TEFAF Maastricht opened with its first of two invitation-only preview days on Thursday. It’s too soon to tell how many collectors are in attendance but judging from the crowds of people on the showroom floor and the queue to enter the MECC Convention Center hours after the art, antique and design fair opened, the numbers appear quite robust. Not to mention that the vintage jewelry dealers were so busy I couldn’t interview them.
The contemporary high jewelry section opened with several new names. Among them, Santi, a London-based private jeweler founded by 36-year-old Krishna Choudhary, a descendent of family with long and deep-rooted ties to the gemstone industry in Jaipur, chose TEFAF for his first public art fair. His pink booth reflects the gemstone center of Jaipur, known as the Pink City. Inside he presented rare antiques that served as inspiration for the 20 or so contemporary artistic jewels he creates each year—most with historic gems that he collects.
Choudhary said he couldn’t think of a better place to hold his first public fair.
“TEFAF has this beautiful community of collectors and people offering the best of the best pieces. I could find an incredible Mughal dagger or find an incredible Gandhara sculpture,” Choudhary said. “This relates so much to me. I was setting up the booth and I was little tired. So, I walked around, and I got refreshed. I thought this is the ideal placement for me and I’m really excited to be here, because I think there are people who could really understand what I’m doing. There’s a calmness and there’s an appreciation.”
Another first-time exhibitor is Margot McKinney, the Australian high jeweler who manages to find the world’s most precious gems and pearls to produce big, bold colorful jewels. The centerpiece of her exhibition space is a green chandelier, and a working fountain made of Murano glass with colored flowers and nymphs in joyous poses. The ones on top of the fountain have wings. Near the bottom of the fountain are nymphs inside flowers and one nymph in the center is holding a string of pearls and a bracelet and a ring on her a left hand. The fountain and chandelier are made by Venetian glass artist Lucio Bubacco.
McKinney visited Bubacco’s studio in Murano, and “fell in love” with a green chandelier on display. When McKinney received her letter of approval to exhibit at TEFAF, she had the idea of a fountain and chandelier and she and Bubacco created the decorative object.
“Pearls come from water and opals form in the presence of water. So, I thought water was what I needed.”
She was told by a TEFAF official there had never been a fountain in a stand, but it didn’t deter her.
“It’s a lovely thing to have in here,” she said. “And it’s proven to be a draw.”
Among the jewels she presented for her first exhibition is the Marina Necklace, made with extraordinarily large green beryl, aquamarine and green tourmaline set against a backdrop of 25 baroque Australian South Sea pearls. The jewel was inspired by the Great Barrier Reef, the gems n arranged to evoke the colors of the shimmering tropical waters of the Coral Sea and the marine theme is underscored by the pearls, harvested over several years from the seas of Australia’s far-north region. The gems were cut from fifth-generation gem-cutter Paul-Otto Caesar in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, a world-renowned center for skilled and artistic gem cutting.
All of Margot McKinney’s pearls come from a single pearl farmer, Aji Ellies Wimilirantna, who is with McKinney in her exhibition space. “It will be the first time many here will ever meet a pearl farmer,” she said.
It is not only McKinney’s first time at TEFAF but it is the first time she exhibited anywhere. “One of the greatest honors of my career has been the invitation to exhibit my work at the world’s most important art fair. It is a huge privilege for me personally and a milestone in the 141-year history of the McKinney family business.”
Buccellati isn’t exactly new to TEFAF. The Italian jewelry brand previously exhibited at TEFAF from 1992 to 2014. Maria Cristina Buccellati said she couldn’t be happier with the her family’s company return. The brand, now owned by luxury goods holding company, Richemont, installed Nicolas Luchsinger a year ago as CEO. Maria Cristina said he thought it was important for the company to return to TEFAF and present its heritage pieces to show the company’s historical importance as well as present new high jewelry items that are for sale.
“He understood that it was something necessary for us to come back and position ourselves in a way that goes back to our roots and showcase our heritage through high-level exhibitions like TEFAF,” she said.
The company also has new silver art objects available from its Furry collection.