The Golden Menagerie Collection: Temple St. Clair Pays Tribute to Nature

December 27, 2016

By Katerina Perez

3 min read

For two years the American jewellery designer Temple St. Clair has been working on the jewellery trilogy, The Golden Menagerie, which is dedicated to rare animals, especially those that face the threat of extinction.

The first part of the extensive collection, Mythical Creatures, was debuted in January 2015 at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris, the second part, Wings of Desire, was exhibited for the first time at The Salon: Art + Design exhibition in New York. And now the time has come for the final part, The Big Game, which was presented for the first time at the beginning of December in the Delorenzo gallery in New York. “I am pleased and honored to have Temple St. Clair at DeLorenzo Gallery. She embodies all of these qualifications that I appreciate in an artist,” says Adriana Friedman, the director of the DeLorenzo gallery.

When viewing her artistic jewellery pieces, I see passion and excellence. Temple’s configurations of colours are mysterious, but logical, warm, gentle, passionate and strong. Temple is a storyteller. She captivates you when speaking about her life’s journey as an artist and her commitment to a pure creative process that forces her to stay true to her vision and goals.

The story of how Temple came to jewellery design is really rather interesting. When she was just over 20 years old she studied in Florence, where she received a degree in Italian literature. Temple had no intention of binding her life to the art of jewellery until her mother came to her and asked for help in making a piece of jewellery out of an old coin she had in her possession. By visiting the jewellery workshops on Palazo del’Oraffo, Temple became so inspired by the work of Italian craftsmen and the ancient art of jewellery making, that she continued to work with jewellers, becoming more involved in their work. Almost thirty years have passed since that moment and Temple has made the art of fine jewellery her profession whilst remaining true to the Florentine master craftsmen.

Temple St. Clair

Temple St. Clair

Let’s now return to the last collection, The Big Game. “I have created jewelled portraits of animals that I particularly love, many of which are either extinct or threatened. As I did in ‘Mythical Creatures’ and ‘Wings of Desire,’ I have created romanticized visions of the animals – each captured in a moment of stillness or activity within a peaceful environment. The choice of gemstone colours and the patterns of detail reference the impermanence of our time on earth,” says Temple in the book The Golden Menagerie, which was released this year by the publisher, ASSOULINE.

In the final part of the trilogy, as in the others, the pieces are executed as one-off originals. Temple decorated them with rare gem stones such as the star sapphires on the Dolphin Banji bracelet or the pieces with unusual characteristics such as the garnets that change colour on the “Elephant” ring. She also, for the first time in her career, has made use of ebony wood, from which she has made a branch, on the ring with a leopard.

Temple St. Clair

Temple St. Clair

Here I have introduced to your attention just a few items from the collection. You can see the rest at the exhibition in the DeLorenzo gallery until the 15th February or on the Temple St Clair website.

Blue Gemstone: Turquoise, or the Beautiful Sky

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.