Stones of Fortune Lapis Lazuli Clutch / 005609
From 1872 to today S.T. Dupont has always perpetuated its passion to celebrate family moments. This year S.T. Dupont celebrates 145 years of pride and family stories. S.T. Dupont stands for the best French craftsmanship and highest quality in leather goods, lighters and pens. S.T. Dupont Clutch by L’Aquart was inspired by the style of the special cases commissioned by the Maharajah of Patiala to Simon Tissot Dupont in 19’s. The Maharajah of Patiala, famed for his extravagance, ordered 100 lacquer “minaudières” evening bags for his favorite ladies-in-waiting.
L’Aquart, a talented Peruvian artist has been working stones for years and has made the stone carving its specialty. His creations offer a priceless pleasure for eyes combining elegance and modernity. With S.T. Dupont Clutch by L’Aquart, the artist succeeds in associating brilliantly the noblest materials with an exceptional gemstone expertise to fashion a unique jewel.
All work was done entirely by hand using techniques of jewelry making and gemstone carving art. Stone used are natural lapis lazuli and Ruby on Zoisite from Tanzania, stones are set in the faces of the clutch by a technique called intarsia. Even the chain was entirely done by hand. Each clutch was hand-crafted by a team of 4 people and took around 250 hour’s total.
Luis Alberto Quispe Aparicio
Stone Carver
Luis Alberto Quispe Aparicio follows a second generation family tradition, since 1968, in the creation of objects d’art and gemstone carving (also known as glyptography), an ancient art with roots from pre-Babylonian times. An engineer by profession, he grew up surrounded by art, sculpture, minerals & gemstones; artists, master carvers and jewelers were ingrained in his everyday life at his family studio in Lima, Peru, where he spent most of his formative years.
His knowledge on precious stones was organically acquired during constant visits to mines around the world where he hunted for exceptional gemstones; making the quest for rarity and quality an exquisite lifetime pursuit. His art is characterized by the fusion of sculpting techniques and those of jewelry fabrication, the use of exceptional gemstones, the daring design and the flawless execution carried out by hand which is vital in order to give a soul to each creation.
After mastering his craft, Quispe Aparacio moved to Paris in search for a new vision and to broaden his scope through the specialization in luxury goods. Examples of this can be seen in his collection “The Beast Within” which was inspired by the resounding influence nature has on man after Quispe Aparacio’s numerous travels to Africa. Today, though, he travels the world in search for the rarest gemstones to incorporate into his work, his studio specializes in carving rub. The second hardest gemstone found on earth after the diamond, few artists have managed to successfully work with ruby as it requires advanced technique in vision, carving and polishing. His works are displayed in museums in the United States and Europe and enjoyed by private collectors around the world.
