Meet Anthony Lent: The Master Of Sculptural And Whimsical Jewellery

August 14, 2015

By Katerina Perez

5 min read

I believe it would be hard to find another jeweller, who can interpret elements of fairy tales into jewellery as well as Anthony Lent does. His pieces feature elves, frogs, bats, mysterious celestial bodies, and many other creatures that live on the brink of reality and fantasy.

Philadelphia-based Anthony has been engaged in creative work since 1972. He creates many of his jewels under a microscope, which explains the frequent presence of miniature non-obvious details in this goldsmith’s creations. Paired with sculptural elements, they dominate the designs and become the signature of Anthony Lent. In this interview with the designer, I want to introduce you to his original creations, unconventional techniques and sources of inspiration.

Katerina Perez: Your jewellery is very unique. How would you describe your style?

Anthony Lent: Sculptural, whimsical and narrative. Someone people started calling us ‘luxury with a face,’ which seems to really fit in.

Anthony Lent

Anthony Lent

KP: Your sculptural jewellery features a variety of face. Sometimes, the interpretation is quite literal.

AL: These Shoko drop earrings (see below) feature my student, who asked me to do her life cast. In the past, before digital advertising, I did a lot of commercials and used to do a lot of life cast. Therefore, I had the right tools to make the earrings.

KP: What is the process of life casting?

AL: You can use medical grade silicone, which is like putty. You smear on your face and get its imprint. This is how I did my student’s face. Then I cast it, reduced the size and put it on my tracing machine. Having taken a real leaf, I made a mould and cast it. Then I placed the casting of the face on it, refined it through various processes. Now we can produce the face in different sizes on various jewels.

Anthony Lent

Anthony Lent

KP: Tell us about the interesting ring featuring a series of faces?

AL: It is the Emotions ring. I thought I invented the face, but then I went to Bali and it turned out to be a Hindu image and you see it in Balinese art, Roman art and ancient Chinese art too. It is a part of those images, which we call ‘collective unconscious’ popular in Mayan art in South America.

KP: Where does the eye featured in your jewellery come from?

AL: It comes from a face I once sculpted. I then thought of capturing the eye in a piece of jewellery. It is very abstract from one view and from another view, quite literal. I have some mystical connection to this representation of a human feature that is hard to describe. Indeed, there is strong symbolism behind it.

KP: Are the lips from the same sculptured face?

AL: The Lips ring is another story. It was prompted to design that by a really good friend of mine. He is Catholic and asked me if I had seen a Pope’s ring. Of course I had. They are amazing. So, as the Popes say ‘kiss the ring,’ all I had to do was kiss the ring. That is where the idea for the jewel came about.

KP: Many of your designs also feature moon or sun face. Where is that motif from?

AL: The motif is inspired by illustrations from a 19th century children’s book. There was a cartoonist in the 20th century, Winsor Mc Cay, who told stories with images by drawing cartoons. He drew a series featuring moons. When I was at art school, he was probably my strongest influence. When Max (Anthony Lent’s son) was a baby, his favourite book was ‘Good Night Moon.’ So, I started drawing moons and made them into jewellery.

Anthony Lent

Anthony Lent

KP: Suns and moon are just a small part of your sculptural collections…

AL: Yes, they are. I have a science fiction group. I have rockets, satellites and a comet in development, which will be another collection. We have also introduced watches for the very first time at Couture. In fact, my favourite watch of all time was the first watch I got – an Accutron. It was an early electro-mechanical watch (early 1960s). It’s what my dad got me for my high school graduation. I made quartz watches 20 years ago and I always loved the Accutron. One of my friends is my key collaborator and he said, ‘Let’s do a pocket watch together.’ We did a pocket watch based on the moon face (on the left). The result is a timepiece with a sundial in silver and Breguet style hands. It features an iconic movement that I’m really excited about.

KP: I noticed that you use matte finish for your jewellery. Is it done to highlight the details?

AL: Precisely. If the surface is shiny, we cannot see the miniature sculptural elements well. Details have an element of intimacy. By making jewellery, I touch every client. And it is a private relationship; it is much more than just selling someone a piece of jewellery.

KP: I believe matte finish gives a vintage feel to some of your pieces.

AL: I agree. The ‘One Hand Band’ ring features a hand with a rose-cut diamond and sapphire. It is classic and looks like it could have been made in 1800. When I started making this ring, I did the setting in New York, where I do most of my settings. A Russian jeweller asked me if the ring was done a hundred years ago. He did not believe me when I said it was a piece that I just made.

KP: Do you prefer a vintage feel for your jewels? Do you consider current trends at all?

AL: David does. D.L: Our strength is being unique. We can edge towards trendy by doing ear crawlers, but we do not interpret trends much in our jewellery by changing and adapting it too often.

KP: David, how did you get into the family business?

DL: I was graduating from school and planned on studying law. My girlfriend wanted a piece of jewellery and my father said he would make one, only if I sat, watched and directed. Thereon, I kind of fell in love with the process and started working with my father. I felt that we could make a business out of it. Earlier, my father had been serving design galleries and private clients. Four years ago, my brother, Max, and I developed our business into a brand, which now sells at multiple stores.

From left to right: David, Anthony and Max

From left to right: David, Anthony and Max

Big thank you to Lordale Benosa who photographed the jewellery.

Buccellati Opera Collection: The Unveiling In Paris

continue reading

Naked Attraction: The Best High Jewellery of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival 

Here’s a rundown of some of the best Cannes jewellery looks from the 78th annual festival (May 13-24), including the likes of Dakota Johnson, Angelina Jolie, and Natalie Portman, who all make striking jewellery the star of their ensembles

by Sarah Jordan

In Conversation: Discussing Paraiba — The Legacy of a Color with Vogue Singapore

The conversation encouraged both myself and Kevin Ferreira, my co-author, to recall exactly why we wrote Paraiba: The Legacy of a Color, and I am pleased to share more with you below

by Katerina Perez

Semi-Precious vs Precious Gemstones: Why the Old Labels No Longer Work

I can’t count the number of times I’ve asked myself: what really sets so-called precious and semi-precious stonesapart? Is it their rarity? Colour? Durability? Value? Or is it simply tradition—an outdated hierarchy we’ve inherited without question

by Katerina Perez

Larger than Life: New Mineral Masterpieces and Global Adventures with Margot McKinney 

Let’s take a closer look at the pieces and places that have helped to shape the Margot McKinney brand over the last 12 months, including the rather sensational Marina, Aurora and Bloem necklaces

by Katerina Perez

Male Adornment: The Evolution of Men’s Jewellery from the 1400s Until Today

Men's jewellery is often overlooked, yet its history is both rich and cyclical. Over the past six centuries, the popularity of male adornments has fluctuated, reflecting shifts in fashion, status, and cultural values. Here, Amanda Triossi examines the reasons behind male jewellery, along with its periods of abundance and decline.

by Amanda Triossi

Perfect Proposal: The Top 10 Engagement Ring Mistakes to Avoid 

The moment you start thinking about proposing, everything shifts. Ordinary things become significant: dinner out, a walk in the park, a glance at their jewellery box. And then comes "the ring": a symbol of love, yes, but also a silent spokesperson for everything you feel and hope for. No pressure, right?

by Claire Roberts

Couture Show 2025: The Top 10 Debutants Heading to Las Vegas 

The much anticipated Couture Show will return to Wynn Las Vegas from June 4-8, 2025, shining a spotlight on established design talent, new creatives, and international brands that are vying for attention on the global stage. Just like in previous years, I am focusing my attention on the debutants

by Katerina Perez

Designing the Future: Revealing the Winners of the Katerina Perez x Osmium Institute Design Contest

What a ride it has been, witnessing such pure creative energy and original thinking, especially with a material as rare and futuristic as osmium

by Katerina Perez

New Icons: The Latest Collections by Italian Micromosaic Master SICIS 

I was presented with two striking new collections – Icon and Colibrì – that offer different interpretations of the SICIS aesthetic. Below, I want to give you a closer look at these capsule suites and tell you more about the inspirations behind them

by Katerina Perez

Fabulous Fabrications: TAOS Presents a Trio of Watches Inspired by Couture Fashion

Occasionally, beautiful timepieces demonstrating exceptional Métiers d’Art will land on our virtual desks and result in a round-robin series of emails. In the hours after we received insights into the emerging Swiss brand TAOS, almost the entire team had seen the fabric-inspired dials of its latest creations, and we all agreed that an article was […]

by Sarah Jordan

A Century of Sparkle: Celebrating 100 Years of Art Deco at GemGenève

From May 8-11, 2025, visitors to GemGenève can immerse themselves in a showcase of antique and modern jewellery while also experiencing the innovative spirit of the 1920s and 1930s through a photographic lens. Here, I'd like to tell you more about this creative collaboration and introduce you to the brands taking part…

by Katerina Perez

Tailored Perfection: The Best Jewellery Looks of the Met Gala 2025

Not since 2003 has a Met Gala theme focused exclusively on menswear, so we had high hopes for this year’s attendees demonstrating the best of tailored suiting adorned with high jewels. Let’s take a closer look at some of the best ensembles of the evening…

by Sarah Jordan

Latest Stories

Add articles and images to your favourites. Just

Reinventing Royalty:The European-Inspired Luxury Behind Isabel Gemology

I started 2025 with a series of articles titled ‘Jeweller of the Month’ to highlight the true talent among niche designers in the jewellery industry. For May, it is Isabel Delgado, the founder of Isabel Gemology, who I would like to shine the spotlight on.

by Katerina Perez

Jewels Katerina Perez Loves

Continue Reading

Writing Adventures:Co-Authoring the Book

Paraiba: The Legacy of a Color

by Katerina Perez

Jewellery Insights straight to your inbox

Style Guide

By using this website, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information.