Mood Board: Erickson Beamon Ladies Look to “Brutal” Nature and '40s Glamour

Partners Karen Erickson and Vicki Beamon -- the dynamic duo behind Erickson Beamon, one of the city's most outlandish jewelry houses -- are always compiling unusual inspiration sources to be used in their fanciful jewelry creations. For their shared mood board, VIcki found inspiration in '40s era glamour while Karen looked to the "brutal and beautiful" aspects of the natural world. Here, the designers share their inspirations, in their own (quite vivid at times) words.

Vicki (left side):

Key Largo: "Our tribute to the 1948 film noir classic and its leading lady, the sultry Lauren Bacall. The sweet ice cream palette is reminiscent of Alberto Vargas’ famous pin-up girls. Feminine and fun, but with lots of attitude!"

Night Porter: "Inspired by Charlotte Rampling’s dark portrayal in the controversial 1970s film. It's a commanding collection including stylish harnesses and collars, luxuriously swathed in dark crystals, leather and metallic spikes."
 
Mood for Love: "1920s Shanghai inspires an intoxicating and luxurious crystal story. [For these pieces], we used a gentle pastel palette with elegant oriental influences."
 
Modern Mogul: "A kaleidoscope of colours -- soft blues and purples, bright pinks and oranges, and a diverse mix of inspirations! The spirited '70s club scene and Persian opulence."

Karen (at right)

Brutal Nature: "Nature is brutal and beautiful, beyond our control. We think that we control the garden but we are only part of it. We only breathe because the trees agree. I yearn to return to the garden, the garden of earthly delight, where flowers become us and we become them."

Garden of Eden: 
"The vines twist and she takes her first breath. She feels a rush of joy, to have feet and leg no longer rooted to the earth. She is alive and in bloom. The mystery of her identity is revealed. She is Eve. Eve is redeemed, finally returned to the Garden."

Jeweled Sculptures: 
"Pictures flash inside my mind, rude, pushy pictures that demand to be created, to be born, to take shape. The sculptures that have grown in my workroom have a life of their own: limbs, breasts, heads encrusted in jewels. They are beautiful and frightening -- that bloom yet see."

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