By Cynthia Unninayar
Catching up with Pamela between trunk shows, we talked to this talented artist about her designs and the gemstones she loves.
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CIJ Trends & Colours: Your pieces aren’t the usual type of jewellery designs…
Pamela Huizenga: By usual, if you mean perfectly shaped and symmetrical, you’re right. My jewellery celebrates the beauty of the imperfections found in gemstones. It is often an imperfection that makes each stone unique. I also seek balance in terms of colours, textures, and shapes, sort of like a mosaic.
CIJTC: Many of your pieces evoke a mosaic of colour. What is your favourite coloured gemstone?
PH: I love all stones—precious, semi-precious, fossils, minerals, rocks… I started collecting them as a child. My parents used to take me to the gem mines, where they would buy a big bucket of rocks, containing crystals of amethyst, quartz, and sapphire. It was like finding a hidden treasure. When I was 16, I trained as a gem cutter so I could make my own designs. My favourite gem, my passion—you could almost call it an obsession—is opal.
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CIJTC: How did this “obsession” start?
PH: I fell in love with the huge variety of colours and textures found in boulder opals from Australia. After cutting many kilos of these rough gems, I moved to Ethiopian opals. They are truly mysterious stones, requiring patience, a steady hand and a bit of luck. But the rewards are immense. It is a gem that is lit from within, a piece of the heavens hidden inside each stone.
CIJTC: What is your design inspiration?
PH: I listen to the stone. It tells me what I should do. I focus on its shape and colour, letting it guide my hand. I work with its imperfections, instead of against them. This is what makes my pieces unique and gives them character. I let them evolve into what they want to be, and set them in 22K or 18K gold or sterling silver. Most of my designs are one-of-a-kind, and range from simple elegant pieces to more “primitive” interpretations.
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CIJTC: What is the main market for your designs?
PH: The brand is carried by independent jewellery stores and galleries from Florida to California. The final customer is a person who appreciates the intrinsic beauty of gemstones in all their forms, as well as artisanal craftsmanship. She is a person who wants something out of the ordinary, something that celebrates the beauty of gemstones.
