Wynn Magazine - Las Vegas
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/63192
KARA ROSS If Antiques Roadshow lives to see the 22nd century, the PBS show's decorative arts experts surely will greet any Kara Ross piece that comes in with an enthusiastic response. They will then rattle off the designer's attributes—mere bullet points on her résumé today: "The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Museum of Arts and Design in New York recognized her talent early on, choosing her pieces for their permanent collections. And Barack Obama, our 44th president, and his wife com- missioned special bracelets, trays, and cuff links from the designer. These were made of magnolia wood from a tree on the White House lawn and given as gifts to visiting heads of state and departing staff members." Those achievements are just part of why Ross seems destined to join the pantheon of great American designers, celebrated names like David Webb and Joel Arthur Rosenthal (aka JAR). It's tempting to dub the attrac- tive blonde Georgetown alum who hails from Philadelphia's Main Line "America's Sweetheart," but to do so would somehow trivialize the robust, daring character of her pieces. "I use alternative materials that may not be thought of as appropriate in fine jewelry," she says, citing jet, zebra jasper, titanium, and ebony as examples. "But the modernity aspect is very impor- tant to me." And, besides, there's nothing cutesy about a designer who sets diamonds in volcanic lava, is there? may not be thought of as appropriate in fine jewelry. But the modernity aspect is very important to me." –KARA ROSS "I use alternative materials that Ross embraces the highly American traditions of innovation and rule-breaking; not surprisingly, the work of architectural mavericks like Frank Gehry, David Childs, and Frank Lloyd Wright influence her work. "I love clean, strong modern lines on architecture—the absence of clutter," she says. "I try to bring the same clean, modern aesthetics to jewelry." This point of view is reflected in her Gemstone Collection, a series marked by sharp angles and stones with milky, swirling textures set in intricate patterns that mimic stained glass. Bracelets, be they bold cuffs or slimmer versions that lend themselves to stacking, are the designer's signature. Here, the bracelets feature iridescent mother of pearl offset by glistening white sapphires; pink rhodochrosite versions are also available and seem like something the rosy-fingered Dawn herself might wear to a banquet in the great halls of Olympus. "The pieces in the collection are meant to be layered and added to," Ross says. "The various shapes of the different bracelets play off each other and make a unique, unexpected statement, and the various colors enhance that aspect even more." Indeed, her color stories, often inspired by the palettes of such radical artists as Mark Rothko and Francis Bacon, are another signature across all her collections. However, her work is not just to be seen. "The wonderful thing about jewelry is that you don't have to hang it on your wall," she says. "You can wear it and love it all the time." One of the bracelets commissioned exclusively for the Obamas. WYNN 75