S alini’s work is full of intriguing juxtapositions. Jewelry featuring both diamonds and carbon shifts the spotlight from the universally valued stone to its humble origin. Robust titanium works alongside delicate gold to showcase precious stones. Traditional and non-traditional materials combine to create dynamic, contrasting geometric sculptures. The present selection for sale is exemplary of both this innovative approach to craftsmanship and Salini’s passion for gemology. Sotheby’s is delighted to offer lots 1001-1023 in a live auction of Salini’s jewelry creations in support of Make a Wish UK, open for bidding from 25 August 2022.
Auction Highlights
- Pink Titanium
Due to its resistance to corrosion, lightness and strength, titanium has traditionally been used in engineering. For millennia, gold, by contrast, has been used for jewellery. In his jewellery creations, Salini resigns gold from its traditional role of protagonist and instead employs titanium, often in an array of colours, both to form the structure for the jewels to be set in and as ornamentation itself.
- Carbon
Like titanium, carbon has strong industrial associations. But whilst it is used as fuel in the form of gas and oil, it is also the origin of one of the most prized materials in the world: diamonds. Across his oeuvre, Salini uses carbon as both a solid structure to represent female strength and as a reminder of the origins of precious stones.
- Opal
Opals are one of the most diverse and unique gemstones. Its amorphous state means it is able to take on a variety of colours which scintillate in the light. Today, it is associated with innocence, purity, happiness and confidence.
- Fancy Sapphires
Corundrum is a mineral which comes in a variety of colours. When red, this mineral is known as a ruby. When blue, it is instead known as a sapphire. Fancy sapphires are all gem-quality conundrum minerals of a colour other than blue, red or colourless. Historically, they have been found most widely in Southern and South-East Asia as well as Australia, though nowadays they are also found in parts of Africa.
- Surprises
Salini’s jewellery is often full of little surprises. The present pair of earrings, for example, can deconstruct to form two small flower earrings which can be worn without the longer carbon fibre stem and opal buds.