Michael Hofmeyer: Atlas of Crystal Forms
The discovery of an antique book, Atlas der Kristallformen, containing reproductions of thousands of crystal drawings inspired celebrated Brisbane jeweller, Michael Hofmeyer, to create this spectacular collection of necklaces, earrings and rings.
Hofmeyer has been making gem bead necklaces for several years but for these new works, rather than use standard calibrated beads that are commercially available, he travels to source custom-cut gem material. He had this cut into unique beads whose shapes highlight the natural beauty and distinctive geometry of gem crystals. The superb necklaces in this exhibition are strung from exotic stones including aquamarine, tourmaline, pyrites, morganite, crystal quartz, hiddenite and emerald and ruby ‘host’ crystal beads, which have mysterious luminous properties.
Original, hand-made finely-wrought clasps are a signature of Hofmeyer’s work but they have become a major design element in the new necklaces, and could stand alone as sculptural objects. The inspiration for these clasps came from not only the incredible variety of crystal geometric forms illustrated in the book, but also from an exhibition Michael saw recently in Italy. It featured the work of four generations of Italian goldsmiths, now world famous, who had trained at the Padua Institute for the Arts. Hofmeyer trained in Florence under an Italian master goldsmith and the Italian jewellery aesthetic has been a major influence on his work.
Several of the pieces in this exhibition feature rough diamonds or diamonds crystallized in a cube shape. This is an unusual way to present diamonds, but Hofmeyer is interested in the natural world and natural forms of beauty, and these stones have an extraordinary glistening surface. In tune with environmental and socially responsible practice, all the diamonds he uses are sourced from ethical miners. Hofmeyer also recycles gold provided by clients, as the metal has a history they want to keep, so he melts it, reworks it or inlays it.
Stylistically there is a truly international mix, an old German book, contemporary Italian goldsmithing and new materials such as and titanium which appears in some of the clasps. In addition there is the mysterious aspect of crystals. When Hofmeyer bought the gem material in India, the Indian gem-cutters told him that the gems had properties that were used in traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine and homeopathy. Even Victor Goldschmidt, a German mineralogist and one of the founders of modern crystallography, who published the atlas found correspondence of the harmonic series of crystals with that in music, in fine arts, and with traits of human life in general. Hofmeyer made the ‘Harmonic Neckpiece’ in homage to this aspect of Goldschmidt’s thinking. Having worked with these stones for many years, he too would agree that there is more to these beautiful crystals than meets the eye. They represent our connection to the earth, they have qualities beyond the physical.
