John Hardy Gold Ring Dragon Bracelet
While I am not a huge fan of John Hardy, (particularly not the seemingly endless stream of logo-emblazoned-wannabe-tattoo-artist-punk-rocker T-shirts that droves of people wear for reasons unbeknownst to me), this bracelet is definitely an exception. I absolutely love that from afar it looks like a classic piece - but up close it's an unexpected sculpturally detailed rendition of a traditional Chinese dragon and it's gorgeous. It reminds me a bit of Kieselstein-Cord, but way more modern. As a fan of asian design in general, the dragon has always been one of my favorite iconic images and I want this bracelet. It retails for $1295.00 and is a combination of sterling silver and yellow gold.
I've admired this bracelet for a couple years now. While it's so unique and tempting to buy, I found something missing in the design; believe it or not, I felt a bit of plainness. I wish it had either gold spots or cabachons for eyes, not just the plain silver that Hardy used. The gold ring is great, but just a couple of touches of gold (or jewels) elsewhere would have made this piece perfect. I keep going back to it, almost wishing I could love it, yet I always feel there's something forgotten in the design of the dragon's eyes.
It's a similar feeling to seeing a stuffed animal with missing eyes.
I love John Hardy jewelery and also despise the clothing line under the same name. I also don't think its the same company the makes the jewelry and the clothing. Can you confirm?
"particularly not the seemingly endless stream of logo-emblazoned-wannabe-tattoo-artist-punk-rocker T-shirts that droves of people wear for reasons unbeknownst to me"
you mean Ed Hardy?
Um, I think you are a little bit confused: when you said, "logo-emblazoned-wannabe-tattoo-artist-punk-rocker T-shirts", I think you were referring to ED Hardy. John Hardy and Ed Hardy are two completely different brands. See for yourself: http://www.edhardyshop.com/ & http://www.johnhardy.com/
:)
Ugh...I HATE that Ed Hardy stuff...but I do like many of John Hardy's pieces...JH would never make the tacky junk that Ed Hardy makes...
Yep. John Hardy - husband and wife team of silver jewelry designers inspired by traditional Indonesian techniques and designs. Have lived in Indonesia for 20 years and are now building an eco-friendly school there for children.
Ed Hardy - designer/owner Christian Audigier, lives in LA, daughter was on MTV's Sweet 16 with a lavish no-expenses spared birthday thrown by daddy, he designs tacky teenage-esque tees for and cavorts with celebs like Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton, and now apparently Jon Gosselin.
These two brands couldn't be more different. heh.