Page 122 - The Bite Magazine - Issue 11

Tomasz Igniting t
bitejewellery
ast year proved that jewellery designer
Tomasz Donocik, already renowned
for his avant-garde and edgy jewellery,
didn’t have to work the slot machines
in order to hit the jackpot in Las Vegas.
The London-based jewellery designer, who was
born in Poland and grew up in Austria, scooped two
prestigious awards at the international Couture
Jewellery Show in the casino capital of the world,
taking top prize in both the ‘Diamond Jewellery over
$20,000’ and ‘Debut’ categories for his ‘Courtship
of the Hornbill’ ring. The winning piece featured two
hornbills intertwined, encrusted in 5.9 carat of black and
white diamonds, with ruby eyes and beaks carved from
mammoth tusk.The second of its kind, the original ring
was encrusted in yellow and black diamonds and created
for auction to raise money for ‘Eco Art International’.
The Couture Jewellery Show is one of the leading annual
international jewellery shows that attract new and
established jewellers from over the world every year.
Donocik exhibiting at the show for the first time was
made possible thanks to an initiative between the British
Fashion Council (BFC) and internationally–renowned
jeweller Stephen Webster, for whom he worked with
after graduating from Central Saint Martins and Royal
College of Art. The designer’s appearance at the show
followed the success of Rock Vault as part of London
Fashion Show while his double award win joined his
accolade for ‘Jewellery Designer of the Year’ at the UK
Jewellery Awards in 2011. Donocik who celebrated
with Stephen Webster at the Wynn Hotel after the
ceremony said, “I’m incredibly happy to have won two
awards. It means a lot to be recognised and appreciated
at such a prestigious show and I’m looking forward to
the new opportunities this has given me.”
Having designed for some of the world’s most respected
jewellers, including Stephen Webster and Garrard,
Tomasz Donocik has built a unique mythology around
the jewellery he creates. He draws influence from a
wide range of subjects such as old-world Soviet militia,
legends and classical literature, which allows him to
build an abstract narrative around each collection.
Russian Aristocrat, Rising Star and Elements are among
his most successful collections and are continually
revisited and enriched each season with new pieces.
His first fine couture piece ‘The Courtship of
the Hornbill’ was born in the summer of 2010 in
collaboration with the Eco Art Foundation and a year
later saw the birth of his first fine jewellery collection
for women entitled ‘The Garden of Good and Evil’,
featuring delicate diamond coated snowbells juxtapose
with Tsavorite and black diamond Venus fly traps.
Donocik also creates one-off pieces that illustrate
his design flair and craftsmanship; examples of these
artistic pieces include the Dragonfly Ring, Palladium Red
Carpet Earrings, the Bullring and the Crocodile ring.
Other collaborations include bejewelled leather gloves
created in partnership with Parisian glove designer
Thomasine Barnekow which combines silk, lizard
skin and smooth black leather to create a luxurious
and bold accessory, and scarf designer Emma Shipley
who incorporates her illustrations on silk and chiffon
Images courtesy of Tomasz Donocik