Otto Jakob | Jewelry Artist

My newest addition to the theme of hand pendants, a hand with a green lizard. When I made my first hand pendant around 1990, I was inspired by the Renaissance jewels of similar shape, yet wanted to introduce a more modern subject. The eraliest ones were holding something small and delicate: a strawberry, a chocolate, or a lemon. From the very beginning, my hands featured complex vitreous enamel of both the object and the hand, which I decorated with topical tattoos, and had them wear rings and bracelets. The main challenge was creating a realistic division between the enamel on the hand and the object it holds. To solve this, I developed a method where I enamel each part separately and then invisibly connect them as the final step. As the years went past, I ventured into more and more complex motifs. To illustrate this development, I would like to share next to the hand from 2024, one with a fire salamander from 2011 and one with a chameleon from 2006. The lizard is covered with green vitreous enamel, underlaid with engraved net of cobalt blue enameled scales. Its back ridge is set with demantoids. Its tongue is enameled red, and the eyes black. The lizard holds onto a black enamaled hand, whose enamel layer is so translucent, that the yellow gold shines through from the underneath, and makes the hand appear anthracite grey. A tattoo of entwined thorn branches runs around the entire hand. The hand wears table-cut padparadscha sapphire and old-mine diamond rings, and a diamond-set enameled bracelet. #ottojakob #contemporaryjewelry #jewelry #handpendant #pendant #vitreousenamel #lizard #greenlizard #sapphirering #padparadscha #padparadschasapphire #diamondring #handtattoo #tattooinspiration #neorenaissance #jewelryinspiration #jewelryartist

For this pendant, I made a nature cast of a blossom of one of my succulent plants, Uncarina roeoesliana. Endemic to Madagascar, is not endangered, but is rare enough to have first been officially discovered and described in 1996. The particular plant that kindly provided its blossoms for the casting of this pendant, was a thriving youngster succulent by then—its current age being estimated at around 45 years, half of which it spent in my care. The cast is made of yellow gold, with articulated stamens emerging from the black enameled interior of the flower. A nature cast of a vine tendril grows around the flower base of white gold to form the suspension hoop. #ottojakob #contemporaryjewelry #jewelry #uncarina #Uncarinaroeoesliana #jewelryinspiration #pendant #naturecasting #naturecast #succulent #succulents #succulentlove

A swivel ring I made for a Mondrian collector: of white gold with a rotatable octagonal bezel in yellow gold, it is set with a historical diamond from the 19th century. On the alternative front of the bezel, the diamond is backed by a small hexagonal ruby surrounded by a black enameled ornament. The sides of the bezel are inlaid with diamond-set and engraved miniature white panels. The ring’s ornaments were inspired by the works of Piet Mondrian. #ottojakob #contemporaryjewelry #jewelry #jewelryinspiration #ring #diamondring #swivelring

These earrings were inspired by the oldest known still living organism on Earth: lichens, a symbiotic union of algae and fungi, are estimated to be about 10.000 years old. This remarkable age is attributed to a species of lichen found in the Canadian Arctic, specifically on Baffin Island, #RhizocarponGeographicum . Also known by a simpler name of “map lichen”, it grows on rocks in patches resembling continents on a map. In these earrings, the role of the rock surface is dramatically played by diamond-set white gold. But the lichens are 100% real, nature cast of locally sourced specimen from the Black Forest. To stay true to the original, I chose vitreous enamel of linden green color and gave it a matte finish, combined with painted gold ornaments and black painted enamel. The second image shows the unaltered lichen model, followed by that of the freshly made nature casts, and the design for the “rock” underneath. #ottojakob #contemporaryjewelry #jewelry #jewelryinspiration #earrings #greenearrings #diamondearrings #everydaydiamonds #vitreousenamel #craftsmanship #ohrschmuck #ohrringe #handwerk

Some 25 years ago, in a jewelry shop in Mumbai, I encountered a particularly intriguing antique chain from the South of India, of which I had absolutely no idea how it could had possibly been made—a novel experience after you spend a certain amount of years at the workbench. So I made a deal with my wife—she got the chain, and I got to take it apart for research purposes. It was highly educational to see how greatly the essential craftsmanship behind the Indian jewelry tradition differed from the European one. In the end, the original chain was reassembled, and I adapted the technique for my own work. The result can be seen here: snake-like in its flexibility, of 22K yellow gold and with each scale set with a diamond. #ottojakob #contemporaryjewelry #jewelry #chain #diamondchain #jewelryinspiration #necklace #diamondnecklace #22Kgold #22Kgoldnecklace #craftsmanship #diamondchaion #diamondnecklace #everydaydiamonds

For these starfish earrings, I chose vitreous enamel in an aquamarine-like green-blue color. The engraved surface of the earrings is visible beneath the translucent enamel, resembling the sandy seafloor in shallow waters. Made of yellow gold, the starfish are set with white gold-framed rose-cut diamonds that run along their surface, mimicking the bumpy spines of real starfish. #ottojakob #contemporaryjewelry #jewelry #earrings #diamondearrings #everydaydiakonds #vitreousenamel #rosecutdiamonds #starfishjewelry #starfishearrings #starfish #jewelryinspiration #blueearrings #greenearrings #ohrschmuck #ohrringe

It’s rare that I don’t immediately recognize my own work at first glance, however fleeting that glance might be. Yet, this recently happened with a pair of earrings. One of my bestselling designs, they were conceived all the way back in 2009 as a subtle everyday piece that easily adapts itself to any situation, without being boring and impersonal. To achieve this, I collected a small treasure trove in brown diamonds of different shapes and sizes, interspersed them with small brilliant-cut diamonds for an extra sparkle. The rose-cuts are backed by and framed with white gold. I arranged them in an exact pattern around a six-pointed snowflake-like star of rose gold. The main frame of the earring and its clasp is once again in white gold. Undoubtedly among my more conservative designs, I recently saw them in a completely new light, when running into a client who wore them together in one ear, turning an understated classic into an unrecognizable (even to their own maker) eye-catcher. So my greetings and compliments to the creative spirit of lovely J! #ottojakob #contemporaryjewelry #jewelry #earrings #diamondearrings #everydaydiamonds #browndiamonds #rosecutdiamonds #ohrschmuck #ohrringe

When exposed to focused illumination, this ruby unveils its hidden magic: a mesmerizing star and a luminous net that dance at its core. These effects arise from the intricate hollow channels within the gem, showcasing nature’s artistry. Wearers of star stones often catch sunrays with the stone, warming it. Inspired by this, I designed a snake to coil around the ruby, cradling it for its warmth. The snake’s embrace not only secures the ruby but also forms the entire ring hoop. #ottojakob #contemporaryjewelry #jewelry #ring #ruby #starruby #rubyring #snake #goldsnake #snakering #snakejewelry #redring #jewelryinspiration

Some of the adventures in enameling I undertook deviated from the classic translucent and glossy look: (1)Working Title “Strawberry Jam” (2024): Reddish-brown vitreous enamel with a finely granulated texture covers the hoops of yellow gold, whose asymmetrically distributed openings are set with sapphire cabochons, each framed in white gold. (2) Same technique first utilized in 2013 with black enamel that simulates the natural surface of a tropical beetle. (3) Multilayered, multicolored, and matte enamel applied to recreate the amazing wonderskin of a panther chameleon (2015). (4) For those lantern-like earrings from 2011, I used the unusual cristallization effect I discovered was possible with the lemony-yellow enamel. #ottojakob #contemporaryjewelry #jewelry #jewelryinspiration #enemal #vitreousenamel #earrings #sapphireearrings #blueearrings #diamondearrings #everydaydiamonds #yellowearrings #blackearrings #chameleon #panthercameleon #handpendant #pendant #craftsmanship #handwerk #schmuck #ohrschmuck #ohrringe

Accidental beach find––its origins and creator unknown. My friend, who discovered it, could only recall the beach in New Zealand where it had been braided and carelessly left behind. We both admired its form and concept and decided to keep it. The original piece was too large for direct use, so we had a 3D scan made and 3D printed a smaller version in castable wax, then cast it in white gold. I then blackened the gold and painted it with liquid gold. Although I had a clear vision of the final result, I did not prepare any specific patterns. My aim was to paint spontaneously, to find an analogy to the stains on the seaweed. Initially, the working title was “Kelp,” but I named the pendant Serendip, after the old Persian name for Sri Lanka, which actually inspired the word “serendipity”: this name appears in a fairy tale about three brothers who solve a riddle through a happy coincidence. #ottojakob #contemporaryjewelry #jewelry #jewelryinspiration #pendant #amulet

Columns and their capitals have been integral to human architecture since ancient times. From my earliest ring designs, I have considered this pairing crucial for their success. For instance, in this example, a beautiful mauve-colored spinel is set within a pair of elegantly curved, diamond-studded capitals that transition into columns, forming the ring hoop. #ottojakob #contemporaryjewelry #jewelry #ring #spinel #spinelring #pinkring #diamonds #diamondring #everydaydiamonds #jewelryinspiration

Despite all the excitement and turmoil of #TEFAF New York, it is always pleasure to be back to work at my atelier. Pictured here are the finishing stages of a recent project: a ring that I designed in a form of a curved zigzag band. Made of darkly oxidized white gold, it serves as a frame for yellow gold stars. Engraved scroll ornaments in yellow gold fill up the open intervals between the vertices of the zigzag. #ottojakob #contemporaryjewelry #jewelry #ring