Everyone wants diamonds, solitaires, gems, large glittering jewels that boast of their beauty and rarity on sight, but suddenly we’re thinking fossils and meteorites are even bigger showstoppers. Jeweler Gilbert Albert’s namesake company works with not only traditional gems, but a surprising variety of natural materials that we’ve never imagined could be so luxe before. Albert’s passion for art and beauty is made abundantly clear through his craft, blending sculpture, nature and fashion to create some of the most unique, yet exquisite work seen in jewelry today.
Prior to starting his own company, Albert began at Patek Phillippe at the age of 25; he worked there for nearly seven years as designer and head of the workshop before moving to Omega. Finally opening his own atelier in 1962, he began to develop new methods and processes in which to incorporate more of the natural aesthetic of art which is so prevalent in his designs today.
While we love a giant gemstones as much as anyone, there’s something ethereal and almost moving about jewelry that’s been crafted with such sculptural precision and artistic passion that it’s meant to invoke feelings and wonder. In conjunction with precious stones he uses crystals, azurites, corals, shells, scarabs, fossils, fulgurites and meteorites to give tribute to nature, his greatest muse. For example, the green necklace (seen below) is made from moldavite, a stone formed from extraterrestrial impacts. “For me, these meteorites are a tangible reminder of the mystery and the secrets of infinity,” said Albert.
And though these one-of-a-kind pieces are more ornamental artwork than fashion statement, it’s their story that sets them apart—turning the designs into a statement on nature and the beauty of the universe around us rather than simply the amount of carats that are in each gem. Albert’s pieces have been exhibited all over the world including Paris, London, New York, Antwerp, Brussels, Copenhagen, Tokyo, Milan, Vienna, and Dubai. He has designs on display in museums worldwide and over the course of his career has won the Diamonds-International Award ten times.
Gilbert Albert is available in Gilbert Albert boutiques worldwide. Collections are priced from $3,000-$5.5 million.
