Jewellery: Shirley Ephraim Fine Earth Jewelry
Shirley Ephraim [Nigeria]
[Image credit: Shirley Ephraim]
Like glistening dewdrops hanging of shimmering silken strands in the early light of dawn, thus I was reminded when I first viewed jewellery designer Shirley Ephraim’s breathtaking organic and free-flowing designs. Shirley’s work is hauntingly beautiful; delicate strands of handwoven fibres are combined with rare gemstones, crystals and sterling silver to give the pieces depth whilst managing to maintain the barely-there aesthetic. The fact that Shirley was born into a culture of weavers is a defining aspect of her Nigerian heritage that weaves its way through her work and is one that collides beautifully with the intricate skills of Spanish needle-point learnt at a young age from her Costa Rican mother, along with other ancient techniques of lace-making and hand-weaving. These influences combined with world travels and a love of nature are brought together to form jewellery creations under her eponymous collection ‘SHIRLEY EPHRAIM FINE EARTH JEWELRY’. Giving artisanal handiwork a luxury modern makeover, Shirley currently resides in New York City and hopes her work will contribute towards the preservation of the various ancient cultural techniques; some dating back 40,000 years.
[Image credits: SHIRLEY EPHRAIM for Donna Karan]
Displaying a fragility unlike that of the spider’s web, Shirley’s finely detailed work is crocheted or handwoven by the designer herself and can take several months to design and produce each of the limited edition pieces, which are numbered for collector’s items. A socially conscious designer, all Shirley’s jewellery is made with sustainable, natural and ethically sourced materials including precious stones, luxurious handmade silk fibres, organic plant extracts, recycled 19th-century sterling silver and organic nacre; in addition to this 10% of all profits from the ‘SHIRLEY EPHRAIM FINE EARTH JEWELRY collection go to support environmental and social responsibility initiatives and organisations throughout the world. The designer also works closely with fair trade local mining cooperatives in Nigeria to source the gemstones used, which are often left in their natural unpolished state adding to the natural quality exhibited in her designs.
[Image credit: Shirley Ephraim]
More recently Shirley has created an exclusive luxury Spring/Summer 2011 capsule collection for New York label Donna Karan, simply entitled SHIRLEY EPHRAIM for Donna Karan and is available in Donna Karan stores across the US and in the UK. The collection exhibits the hallmarks of her design style whereby soft whispers of silk and crystal caress your skin and gracefully drape about the body.
…just make sure to remember that you are actually wearing a necklace as I have in the past ripped off delicate jewellery forgetting I had it on…
Additional details:
Prices for Shirley Ephraim for Donna Karan range from: USD$300-USD$3400
For further information about Shirley Ephraim and to find stockists visit: www.shirleyephraim.com
To purchase SHIRLEY EPHRAIM for Donna Karan visit: www.donnakaran.com
