Fernando Jorge (Est. 2010) In an article that appears on the Auverture website, Brazilian born, London-based jeweler, Fernando Jorge said, ““The energy that surrounds jewelry has always been part of human history. People were hunting and saving parts of animals to adorn themselves and create an image, and that became more and more elaborate. But the energy is still the same – it’s this connection that you can’t explain.”
Growing up just outside of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Fernando was inspired by his grandmother to be creative. One of his first jobs was for a jewelry manufacturer, where his job was to oversee the development of pieces from illustration to production.
At first, still a student in São Paulo, Fernando worked for almost ten years in key design roles for various Brazilian labels before he moved to London to obtain an MA in Jewelry Design at Central Saint Martins.
He found inspiration in the relaxed, effortless sensuality of his native Brazil and launched his debut collection in 2010 that was an instant sensation and received critical acclaim. Barneys New York launched him exclusively in November 2013. With the help of his sister, who runs the operation based in London, Jorge splits his time between London and Brazil to supervise production.
“Having my studio in London was a natural decision after finishing my master’s. London is a culturally mixed and inspiring environment. It stimulates an inquisitive state of mind, which is what heightened my perception and drew my attention to my Brazilian background,” he told Barneys’ The Window.
Fernando’s pieces are saturated with sensuality, energy, and movement. He often uses locally sourced gemstones and minerals, giving them his signature finish, including unique cuts and the use of delicate gold snake chains. The result has a sculptural feel that is both elegant and modern.
According to the brand’s official website, “[Jorge’s] collections are stocked by the most prestigious stores in London, Paris, Berlin, Beirut, New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Dallas, and more globally by online retailers.”
His approach to fine jewelry as a discipline defies norms as he works closely with small workshops and craftsmen in central São Paulo to create unusually cut stones and unexpected constructions. Splitting his time between London and São Paulo gives Fernando cultural associations that uniquely inform his designs. The finished result is refined, sculptural, and all exhibiting an innate sense of the experimental.
Combining highly specialized craftsmanship with the latest technology in jewelry manufacturing, all of Fernando’s pieces are “Made in Brazil.”
His current collections include Fluid, Fernando’s first collection that he created while finishing his Master’s Degree at Central Saint Martins. Underpinned by an innate sense of the experimental, each piece was designed as an extension of the female form, reflecting the sensuality and body culture of Jorge’s home country. The collection’s inventive undulating shapes and innovative constructions using snake chain established the designer’s distinctive signature. A rare variety of Brazilian stones carefully selected by the designer were finished using specialized craftsmanship to achieve effortlessly fluid and organic forms.
Brilliant was Fernando’s first venture in diamond jewelry and marked a departure from his previous color-rich creations. His inspiration came from the natural radiance of diamonds and their brilliant cuts. The pieces consist of graduating stone sizes, rhythmically placed on delicate gold structures in graphic shapes. Every piece is imagined to illuminate the woman who wears them.
Born out of Fernando’s personal desire to wear pieces of his own craft, Parallel is a collection of sculptural jewels with bold and androgynous designs.
The Bloom collection explores the nature of the botanical world. From the simplicity of stems and sprouts to elaborate one-of-a-kind pieces that celebrate icons of Brazilian nature, the collection expands the designer’s range while maintaining his distinctive sensual and organic style.
The Stream collection is inspired by unexpected curves formed by liquid streams finding their way around the contours of the body. Gold and gemstones swirl gently over the skin in continuous lines. The pieces have energy and movement reflecting the sensuality often associated with Brazil. Stream affirms Jorge’s distinct approach to combining metals and stones and incorporating traditional craftsmanship with innovative and unexpected design.
Fusion explores the workings of the natural world. Contrasting the micro and macro, the design uses highly specialized techniques and fine materials in powerful compositions. The pieces are designed to be small universes, sculpturally complex and very beautiful.
Electric is a collection comprised of an array of pear-shaped stones in dynamic settings. The pieces use traditional stone cuts in non-traditional designs. Aptly named for its buzzing vibrancy, the various pieces suggest bolts and waves of electric currents.
Notable pieces from the various collections include the Radiant Earrings that resemble a bolt of light. The earrings are crafted from 18k yellow gold, as a series of rays that appear to emanate from the ear. The design is studded with small white diamonds, so the earrings sparkle as the wearer moves.
The Clarity Ring is like a sunburst on the finger. It is designed in 18ct yellow gold, with “rays” of white diamonds. The band is studded with brilliant-cut diamonds that graduate in size.
Fernando’s Sequence Medium Earrings are 18k yellow gold earrings fashioned to drape from the ear lobe along the neck. The designs are laced with a row of diamonds that gradually decrease in size, resembling tiny rain-drops.
The Electric Spark Studs Rose Gold are stud-style earrings made in 18k rose gold, set with diamonds and clear sapphires. Fernando’s Sequence Short Earrings are crafted in 18k yellow gold and fashioned to drape from the ear lobe along the neck. The designs are laced with a row of diamonds that gradually decrease in size, resembling tiny rain-drops.
Last, but far from least, are the Disco earrings for which Jorge won the coveted Best Diamonds over 20k award at the Couture Design Awards in Las Vegas in 2017. With their scattering of diamonds over a teardrop-shaped frame of gold, “They are very slightly articulated,” explains Jorge. “So when they move it’s a bit like the movement of a stingray, or a fish.”
Fernando Jorge is widely considered to be among the brightest emerging talents in the jewelry and fashion worlds. His notable achievements also include : winner of Best in Colored Gemstones (2014), Best Emerging Accessories Designer by the British Fashion Council (2015) and Business of Fashion’s 500 People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry in both 2014 and 2015.
Celebrities seen wearing his creations include Saoirse Ronan, Reese Witherspoon, and Tracee Ellis Ross.
In less than a decade Fernando Jorge has built a loyal following of chic clients who love the way he works opals, lapis, aquamarines, chalcedonies and diamonds into organic and fluid shapes that are inspired by the human form and Fernando’s very Brazilian take on sensuality.
He believes that the stones he works with impart a special energy of their own. “They’re hidden parts of nature that we dig out … treasure, [and that] tell a story about where they’re from and carry with them some of that energy.”
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