Ruth Nivola: Adornments

From June 3 through 26, The Drawing Room is pleased to present “Adornments” by long time East Hampton resident Ruth Nivola. This exotic body of work stands alone in the realm of contemporary jewelry. Delicately designed necklaces, Ruth Nivola’s jewelry might be called “platonic;” their perfect form mirrors their perfect conception. In Jungian terms, Ruth Nivola’s necklaces are archetypal female decorations. One imagines each necklace draped over the linen tunic of Cleopatra’s friends, Empress Theodora at Ravenna, or a Sardinian princess.

To give form to her inspirations, Ruth Nivola reinvented the decorative arts and handicrafts she learned as a child in schools in Germany and Italy in the 1920’s. Her accomplishments in crochet, embroidery, knotting, appliqué, braiding and sewing are transformed into modern, regal amulets in which she uses yarns, Indian silks, brocade, and Venetian beads. With gold and silver colored metallic yarns, she crochets the structure of each unique collar piece. Intriguing and unexpected compositions radiate from the crocheted collars like webs built by spiders. Thin yarns covered by sewn iridescent threads give way to tassels, and tiny bundles of tangerine, turquoise or fuchsia silk punctuate a strand with the pure color of gemstones to give focus and weight to her designs. Crocheted gold shell forms, pods of embroidered silk or bits of brocade dance and dangle from these marvelous feminine adornments.

See below for full press release and selected works.