When I first met Ray Griffiths, he explained the crown work motif found on all of his jewelry by way of telling me he had been a repairer of crowns and tiaras in his native Australia; I laughed. Out loud. I mean — really now — just how many crowns and tiaras can there be in the world that need repair? When you live in a former British colony he told me, there can be a lot. Hmm, makes sense when you put it that way.
I love Ray’s jewelry. I love the crown work, I love the workmanship and quality, I love the stones and I love the way it feels when you wear it. In addition to being a master designer and craftsman, Ray is also passionate about the gemstones that make their way to his pieces. In his view, a perfect stone has no character or as he puts it, “no street cred”. It’s the imperfections – the inclusions and the color bands — that give a gemstone value, and “that make it real”. Gotta love that too because, well, isn’t it the imperfections that make all of us “real”? This is serious jewelry made by an artist who is very serious about his craft but who, when you interact with him, is tons of fun! That’s why I think you’re going to want to join us for this very special weekend as we welcome Ray to Max’s for his first trunk show. There’s an opening night reception from 6-9 on Thursday, June19, and the fun continues all day on Friday and Saturday, June 20-21. Come on in and find a crown that best fits you!