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At the intersection of art and jewelry, the name Ana Khouri resonates. From her background as a sculptor, the São Paulo-born artist retains an organic approach to jewelry making. This connection to art fuels her constant desire to push the boundaries of her discipline. For over two decades, this New Yorker by choice has been creating exceptional pieces at the crossroads of the two worlds she distinguishes. She is also the only jeweler to have exhibited at TEFAF New York Art Fair.
Brown gold, Ana Khouri’s latest achievement
With a focus on responsible production, she creates only a few dozen numbered, limited-edition pieces each year. But each creation tells the story of the evolution of her own universe: a vision that was embodied this Monday, May 4th, on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. “It’s not just a beautiful piece, something that is reproduced by drawing inspiration from what already exists. It’s a reflection on who the woman wearing it is, how she can express herself, and what that says about her,” she explains.
This, in her view, is where the difference between art and jewelry lies: “Jewelry must be tangible. Unlike art, which can take any form, a piece of jewelry is an object that someone wears every day and must have a real quality of life. This idea must be taken into account. It’s not just an idea: it’s a question of know-how and materials, whereas an artist can work with paper, air, or anything else…”
Creating something new: that’s the very essence of her work. “It’s not just about carats,” she says. This is how Ana Khouri conceived her new
series, inspired by an imaginary place she chooses to keep secret. Sculpting each piece by hand and playing with materials, she designed these creations in 18-karat gold, covered with hand-carved rock crystal and set with breathtaking white diamonds. A combination that demanded extreme precision! At the heart of this new form lies brown gold, a unique alloy that took her several years to develop.
“Gold remains the metal I use most. And I think that the more you create your own material, the more unique a design becomes. I want to push my limits, so I combine metals and materials, I work with curves, I experiment with crystal, I look for ways to make it transparent and flawless from every angle… When I was working with gold last year, I thought, ‘Why couldn’t I do this?’ You see pieces in bronze, and they’re very beautiful, but I wanted my creations to be entirely in gold, even if it’s not visible to the naked eye. I want only gold to touch my clients’ skin. It took me three years of work,” she explains.
“It’s a new stage: you have to create your own material, source it yourself, cut it, shape it. There’s still so much to explore. And I think jewelry sometimes stagnates. That’s where my artistic work takes on its full meaning: stepping out of my comfort zone and discovering what the next step is. You have to bring something more to the table,” concludes
Ana Khouri.