At LEO Design, we always have carried a mixture of Handsome Gifts—some of them antique, some of them newly-crafted. But, because of our large cache of antiques, we have always been careful about not carrying contemporary items which might be confused as an antique. While we do not want people to feel misled, we also are proud to lean-into the excellent craftsmanship of contemporary artisans (when we find them). Thus, very few of our contemporary pieces were outright reproductions, posing as antique items. One rare exception is a line of (wonderful) frames—gold-plated, enameled and hand-set with Swarovski crystals.
Consider the "Imperial Gold-Plated" frame shown above. I have loved this line of frames from the moment I first found them. They are original designs, some inspired by the Gilded Age methods of Peter Carl Fabergé. They start as finely-cast pewter frames which are moulded, cooled and "fettled" (that is, cleaned up of burrs, imperfections and other extraneous metal). The metal is then electroplated in 24 karat gold while selected areas are engraved and enameled (called guilloché). Finally, the pieces are embellished with hand-set Swarovski crystals. Note that the piece was made near Providence, Rhode Island—long a center of America's fine jewelry-making industry. Click on the photo above to learn more about this handsome (and heavy) piece.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.