DIESEL JEWELLERY

Diesel Jewellery and Accessories

Diesel is one of a group of new design companies that are challenging old standards of elegance and art. Their jewellery has a harsh, metallic look and makes no attempt at delicacy or ornateness. It is the visual equivalent of heavy metal music, embodying the dark spirit of a new urban environment.

Necklaces are pieces of rubber or wire with pendants that could be the dog tags of some unknown army. Bracelets look like straps or chains fastened with carabiners or deployment buckles. Rings are like pieces of metal tubing with studs or deep grooves.

There seems to be an aversion to curves and smooth lines. While some designers try to abolish all sharp edges and straight lines, Diesel jewellery glorifies in them. It looks as if someone walked through a machine shop picking up random bits, then assembled them into a fascinating array of art objects for the modern world.

Diesel speaks to the present-day consciousness. While old-style designers tried to create ethereal objects with a spectacular, transcendent beauty, Diesel trades transcendence for immersion and embraces the imagery of the industrial environment.

Diesel makes jewellery for people who thought they didn't like jewellery. The crystalline beauty of precious stones is completely absent here, replaced by dark metal, wire and chain.

Ladies' selections are only slightly less harsh than the men's. While there is a bit of shine to some of the pieces, they still seem to embrace a standard that abandons previous ideas of elegance and style. It is obvious at a glance that this is not your grandma's jewellery.

Like the art of Andy Warhol, these pieces reveal the aesthetic qualities to be found in utilitarian images taken from our immediate environment. They are bits of scenery from our world, and Diesel is one of the new designers who seem to be asking why these images, too, should not be appreciated for that inherent aesthetic quality. Looking at these strangely fascinating pieces, one is compelled to admit that they should.

Those who have no taste for the delicate, intricate beauty of old-fashioned jewellery should take a look at the selection from Diesel. In the most literal sense, it will be right up their alley.

© SDK Jewellers Ltd.