Every one of us has a piece of jewelry with significant personal meaning. The ring that commemorates lasting love, the sparkly earrings we bought ourselves after our first real paycheck, the pearl necklace handed down from generation to generation… For Melbourne-based designer Karen Liberman, her piece of significance is a carved filigree bracelet gifted by her mother. First acquired by her spice-trading grandfather, the bangle was bartered in exchange for tea and sugar. Where it was before that… only the imagination can tell. This is where Karen Liberman’s fascination with gold is born: the long, magical and sometimes hidden histories of heirloom jewelry.
Born in Tel Aviv to Moroccan and Polish parents, Karen Liberman maintains a strong connection to her North African and Mediterranean roots. Though her influences lie across history, Ancient Etruscan motifs are particularly strong throughout Karen Liberman’s jewelry. Like other favorite designers in our cases, such as Denise Betesh and Tovi Farber, Karen favors the ancestral practice of granulation.
An attention—intensive process, granulation is the act of fusing tiny gold spheres for ornamentation. These minute rounds join other historical carving techniques to create layers of delicate texture across the 18K gold settings.
Though the entire collection is stunning, we would be remiss not to mention two particular standouts. One is a traditionally set trilogy ring featuring a fiery cognac diamond flanked by two teal diamonds—a rare, natural blue varietal. The other highlight is an antique roman coin pendant studded with a ring of inset brown diamonds. A traveller and collector at heart, Karen Liberman works alongside professional numismatists to source the authentic coins in her jewelry.
