Fine jewelry is experiencing a revival. The period of delicate, micro-chains has given way to a great sense of value of grandiose, architectural, and sculptural designs. To those collectors who edit their wardrobes with heritage items, the hunt to find a high-end alternatives to Hermes and Sophie Buhai has been a quest into balancing the artisanship of old with the needs of a modern, connected life.

The people who tend to gravitate towards liquid metal aesthetics and heavy and grounding jewelry know that jewelry is not merely an adornment, but an experience. Nevertheless, with our everyday existence becoming more and more connected to wearable technology, there has arisen an aesthetic dissonance of note. What is the way to preserve a gallery-quality look and be digitally connected?

This article discusses the crossroads between the luxury of the sculptural design and the functionality of the smartwatch, which is the elegant answer to the contemporary connoisseur.

Wearable Sculpture Trend

The development of form is needed to determine the path of high-end accessories. Minimalist, lightweight items ruled the display cases for decades. Although fine, they could be rather lightweight and not as tactile as the luxury demands.

Another generation of jewelers has changed the paradigm to the wearable sculpture. The beauty of this style is in its natural flowing nature, architectural contours, and the heavy feel of precious metals. Design houses have made the look of accessories less conventional and more of a modern artwork installation located in a private gallery.

In the case of investing in boutique sculptural jewelry, the materials should speak for themselves. Solid silver and heavy gold have a grounded weight of their own. To achieve a more organic quality of these precious metals, the organic design is enhanced by purposeful sweeping lines that shape themselves naturally to the human body.

The Aesthetic Disconnect: Fine Jewelry vs. Silicone Bands

Although jewelry of finer quality has been transformed into a form of sculpture art, wearable technology aesthetics has been tenacious in terms of its utilitarianism. The aesthetic friction is known by all luxury customers: you carefully organize a stack of heirloom gold and silver bracelets, and then throw the aesthetics out of balance with a neon silicone smartwatch band that was produced in bulk.

The market has never offered fine jewelry solutions to this aesthetic dilemma historically. The choices have been very narrow, usually offering inexpensive, machine-made steel or plastic accessories that pass off as being luxurious. Legacy collaborations, including leather double-tours, though beautiful, are still a part of the traditional strap making, not metallurgical art.

The luxury consumer wants more than an effective strap; he wants an architectural marvel that will be a recurrence of the quality of the rest of their investment jewelry.

Enter PerDiem: Sculpting the Apple Watch

PerDiem was found in Brooklyn to eliminate this particular stylistic compromise. Our business is based on the fact that there is no mutual exclusion between uncompromising style and technological functionality. We hoped to design sculptural jewelry that would enable us to turn the Apple Watch into a cold and utilitarian gadget into a smooth continuation of a carefully-designed fine jewelry collection.

We have a strong design ethos based on the old New York City Diamond District. Our process rejects the sterile uniformity of the 3D printing process, starting completely by hand. Each design is made in hand-carved wax molds by our master artisans. This detail-oriented lost-wax casting method makes sure every work has distinct curvy forms and organic erosions that cannot be replicated using algorithmic software.

Material Integrity: The Foundation of Luxury

  • Primary Material
    • Legacy Leather Straps – Calfskin / Exotic Leathers
    • PerDiem Sculptural Cuffs – Solid 925 Silver & 18k Gold Vermeil
  • Aesthetic Category
    • Legacy Leather Straps – Traditional Watchmaking
    • PerDiem Sculptural Cuffs – Modern Wearable Sculpture
  • Manufacturing
    • Legacy Leather Straps – Stitched / Glued
    • PerDiem Sculptural Cuffs – Lost-Wax Casting (Hand-Carved)
  • Durability
    • Legacy Leather Straps – Prone to water damage & fraying
    • PerDiem Sculptural Cuffs – Decades (Develops a rich metal patina)
  • Arm Stack Compatibility
    • Legacy Leather Straps – Clashes with metallic bangles
    • PerDiem Sculptural Cuffs – Seamlessly blends with fine jewelry

Building Your Arm Stack Without Compromise

When you no longer see the Apple Watch as a technological necessity, but rather the core of your wristwatch, you open up whole new possibilities in personal expression. No longer do you have to put your smartwatch on one arm and pile up your actual jewelry on the other.

Due to the use of real, jeweler-quality metals, our cuffs go perfectly with your existing line. These handcrafted tech cuffs are meant to be worn together with your other favorite heirloom bangles, heavy chain bracelets, and custom rings.

Adopt the contemporary regulations of metal mixing. Wear an 18k gold vermeil smartwatch cuff with a big chunk of sterling silver chain to have a striking, contrasting visual. Let the angular, electronic face of your watch be encased, and mellowed out with the organically flowing lines of precious metals. Wearable technology is to be treated like jewelry you wear, with the same reverence.

Your accessories must be a testimony to your impeccable standards. Looking to Get Styling Inspiration in the PerDiem Journal and learn how to craft the art of the architectural arm stack.