Her training as a painter and sculptor served her well, now that she adorns the red carpet set.
Jeweler Paula Crevoshay has seen her work on parade down paparazzi-lined entranceways to major Hollywood events, adorning the necks of glamorous celebrities and sophisticated social butterflies.
Now, Whidbey Islanders can see how the Hollywood half lives — and what they wear while living it — when Crevoshay visits Linds Jewelry in Freeland from 10 to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 16 and 17.
After earning her master’s degree in painting and sculpture at age 22, Crevoshay was influenced by the first three years of her married life living in India in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery.
Although she had made jewelry as gifts for family and friends as a student, in India she began buying gems and designing jewelry in earnest.
The first collection of Crevoshay jewels were meticulously crafted with sapphires, rubies and other gemstones. It sold out within one month, and Crevoshay found herself shuttling back and forth to Asia for more gemstones. Thus began her intercontinental career as a jewelry artist.
Each year, as the artist’s work became more and more reputable, Crevoshay continued to upgrade the size and value of her stones, developing the colorful and elaborate style she is known for today.
“My collection is an extension of my spirit,” the artist said.
“Living in beauty is as necessary to my soul as drinking water is to my physical being. Each jewel is imbued with this love of life, this respect for nature’s omnipotent power, and there is a talismanic property inherent in every finished jewel.”
She said she usually begins with the heart of a jewel’s center stone, and then adds the accent stones as radiant support to that central gem’s essence. Her pieces are unique and are worn by both art collectors and celebrities alike, and grace the pages of fashion magazines and both art and design publications.
Crevoshay has gained notoriety, not only for the graceful beauty and opulent design of her jewels, but especially for her painterly approach to gemstone combinations, which is why the trade press has referred to her as “The Queen of Color.”
In addition to special exhibitions, her work is now on permanent display in museums such as the GIA Museum, Carnegie Museum and the Smithsonian Institution.
“From the outset of my career as a jewelry designer in 1980, my mission has been to define jewelry as a fine-art discipline on the same level as a painting or sculpture,” Crevoshay said.
“This is the primary reason I have set a straight course of creating one-of-a-kind, highly collectable jewels. I want to help create a model in our culture for jewelry artists to be able to make a living creating the finest work that they can without consideration of what is easy to mass produce or what will sell in volume,” she added.
Being an artistic soul at heart, Crevoshay will be happy to know that her work will extend itself as a support to other art and artists. Ten percent of sales from the Linds event will be donated to the Stage Two: Building for the Future capital campaign of Whidbey Island Center for the Arts in Langley, thanks to its Freeland sponsor.
Linds is located at 1609 East Main St. in Freeland.
