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By Jaime Kautsky
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Joanna Seetoo-Schiele
Photo courtesy of Joanna Seetoo-Schiele
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She's worked as a fashion stylist on videos for Run-DMC and Joan Jett and designed jewelry for Julia Roberts and Andie MacDowell, but Joanna Seetoo Schiele says her award-winning pieces are a far cry from the here-today, gone-tomorrow styles that dominate much of the entertainment world.
"My goal as a designer is to produce 'modern classics' – jewelry that is as desirable and lovely today as it will be when passed to future generations," she says.
Seetoo Schiele, a San Diego-based jewelry designer and goldsmith, says the award-winning piece she recently donated to the GIA Museum is a good example of that.
"Elation," a 22K, hand-fabricated gold ring that features granulation and anticlastic raising, as well as an estimated 3-ct., trilliant-cut golden chryso-beryl and two rubies, won a 1995 Spectrum Award from the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA).
"The size of the piece makes it a strong statement, but the restraint – no heavy 'bling' – keeps it elegant and blends ancient and contemporary styling," she says. "And the ring's shape is reminiscent of the female form, which is essentially beautiful."
Seetoo Schiele, who established Joanna Seetoo Designs while living in her native New York in 1991, has also won three Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America Vision Awards for her work. She calls granulation, a skill she learned while studying at Cecilia Bauer Studio, a "finicky" technique – though it's one of her favorites.
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"Elation," part of the GIA Museum's Permanent Collection, won an AGTA Spectrum Award in 1995.
Photo by Robert Weldon
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After "Elation" was honored by AGTA, Seetoo Schiele worked for the San Francisco-based Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, where she later served as an instructor and marketing director.
Seetoo Schiele says she's "learned so much, and met incredibly talented people throughout the jewelry arts industry" in her career.
"When [GIA Museum Director] Elise Misiorowski told me that donated, award-winning pieces would inspire future designers, how could I not want to be a part of that cycle?" she asks. "The jewelry industry has been very generous toward me and it's a necessity to give back."
Misiorowski says donations like Seetoo Schiele's build the Museum's Permanent Display Collection of jewelry from ancient times to present day. These pieces help tell the story of how jewelry styles have evolved through the ages.
"Joanna's ring is an important addition to the Collection, not only because it's an award-winning piece, but it incorporates anticlastic raising and granulation – two signature metal techniques for the late 20th century."
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