It is not easy for a newcomer to stand out in jewellery. With thousands of brands, from global giants to individual companies, there have never been so many jewellers in the world. The range of styles is almost infinite, with dizzying variations in design, materials and quality.
Dries Criel is a name that stands out in this complex world. The new Belgian brand, founded in 2018 by Dries, has already made its mark with a handful of strong designs.
Rather than stirring the pot, Dries offers a quiet revolution of classic jewellery. Always elegant yet seductively bold, Dries' subversion of classic jewellery presents men and women with new, unpretentiously elegant ways to wear jewellery.
Dries started his life as a classical and contemporary ballet dancer. His training the importance of perfection, concentration, determination as well as the power of expression. His innate appreciation for the human body and his strict self-discipline led to his standout pieces. Like the Lotus, and especially the cuff bracelet.
Combining his childhood fascination with Ancient Egypt, its incredibly beautiful aesthetic and the flow of a dancer's body, Lotus is a stylized silhouette of the mythical flower. The Lotus avoids the pitfalls of pasting or modifying this ancient symbol. And instead proposes a boldly scaled architectural jewel that evokes the glamour and opulence of Hollywood. The two smooth movements of mirror-polished gold evoke the generosity of the sun god Ra. They rise high above the wrist and end in a knife-edge ridge.
Despite its almost monumental proportions, it is surprisingly comfortable to use. Variations include diamond pavés intersected with lightning-quick wedges of colored enamel. But also frames of tiger's eye or malachite that are seamlessly integrated into the gold plates. Dries has adapted the Lotus design into rings, earrings and pendants, a minimalist, futuristic take on simplicity.
Dries has created twelve jewellery styles, which he calls kingdoms in his jewellery universe. The designs complement each other and create separate families but a common heritage. The Egyptian influence is evident in the Sphinx, Anubis, the scarab and the pyramid.
The dancers' strong bodies and flexible, fluid limbs are captured in Flux and White Crow. Rudolf Nureyev's nickname. Abstract and highly sculptural are the best-selling Brute triangular earrings and the Bond everyday jewellery based on the chain link.
All jewellery is handmade in Antwerp, in the famous diamond district and in a specialised enamel workshop in Italy. Dries has first-hand knowledge of the diamond trade. Having worked with a traditional diamond merchant before starting his jewellery companies. So he has a trained eye when choosing gemstones. His attention to detail is unwavering and he oversees the production of each piece. While he often alternates between gem-setting craftsman, goldsmith and jeweller with the jewellery in his pocket.
Dries tries to be as responsible as possible when sourcing gemstones and gold. And he only uses fully traceable sources.
Dries Criel, a former ballet dancer, founded his jewellery company in Antwerp in 2018. His showroom with Belgian furniture is located in an abandoned fire station in the heart of the city centre.
Dries Criel combines the fluid grace of a dancer's body with the flexibility of his flexible limbs in these yellow gold earrings. Source.
The Dries Criel spessartite garnet earrings with diamonds and reddish enamel.
Dries Criel is fascinated by Ancient Egypt, as seen in his yellow gold pyramid ring with diamonds.
The Anubis ring is an abstract interpretation of the head of the Egyptian god jackal. Dries Criel transforms it into a ring with a contemporary look. Credit Robin Joris Dullers
Source: thejewelleryeditor.com
