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I am a Jewelry
Designer and Goldsmith, as well as a teacher.
My inspiration comes from Gold Antiquities exhibited in Museums throughout
the world.
Each piece is handmade one at a time with great attention to detail.
Custom designed jewelry by request.
Please email
My thoughts on jewelry:
Having access to the Metropolitan Museum in NYC, and the jewelry district allows
for interesting comparison. One look at the Ancient jewelry at the Met tells me that, jewelers who lived 2000 years ago, made
better jewelry! Its stunning when your realize how sophisticated the designs were. Jewelry was an art form, and the skill
of the goldsmith was appreciated.
In today's high tech world the skill of the human hand is lost to the mass production
capabilities of modern machinery. Most people want machine made perfection, mistaking it for beauty. Modern jewelry centers
on perfectly cut, flawless gemstones, set in invisible setting, made of low karat pale gold.
I largely reject this value
system.
Natural gem crystals and hand cut cabochons set in high karat yellow gold settings with emphasis on the art of
the goldsmith is what looks beautiful to my eye. I greatly admire the skills of those ancient goldsmiths and can only hope
to do work as fine. And they had no modern tools!
Part of my time is spent teaching jewelry making and lapidary(stone
cutting and polishing). I enjoy sharing the knowledge and skills I've acquired and meeting new people.
Anyone can learn
to make classical jewelry. No previous jewelrymaking experience required.
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I learned the art
and skills of classical jewelry making from my father, Robert Kulicke. Founder of the esteemed Kulicke-Stark Academy of Jewelry
Art. I was his first apprentice.
It all began when Bob, an accomplished and successful painter brought home, to our Manhattan
apartment a small kiln and made cloisonne enamels of his paintings. He invited his painter friends over to translate their
painting into small precious cloisonne enamel jewels.
The movement grew and he rented a loft on Broadway in 1964. It was
known as "El Clubo" and classes were taught on a very informal basis at first. I taught at El Clubo and at Kulicke-Stark.
The school has been on Broadway ever since and is now named the Jewelry Arts Institute. Over the years many wonderful jewelers
have learned they're skills there. And Bob has achieved his goal of upgrading the look of contemporary jewelry and giving
it a sense of it's ancient and rich history.
One of the techniques used to make these pieces is called granulation.
An ancient jewelry art and skill which involves heating the piece slowly until the surface of the metals slowly flow and weld
together. Too much heat and you have a gold puddle! The proper result gives you a delicate and intricate look.
The
gold is alloyed with small amounts of silver and copper to give it this rich yellow appearance (pure gold is yellow).
Granulation
is most successful with this hand mixed alloy. This gold is softer than commercial gold alloys and a great pleasure to work
with.
It isn't "too soft" as some people are quick to say. Jewelers who haven't worked it or haven't taken the time or
training to best utilize it's special characteristics simply don't understand it.
Fredricka Kulicke
Phone 201
230 2973
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