Bell bouquet: Exhibition visitors observe a necklace consisting of small vintage bells, a creation of Irwan William-Holmes.

Indonesia is known for its natural and cultural wealth, which includes jewelry.

Apart from being used to enhance one'€™s appearance, jewelry has historic value in terms of its different designs.

Artistic flair by designers combined with high-quality materials produce pieces that offset our modern lifestyle.

Three jewelry designers '€” Irwan Wiliam-Holmes, Donna Angelina and Daphne Zepos '€” and jeweler Manjusha Nusantara recently presented their creations at an exhibition in Malang, East Java, which showcased the royal influences that they had incorporated into their respective designs.

Irwan William-Holmes, who was born in New York City, had 84 pieces on display. '€œTwenty-five of these pieces of jewelry were made from materials that hark back to the Majapahit Kingdom,'€ he said in fluent Indonesian.

William-Holmes, who has lived in Jakarta since 1969, said the Majapahit era, which lasted from the 13th through 15th centuries, was the inspiration for his jewelry, as it had a remarkable wealth of artistic heritage.

Sanskrit charm: Golden necklaces with Sanskrit-engraved pendants.
The Majapahit heyday saw its rulers enjoy a luxurious lifestyle, as evidenced by the discovery of an array of pieces made from iron, silver, gold and brass, which it is thought were worn by its monarchs and other royals. Temple reliefs and statues also depict the beauty of the accessories worn at that time.

Negarakertagama, a book of eulogy written by Mpu Prapanca in 1365, refers to a convoy of royal coaches decorated with gold embellishments. At every major festival, all party and dinner sets also contained gold, including boxes to store areca nuts and betel leaves.

The Malang exhibition marked the first time William-Holmes'€™ Majapahit-inspired jewelry was publicly displayed.

Malang was specifically chosen as the site for the exhibition because of its geographic proximity to the Majapahit Kingdom, whose heart was located in Trowulan, Mojokerto, East Java.

One of his outstanding pieces, the Necklace of Bells, comprises dozens of tiny bells, making it the most expensive of his items at Rp 25 million (US$2,057). The silver and bronze necklace rings out whenever its wearer moves. '€œI'€™m not sure if anybody would dare to wear it,'€ William-Holmes said jokingly.

Two of his other necklaces, Indopacific Glass Beads and Rock Crystal, consist of beads formerly used in royal circles. William-Holmes, who is now in his 70s, said it had taken him three to four weeks to craft the necklaces, as they required great accuracy.

'€œI handle and control the making of the jewelry from the selection of the materials through to the design and finish,'€ said William-Holmes, who has several assistants under his direct supervision.

'€œI have to assemble what I'€™ve fitted until every bit suits Pak Irwan'€™s concept, so it can take weeks or even months [to complete one item],'€ said Slamet Riadi, who has worked with William-Holmes for 21 years.

Relic-inspired: Statue-shaped pendants influenced by Majapahit art.
His other pieces in the exhibition included silver pendants in the form of statues, gold pendants with Sanskrit characters, an uber-ebony ring decorated with gold-plated bronze and a silver bracelet based on the design of a curved kris '€” a unique creation never before thought of by craftsmen.

William-Holmes said he was only recreating the jewelry to increase their artistic value, by turning old materials into classy products with a contemporary style to suit current tastes. Moreover, all his designs are one-offs, offering their owners total exclusivity.

'€œMy works aren'€™t replicas as we have no pictures of Majapahit jewelry in detail; instead, they all come from my observations and historical research,'€ he said.

The designer, who has created a number of jewelry pieces for well-known figures including Mick Jagger, Dionne Warwick and Michelle Obama, has also produced jewelry using indigenous Indonesian gemstones, such as kalimaya (opal), as well as fossilized coral or coral sponge.

According to William-Holmes, fossilized coral can only be found in Indonesia but, sadly, many Indonesians are not familiar with it. Worse still, Indonesia generally exports its gemstones in raw form, particularly to China. The stones are then used in the creation of artistic objects but without mentioning the country of origin. '€œWith proper handling, they have added value and can demand very high prices in the form of jewelry,'€ he said.

The ornaments exhibited by Manjusha Nusantara explored the cultural heritage of Java and Bali, under the title, '€œPeranakan Heritage Jewelry'€. With Yasmin Stamboel Wirjawan, the wife of former trade minister Gita Wirjawan and one of the founders, Manjusha Nusantara displayed silver and gold rings, necklaces and bracelets, mostly displayed on ceremonial costumes.

Ebony brim: An ebony ring featuring gold-plated bronze.
Daphne Zepos presented a number of her designs in the form of necklaces, pendants, earrings, bracelets and other accessories. The designer, who hails from France, said she had also been inspired by Indonesian culture and romantic legends.

Meanwhile, the 100 or so works by young designer Donna Angelina were steeped in ethnic nuances. The 31-year-old introduced her own design style by including flora and fauna in her jewelry.

A silver ring adorned with beads was distinct from most other rings by covering almost the entire finger of the wearer. '€œAlthough the finger is covered, the ring has been designed to be elegant and comfortable to wear,'€ said Donna, whose work has been displayed both in Indonesia and abroad.

Nature is also an inspiration for this harpist, with one of her pendants being crafted in a small stone pattern. Gold-color strokes on stone-shaped silver made the pendant look like a river stone cluster.

While designing, she manages most of the jewelry processing herself, including the manual work of melting, sawing and hammering.

'€œThe jewelry isn'€™t mass-produced. There need to be some personal artistic touches,'€ said Donna, who is also a lecturer at Pelita Harapan University in Tangerang.

Photos by Nedi Putra AW