“Nature’s creations are the ultimate Art that fills our hearts with joy, warms our souls with promise and fuels our spirit with desire. My true inspiration to reflect this beauty in adornment is what my Art is all about.”
High ideals indeed for a jewellery designer and yet Michael Michaud does somehow manage to pull them off! In a world where jewellery largely falls into one of two camps – traditional or the latest fad, Michael Michaud offers something unique and thankfully uniquely beautiful.
The Artist
Michael Michaud began his artistic career as an apprentice mould-cutter back in 1973 and quickly became a master of mould creation and an expert in the casting of precious metals. He then used his exceptional skills and knowledge together with his love of nature to begin crafting a very special jewellery collection.
Michael Michaud is now a world renowned American designer whose distinctive creations are inspired by nature. His work in highly sought after across the world and he has been honoured with commissions from many prestigious organisations. There is much admiration for his work and it is not difficult to see why.
The Beauty of Bronze
Michaud truly pays homage to nature in his stand out cast bronze pieces. He begins by taking natural materials like leaves and seeds and then uses these to create moulds and in the process captures the fine details and very essence of his subjects. Bronze may seem like a surprising choice for jewellery but there is a very good reason why Michaud is so fond of this medium. Bronze alloys expand when they are cooling in the mould and thus fill every tiny element. In this way minute details are brought to life in the finished work. Bronze also enables the creation of the stunning and soft patinas that characterise Michaud’s designs.
Perfect Pearls
Many of Michael Michaud’s pieces are accented by the beauty of natural freshwater pearls. Pearls are one of nature’s miracles and form in the shells of molluscs when foreign organic matter finds its way in. The molluscs create layers of calcium carbonate around the foreign matter and it is these layers which give us the pearl’s wonderful lustre. Natural pearls can be dyed to a wonderful array of colours for jewellery and are the perfect complement to Michaud’s celebrations of nature.
The collection includes earrings, necklaces and bracelets which glory in the beauty of leaves, flowers, seeds and marine life. Every piece is hand crafted by skilled artisans in New York and finished with those gorgeous pearls and touches of precious metals for the signature look of Michael Michaud.
This jewellery has the quality and feel of one off designer pieces but without the enormous price tag. It is instantly recognisable, tactile, elegant and yet a little quirky. Michaud’s pieces regularly find themselves on the catwalk and they have appeared in the movies too. With a timeless appeal, distinctive look and quality finish they could take pride of place in your jewellery collection and they certainly won’t break the bank.
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Article by Sally Stacey