting, but in metal and gemstones.”