We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Eleonora Federici about their original and creative Single Earring design work. Eleonora Federici is an award-winning fashion designer, that makes our world a better place with their original single earring works.
Eleonora Federici ("EF") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work The Hummingbird Single Earring. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
EF : This Design was inspired by the innate elegance of Nature, the fascinating movements of its creatures and the amazing colors they display. For months last year, I had toyed with the idea of designing a piece of jewelry that could truly symbolize the coexistence of humans and fragile, endangered species. I was living in California at the time, taking the Jewelry Design & Technology class (the class that gave me all these new, amazing skills!), and I had the opportunity to see hummingbirds in person for the first time in my life. What a wonderful, incredible animal! Not only did it embody exactly what I wanted to represent, but it had all the characteristics I look for in a jewel.
EF : I wanted to create a piece of jewelry that would fit the human face and have the shape and size of a real hummingbird, without losing all the beauty of the real bird. And I wanted to achieve perfection, as I usually do.
EF : My plan is to make it famous…either producing it by myself or having it produced by another company. I think that my Hummingbird has to spread its wings and fly… Every jewel I create is part of me…like a child who grows up and leaves home…and what do you want for your own child?
EF : If I take into account the entire time from the beginning to the end - including the time spent refining and perfecting - I think it took me about two months.
EF : This design was not commissioned. I followed my inspiration, my need to express myself and convey my message to the world.
EF : My plan is to produce it myself, but I do not rule out leasing the production rights. What I want is for my name and my Hummingbird to be acknowledged. I feel the need to put my talent to use, and in a way that has to the public recognition. As I said before, my jewels are like my children, and you only want the best for them. No one wants their child to remain hidden all their life…
EF : The urge to be able to communicate externally the art that is continually developing in my head.
EF : Having grown up in Italy, a place full of extraordinary and unique works of art in the world, has certainly influenced my attitude.
EF : This is a high-end jewelry piece . It is meant to be worn by people who want to stand out from the crowd and have something truly unique and different. The Hummingbird is for those who appreciate art and beauty and want to wear a piece of jewelry with which there is nothing like it on the market.
EF : It is a simple description of a delightful animal that I had numerous encounters with during my time in California.
EF : I used the Wacom tablet in association with the drawing App SketchBook and the CAD software Rhinoceros7.
EF : My creativity!
EF : I researched all the data in order to have the average measures of an actual hummingbird. Then I looked for images and photos to reproduce not only the shape, but also the colors that its plumage has in reality.
EF : The biggest challenge was to create a jewel that could fit the human face with the shape and the size of an actual hummingbird, while mantaining all the beauty of the real bird. To achieve this result, I designed “The Hummingbird” using Rhinoceros7 3D software using a 3D mesh of a real woman face as a reference guide.
EF : I loved this design before it was even finished. I had it clearly in mind from the beginning and I knew it would be beautiful. I am particular about fashion, but this jewel was perfect. I submitted it for the Gemological Institute of America's "Student's Choice Award" and it won. I had the feeling that this stunning little bird could have flown much higher!
EF : Creating an organic shape on Rhinoceros7 is not easy at all. In addition to that you have to set all the stones and the prongs one by one, respecting all the distances and thicknesses. There are much easier softwares out there, but if you learn it the hard way, everything gets easier! I definitely improved my skills a lot this way.
EF : Yes, I would like you to ask me why I became a designer, and to whom I owe this award. I want to thank my parents because they gave me all the opportunities to grow, learn and have the experiences that made me who I am today.
