Heart Brooches by Lola Brooks

 
  
The February/March issue of American Craft has a nice feature on the work of Lola Brooks, which I thought was perfectly timed for Valentine's Day. Brooks uses stainless steel as the foundation for many of her sculptural pieces, like the brooches pictured here.

Brooks said back in 2008 about the inspiration for her work, “My historical reference points are perhaps oxymoronic; the death obsessed and sentimental Victorians (Victorian era was from 1837-1901) and the optimistic creative vigor and largesse of 20th century costume jewels.”

 
I can see what Brooks meant when she talked about combining 19th century style with 20th century forms. To me, there is something old fashioned and sentimental about these pieces even though they're crafted in a very modern way. The "bleedingheart" (top) and "bloodgarnet" brooches are made from stainless steel, vintage rose-cut garnets (300 plus carats) and gold.

Brooks' work is bold. Some say that it's too large, showy and crass (many of her brooches are even bigger than the palm of your hand; prices start at $2,000 and go up from there). I think her work looks incredibly complex (you don't often see gemstones hanging off steel structures this way) and on top of that, it's pretty.

Brooks, who is an associate professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, has pieces included in the holdings of several museums in the United States.

You can see more jewelry by Lola Brooks at the Sienna Gallery.

 

Comments

[Sandi]

Yes, these are amazing rings. I hope that you visit this artist and the other artists here and try out their work. And, keep visiting the blog to discover even more!

[Vintage Rings]

Amazing! Beautiful.The heart shaped brooches are looking wonderful.These will go with all my sarees.I have many brooches but they look very dull in front of yours.

[totellyhandbags]

this is so interesting!