Making the Phoenix Rising Necklace BTS
Three and a half years in the making, our Phoenix Rising necklace has been a labor of love for each and every artisan in our Century City atelier. The inspiration for this necklace stemmed from the suite of Mandarin Garnets it's made from, taking flight through countless trial and error to create a movable piece that floats on the wearer's neck.
From the free-flowing Phoenix tail to the flexible wings that lift this mandarin Garnet phoenix to your neck, this one-of-a-kind custom piece was no walk in the park to create. "The mechanics were the hardest part to work out," Ricardo Basta said about the piece. "We didn't want it to look metal-ey. You know when something doesn't bend properly, and it's stiff. When you handle this necklace, it moves like cloth. It's very smooth. That was the hardest part."
“When you handle this necklace, it moves like cloth. That was the hardest part.”
"The details are my favorite part," Basta explained. "We had the stones specially cut; all the feathers for the chest, are custom." The little details are what make this piece breathtaking. Featuring 28.04 carats of Mandarin Garnets, accented with Paraiba Tourmalines, Sapphires, Rubies, Fire Opals, Tsavorite Garnets, and a 0.77-carat turquoise, set in 18K yellow gold, this wearable work of art is on every jewel-lovers mind. "I'm most proud of the details. In one claw, it has the world and in one claw it has the chains from bondage from whatever it was tied to."
“ We had stones specially cut, all the feathers for the chest are custom.”
Thank you again to the AGTA Spectrum judges for the honor of Best in Color, and of course, thank you to our team of artisans who brought this piece to fruition.
See our other AGTA Spectrum 2018 winner.
Visit our award winning pieces in store
Ricardo Basta Fine Jewelry
10307 Santa Monica Blvd
Century City
Hours: Monday - Friday, 10:30am - 5pm
Saturdays by Appointment
310-278-4792