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June 2nd - July 1st, 2007
Niki Kavakonis
Pictured: Alberti's Doric ring
During the Italian Renaissance, many architects, including Brunelleschi, Ghiberti and Michelozzo (as well as both of Leonardo and Michelangelo’s teachers), studied goldsmithing prior to becoming masters of their own craft. This exhibition looks at the principles of architecture and reinterprets them as jewellery. A few modern inspirations will be included.
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Born in Canada into a family where Art and Design were both appreciated and promoted, her Greek father (who also worked in the architectural field) was a practicing sculptor, best known for the bronze doors on St. Anne’s Church, Gladstone Ave., Toronto. Her Finnish mother, an avid crotchetier and knitter, ensured that the concept of good design, a trait Finland is famous for, was instilled in her daughter at an early age.
As a child, Niki traveled extensively, and by age ten she had visited over twenty countries, her parents taking her to every museum they could find. It was these early formative experiences, which drove her to pursue knowledge of Art and Architecture, both at the practical level (she possesses a diploma in the studio arts), and academically, through doctoral studies in Art and Architectural History, at the University of Toronto.
It is in creating jewellery that Niki can best convey her passions. She is attracted to jewellery for its miniature sculptural qualities, and many of her designs can be appreciated as such. In her work she develops a number of varying themes, believing that what one wears is an expression of the wearer.
From 2003-05 Niki Kavakonis was the President of the Metal Arts Guild of Canada. In 2005 she curated ‘The Northern Lights Exhibition featuring Björn Weckström’, and edited the catalogue of the same name. She has also written for Metalsmith, Jewellery Business magazine and Colored Stone, and has been illustrated in Canadian Jeweller.
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The ‘Tip of the Iceberg’ ring (illustrated) is  inspired by the 10,000 year-old icebergs, which float down Iceberg Alley, Newfoundland, each year. It features a 2.02ct natural, uncut octahedral diamond from the Ekati mine in the Northwest Territories, set in 18k white gold.
Octahedral diamond crystals are the most desirable shape nature creates. The diamond has been selected for its size, colour, shape, and natural triangular surface facets, called “trigons”. The setting itself is innovative: no claws have been used to hold the diamond in place, preserving the illusion that it is floating along a very still surface.
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