NICHE style Holiday 2017

NICHE magazine
fashiontravels
THE ARTISAN JEWELER
& HER BALINESE
CRYSTAL JOURNEY
by Sylvia Tennant
NICHE columnist, jewelry designer
and unapologetic fashionista, Sylvia
Tennant created her newest crystal
jewelry collection, and NICHE
has the exclusive story that began
with an inspirational journey to
the Indonesian island of Bali, and
concludes in this issue with the
fulfillment of a dream...
When I think back to the beginning
of this process, the suggestion of
sharing my journey to readers felt
daunting. There were days when
the pressure of creating trendconscious,
unique and timeless
jewelry was slightly crippling. I kept
reminding myself that flying across
the world to create my art is normal,
to me. All of the little moments –
the warm smiles and laughter of
market vendors, the freedom of
ripping through rice fields on my
scooter, the smell of a meal during a
torrential downpour – these are the
memories that make it all worth it.
Designing a collection, like any
large-scale creative project, is a
timely process that includes waves
of varied emotions. In my case, the
inaugural rush of nerves and doubt
while sketching and gem buying
leads to relief as I submit plans to my
silversmith. This momentary pause
for joy and relaxation is broken like
a dam when samples arrive and
the game of minuscule alteration
begins. Stones are switched, bands
are thinned by millimeters, and
chain is re-cut until it feels like I
could wear the pieces forever. In
these moments, my intuition kicks
into overdrive.
DESIGNING A COLLECTION IS A
TIMELY PROCESS THAT INCLUDES
WAVES OF VARIED EMOTIONS
Approving final designs is a release
of much more than sketches and
samples. After the exhilaration
of establishing production in an
unfamiliar place, it was time to
leave Ubud and retreat to a world
66 . HOLIDAY 2017