Vetus Collection925 silver, 22K gold
An ancient look with contemporary comfort.IMAGES:^ COURTESYMICHAEL^ JENSEN^ DESIGNSM
ost Revivalists take
the basic design of
antiques and make it
shiny and new. Jewel-
ers working in classical styles today
usually do some version of what
Revivalist jewelers did in the 18th and
19 th centuries. They borrow themes,
motifs, and techniques from the
ancients — Etruscan granulation
and fi ligree, Greek gods carved in
gemstone — then simplify them into
a cleaner look for a contemporary
audience.
Michael and Catherine Jensen do
the opposite. In their New Mexico
studio, the husband-and-wife team
work hard to capture the patina of
age, the rough texture, and subtleasymmetry of a jewel long buried.
You wouldn’t confuse their jew-
elry with an actual relic. It’s clearly
contemporary but with the aura of
antiquity, of a relic cleaned and reas-
sembled. Their jewelry is a celebra-
tion of age.
They spend a lot of time studying
ancient jewels. But unlike the relics
that inspire their collections, you can
wear their rings and pendants and
bangles. When I fi rst tried on the
Jensens’ jewelry at the JCK show a
couple years ago, it felt like putting
on medieval treasure.
“We actually like the pieces as
they’re dug right out of the dirt,”
Michael says. “The age factor of time
is a big thing for the two of us.”COLOR AND TEXTURE
Michael Jensen jewelry is a joint ef-
fort. “We bring diff erent strengths,”
he says. “The result is a 50-50 col-
laboration: design-wise, building the
business, the art of it — everything.”
Michael does most of the actual
metalwork; Catherine is a gemolo-
gist and manages the lapidary end.
Both are passionate about history
and archaeology, especially ancient
jewels, spending hours together
in museums whenever they can,
studying antiquities and following
archaeological digs, sometimes on
live web cam.
The jewelry they design and
produce in the studio is a direct
refl ection of that. Their jewelry has aPatina of
Age
Michael and Catherine Jensen make
the past palpable in their jewelryBy Cathleen
McCarthy62 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST