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Marco Bicego Designs Maasai-Inspired Jewelry
The Italian designer looked to East Africa for his latest fine jewelry collection.
This 18-karat yellow gold and white diamond Marco Bicego necklace, from the Masai collection, retails for $33,500 at MarcoBicego.com.
Vicenza, Italy--Marco Bicego looked to East Africa when designing his latest collection, named “Masai” for the tribe that inspired it.
“I often derive my inspiration from my travels around the world,” explained Bicego. “On one journey, I beheld the beautiful ornaments of the African Maasai tribe, which were so elegant and demonstrated an amazing attention to detail. The effort and craftsmanship that goes into creating these pieces resonated with my approach to jewelry-making, so it felt befitting to create a collection inspired by them.”
A new addition to the company’s core collections, Masai blends seamlessly into Bicego’s existing body of work, due in large part to the utilization of his “coil” technique, in which a thin 18-karat gold wire is wrapped around a thicker strand of gold.
Traditional Maasai jewelry also incorporates wrapping; pieces of brass are woven around necks, wrists and ankles.
“The Maasai ornaments are woven intricately and gracefully to accentuate the form of the body,” said Bicego. “I felt drawn to the organic way that the pieces complemented the wearer’s shape. Our pieces are crafted in 18-karat yellow and white gold, featuring hand-coiled strands layered beautifully together, reflecting the same heightened attention to craftsmanship displayed by the Maasai people.”
Pieces from the Masai collection retail between $1,390 and $36,950.
The collection will be carried at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, and is currently available at MarcoBicego.com.
18-karat yellow gold and white diamond necklace, $33,500
18-karat yellow and white gold ring with diamond pavé, $1,930
18-karat white gold ring with diamonds, $2,520
18-karat rose, white and yellow gold bracelet, $3,450
18-karat white gold bracelet with diamonds, $1,740
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