Carol Kauffmann: ‘Botanica’ and ‘Venezia’ collections debut at Couture 2019

May 17, 2019

By Katerina Perez

6 min read

The Brazilian jewellery designer Carol Kauffmann is known for her rambunctious love of colour and bold motifs. Her artistic vision leads her to create vibrant precious pieces that do not break the bank and allow women to enjoy the beauty of luxury jewellery on an everyday basis. This year, Kauffmann returns to the Couture Las Vegas show to debut two brand new jewellery collection which will mark 10 years of Carol Kauffmann’s jewellery atelier.

What takes designers’ minds off daily routines, allowing them to unleash their creativity? It can be many things depending on one’s personality, but travelling is often one of them. And so, Carol Kauffmann found inspirations for her new lines when she travelled to the enchanting city of Venice, and a few months later, visited somewhere completely different: the Brazilian jungle.

Carol Kauffmann 'Venezia' ring with 9ct rubellite, beryls, amethyst, white topaz and diamonds in yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Venezia' ring with 9ct rubellite, beryls, amethyst, white topaz and diamonds in yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Venezia' earrings with 5ct aquamarines, beryls, topaz, amethyst and diamonds in yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Venezia' earrings with 5ct aquamarines, beryls, topaz, amethyst and diamonds in yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Venezia' hoop earrings with citrine, rubellite, aquamarine, amethyst, beryls in yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Venezia' hoop earrings with citrine, rubellite, aquamarine, amethyst, beryls in yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Venezia' drop earrings with diamonds, topaz, citrine, rubellite, aquamarine, amethyst, beryls in yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Venezia' drop earrings with diamonds, topaz, citrine, rubellite, aquamarine, amethyst, beryls in yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Venezia' drop earrings with diamonds, topaz, citrine, rubellite, aquamarine, amethyst, beryls in yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Venezia' drop earrings with diamonds, topaz, citrine, rubellite, aquamarine, amethyst, beryls in yellow gold

For almost a decade, not a year went by that the designer had not visited Venice. “I lose myself in the street! With my passion for stories, I always get the best guides and I walk with them in unknown parts of the city.” Venice, which was founded in the 10th century, has a lot to communicate in its art, commercial history, and architecture. Inspiration for a new collection suddenly struck Carol Kauffmann: “we were looking at Venetian palaces along the Grand Canale, and I was so impressed by the stained glass windows and lamps that the shape and the mix of colours brought a vision of earrings to my mind,” recalls Kauffmann.

Carol Kauffmann 'Venezia' drop earrings with diamonds, topaz, citrine, rubellite, aquamarine, amethyst, beryls in yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Venezia' drop earrings with diamonds, topaz, citrine, rubellite, aquamarine, amethyst, beryls in yellow gold

The ‘Venezia’ collection mimics the rainbow of colours that Venetian stained glass windows exhibit, and reflects Kauffmann’s love for bright hues. The designer chose to use a plethora of gemstones, including those mined in Brazil: yellow citrines, beryls, purple amethysts and various colours of tourmalines. She opted for pastel colours, as they resemble the look of stained glass when sun shines through it. The architecture of the windows that Carol saw in the palaces of Venice often resembled a mosaic of coloured circles arranged in various combinations. As a nod to this feature, the designer opted for embellishing her ‘Venice’ rings and earrings with gemstones that were fashioned as round rose cuts.

Carol Kauffmann 'Venezia' ring with 9ct rubellite, beryls, amethyst, white topaz and diamonds in yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Venezia' ring with 9ct rubellite, beryls, amethyst, white topaz and diamonds in yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann’s desire to have people interact with her jewellery and wear it as often as possible permeates her pieces. When discussing the drop earrings from the ‘Venezia’ collection, she notes: “I designed them to look great on both sides so you can wear them either way, I like to give my customer a choice, and a feeling of participation in the way they want to wear my jewellery.”

Carol Kauffmann 'Palm' long earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and aquamarines in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Palm' long earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and aquamarines in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

An even more adventurous trip saw Carol venture into the Amazonian rainforest with a local guide, and here she found that she marvelled at the power of Brazil’s nature. “The jungle has a lot to offer and so much to teach, my ‘Botanica’ collection is an homage to this impressive flora and fauna.” As a part of Las Vegas debut, Carol will be displaying ‘Botanica’ drops and hoop earrings of different sizes, as well as pendants – all resplendent in palm and exotic leaf motifs that encapsulate her time in the Amazon. 

Carol Kauffmann 'Palm' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with 9.5ct tourmalines and diamonds in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Palm' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with 9.5ct tourmalines and diamonds in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Palm' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with 9.5ct tourmalines and diamonds in yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Palm' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with 9.5ct tourmalines and diamonds in yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Banana Leaf' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and 1.20ct iolite in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Banana Leaf' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and 1.20ct iolite in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Banana Leaf' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and 1.20ct iolite in yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Banana Leaf' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and 1.20ct iolite in yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Palm' long earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and aquamarines in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Palm' long earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and aquamarines in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Palm' long earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and aquamarines in yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Palm' long earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and aquamarines in yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Banana Leaf' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and rubellite in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Banana Leaf' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and rubellite in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Banana Leaf' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and rubellite in yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Banana Leaf' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and rubellite in yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Palm' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and 6.2ct rubellite in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Palm' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and 6.2ct rubellite in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Palm' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and 6.2ct rubellite in yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Palm' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and 6.2ct rubellite in yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Botanica' earrings  with diamonds in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Botanica' earrings with diamonds in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Botanica' earrings  with diamonds in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Botanica' earrings with diamonds in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Botanica' earrings  with diamonds in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Botanica' earrings with diamonds in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

 Carol Kauffmann 'Samambaia' earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with iolites and diamonds in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Samambaia' earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with iolites and diamonds in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

The designer tells me that after hours of trekking one day, she rested under the shade of an enormous tree and admired sun shining through palm leaves. To mimic the look of the shade cast by the leaves, she enriched her drop earrings with an intriguing feature – a colourful back of the same leaf shape that can be removed: “I dipped the gold in a vivid colour pink, purple or green with a process which uses nano-ceramic particles to coat the precious metals. These earrings feature small hooks so that you can choose to wear them with the coloured element or without, again, to offer the client options.”

Carol Kauffmann 'Banana Leaf' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and 1.20ct iolite in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

Carol Kauffmann 'Banana Leaf' medium earrings from the 'Botanica' collection with diamonds and 1.20ct iolite in nano-ceramic coated silver and yellow gold

To be able to create two entirely new jewellery collections from her travels in the past year alone is an exceptional feat of creative prowess. “We need to get out of our everyday to get inspired, this is when your imagination starts to fly,” Carol asserts, and I couldn’t agree more.

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