"Precious stones watercolor" is on Creative Market!
13$, http://crtv.mk/j0Xpu
Their value is in their colors.
Being wealthy doesn't mean being lucky.
How many times I heard this sentence! Like every bold statement, partly of it is true while partly of it is certainly false. Money is one of those topics that make people take and hold position.
It strikes me that some small pebbles—like the ones I usually work with—can become worth several years of my paycheck, according exclusively to man-taken decisions.
About luck.
Anyway, money cost topic aside, I feel lucky because I have this chance!
In fact, I wouldn't be able to look at real stones if I wasn't a jewel designer.
I work for a jewel company in Tokyo, and I'm allowed to observe them for as long as I wish, but after that... they go back to rest in the safe again.
To keep their visual memory alive, I often watercolor them for future references.
As designers well know, a photograph is not always trustworth!
It's hard to make it simple.
The most interesting stones—from a designer perspective—are the ones that are called semi-precious. They were called so to differenciate them from diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds. But their colors are far more interesting than those transparent diamonds!
Opals and tourmalines are my favorite. The vibe of the former and the specific hues of the latter are engaging to reproduce by hand.
As a case study, consider malachite. It's a peculiar striped gemstone, where every green stripe in the mineral crystal is due to completely unpredictable circumstances, under a general chemical rule.
To catch its beauty on a photograph is very hard, indeed. Gorgeous palette, from very deep green to light green. That surely puts some stress on camera's sensors!
So, instead of putting a lot of effort to try to take a proper picture—jewel designer, not photographer!—I spent some time with a nice malachite cabochon cut and watercolors.
Simplifying is the key to keep it useful for future references.
The jewelsmith that has to craft a piece from my drawings doesn't need a picture of a malachite. He needs the idea of a malachite. And my painting conveys exactly that.
Cover image for this product on Creative Market
