Five words that sum up Reuven Kassai and his new jewelry designs.
“I love jewelry for its artistic value. A 10-carat solitaire diamond doesn’t move me,” Kassai said. “What I love is the creative process and jewels that show the trace of the artist. I love creating pieces with materials, stones and settings that are counter to the norm.”
Reuven started from the ground up by learning the art of cutting colored diamonds in 2001, and is now an expert diamond cutter.
Through his extensive travels in Hong Kong, India, Israel, Switzerland, Italy and Belgium he has explored global jewelry trends and found countless antique, styles , stones and pieces that inspire him. “A couple years ago I was at a diamond and jewelry trade show in Hong Kong and it could not have been less appealing to me. I was bored with the thousands of cookie cutter vendors peddling the same standard jewelery. It’s like all they could do was copy tennis bracelets and platinum wedding bands.”
Tired of the indistinguishable jewels around him, Kassai decided to start designing his own pieces. And so this father of two young kids went from being a high rolling businessman in the diamond business to the more bohemian lifestyle of a jewelry designer. To fine tune his skills and learn the trade, he apprenticed with an expert silversmith in East Straudsbourg, Pennsylvania, attended the metal smithing jewelry design program with Nancy Edwards in Park Slope. He also fine tuned his silversmithing skills while learning CHASING and REPOUSSE at Valentin Yotkov Studio in DUMBO Brooklyn.
“Ever since I decided to design, my life has changed. Every morning I wake up and I’m a student, and a designer. I work with my old-fashioned silversmith tools and I learn how to express my style and taste. Each and every piece, gets a tap from my grandfathers hammer, which to me signifies its completion”
Kassai soon discoverer his niche when he started using antique pieces and turning them into new and funky baubles. An earthy sophistication is apparent throughout his designs. Kassai’s fresh eye for style helps create pieces that incorporate all of the skills and knowledge that he has acquired in his years in the fine arts world
