GEMS AND LADDERS is a collection of art jewellery designed by contemporary artists and crafted in a variety of materials. Our project is driven by a philosophy of combining the creativity of artists with skilled craftsmanship. It revives the long tradition of artists’ jewellery. As jewels they are radiant, rich in meaning, while at the same time they offer unexpected ladders to higher, fantastical spheres of the imagination. We make smart jewellery – uniting the world of gems and high mystic realms where ladders of inspiration lead us.
Today artists and designers are increasingly challenging divisions between creative disciplines like design, fashion and art. Our invitation to artists to create items of jewellery met with very positive responses, as the artists immediately recognised the potential of the project. GEMS AND LADDERS offers them many possibilities: not only can they collaborate with skilled jewellers and explore new materials and production methods; they can also reconsider the formal legacy of jewellery and its interpretation. Rules and customs can be tested, and the artists can reflect on the wearer and their use of jewellery.
Thomas W. Bechtler initiated the GEMS AND LADDERS project. The origins of the Bechtler Family are in Pforzheim (Germany), a city with a heritage of fine metalwork. In the 19th century the family ancestors brought these skills to St. Gallen (Switzerland) and, later, yet further to Allahabad in India. Another branch of the family brought it to North Carolina in the USA. GEMS AND LADDERS unites this applied art heritage and the Bechtler family’s recent profound engagement with contemporary art. Launching GEMS AND LADDERS Thomas Bechtler teamed up with Alexander Pertot, formerly Partner at Bain & Company Inc., a creative thinker who supports start-ups and develops existing businesses. At the production stage, every single piece created for GEMS AND LADDERS is hand-made in Switzerland.
GEMS AND LADDERS brings together the history and sophistication of gold, silver and precious stones and the potential of new materials with contemporary creative thought. Artists are inspired by the past and contemplate the future, including these traces they will leave behind.
— Martin Kippenberger
