Atlantica - 01.10.2006, Qupperneq 78

ICELANDa
SPECIAL PROMOTION
Picked by Hand
With their timeless designs and scrupulous attention to detail, Jón Sigurjónsson & Óskar Óskarsson
have been setting the standard for fine Icelandic jewelry making since 1971, when they opened their
store, Jón og Óskar, just a few meters from where the glass door to their present showroom stands.
Each piece in their personal line is made by hand, and no two are the same.
Jón og Óskar’s best artistry culminates in their two newest lines, Steel and IceCold. The
double-sided pendants in the contemporary Steel line are a blend of steel and gold, and many
have a smooth black stone hand-picked by Jón himself from Djúpalónssandur, a black sand beach
on the Snaefellsnes peninsula, seamlessly integrated within the piece. “There’s so much power in
Snaefellsnes,” Jón says. “Therefore we wanted to have the stone coming near your skin and your
heart – for power and energy.”
Jón’s inspiration for IceCold, a 14-karat white and yellow gold collection of pendants, earrings,
rings and bracelets, also has roots in the natural phenomena that have shaped his homeland.
“Icelandic jewelry has been inspired by nature for many years,” he says. “But nobody here has made
jewelry look like ice, like little ice cubes put together.” The best part? If you want your piece to
really dance, Jón can add diamonds to your masterpiece.
Jón og Óskar, Laugavegur 61, 552-4910.
Inimitable
It would take Zen-like discipline to leave Gullkúnst Helgu without something hanging from
your neck, around your wrist or maybe even sparkling from your ring finger. Designers Sveinn
Gudnason and Helga Jónsdóttir, who is also the owner, approach their creations with an eye for
the contemporary and the organic, that is with inspiration from the colorful and ever-changing
landscape. Think rough gold and silver, sculpted lava, and even raw, uncut diamonds.
Their new silver and lava line, a collection of inimitable bracelets, necklaces and rings, incor-
porates meticulously chosen pieces of lava from Heidmörk National Park near Reykjavík with
rough hewn silver. A delicate refining process infuses the silver with “colors that unfold in a
way that’s very similar to when you drive into the country,” Helga says. The result is soft, earthy
shades of yellow, peach, blue, and coffee that reflect the sun, sky, earth, and sea.
Like its ever-evolving and expanding collections, Gullkúnst Helgu’s location on one of
Laugavegur’s most prestigious blocks is also clean and modern – almost museum-like. The
glass cases in the front are purposefully designed so that browsers can walk directly behind the
showroom’s inviting floor-to-ceiling windows. Treat yourself.
Gullkúnst Helgu, Laugavegur 13, 561-6660.
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