Andre Marcha, Not Ordinary Patterns

I wish that paying homage to the creative ability of an artist were something free from any obligatory timetable, current events, anniversaries or any kind of narrative constraint. The reason to speak about Andre Marcha in this issue comes simply form the desire to talk of beauty, items of jewelry that have nothing to do with mass production but that rise to the heights of the Olympus of cahiers de dessin due to the awesomeness with which they were designed. Artistic objects that have been paying respect to the goldsmith art for over half a century through shapes that are so perfectly faithful and close to the artist’s world. A way to open the gate to the East that looks for security in sandy-colored stones, in shades of red, blue, in mother-of-pearl and in the warmth of yellow gold. And so, as in the Kilim warps and wefts that Marcha “weaves” by choosing gold to intertwine the weft threads and blue sapphires, rubies and white diamonds to create that typical “front weave” of oriental carpets. A design reminiscent of the so-called “fabric cut”, characterized by cracks made in such a way as to enhance the geometry of the patterns. The Nain brooch is another example of sophistication that defines Marcha’s ability to work on the details through precise mounting techniques. Just as the Kilim brooch, the Nain pin and earrings draw inspiration from the typical motifs of carpets from the homonymous city of Nain in the Dasht-e-Kavir desert in Iran. Knotted and with elaborate patterns, in their jewel version interpreted by Marcha, they art designed with linear outlines and the odd heart-shaped decoration using sapphires, rubies, diamonds and yellow gold fringes. The Lebanese artist’s typical harmony can also be found in the Fan brooch and earrings from the Old Meets New collection where mother-of-pearl and white and yellow diamonds manage to communicate perfectly, summing up the artist’s language which, with his unmistakable style, knows how to transform his one-of-a-kind conversation pieces into authentic objets d'art.