Summer 2018

70 1804LU01 Lika Behar is an acclaimed luxury jewellery designer based out of Carlstadt, New Jersey. Her work has been worn on the cover of Town & Country, and industry authority, JCK. More recently, LUXlife Magazine chose Lika in our Luxury Jewellery Awards, for her innovative, exquisite designs. We take a look behind the curtain to see how Lika has achieved such fantastic heights in luxury design. Born in Istanbul, Lika Behar has always had a keen eye on the finer things in life, and an innate fascination with the juxtaposition between the ancient world and the modern metropolis. This fascination is the clear inspiration behind many of her pieces; in the heavy gold bands, to the turquoise stones beset at their centre. This is historical design pulled from antiquity, and catapulted into the present. Lika designs pieces that wouldn’t look out of place on the hands of Helen of Troy, the neck of Cleopatra, or draped from the ears of Dido and Penelope. In other pieces, Middle Eastern motifs prevail in Byzantine flourishes – a vision of grand mosaics and frescos captured in a dappled earring, an evocation -perhaps- of the Hagia Sophia. It would be no jump to see a hint of Babylon and Mesopotamia in Lika’s earlier work, and in the crucial role that gold plays in many of her collections. When it comes to her colour palette, Lika herself credits the Aegean Sea and the greater Mediterranean region. Her pieces are a celebration of deep blues and vibrant, complex colours, perfectly encapsulated in the use of labradorite, turquoise, and emerald. The gold too is vivid, and bold. Lika’s work is certainly not subtle, but it doesn’t try to be. Each piece is designed to be a centrepiece, and a focal point; a source of discussion and praise. Ultimately, Lika believes that true luxury is timeless, and – as such – a designer shouldn’t be worried about keeping up with the latest trends. She believes that true luxury was discovered centuries ago, its essence captured in myth and legend - transcendent and otherworldly. Lika Behar’s innovative approach to luxury design sets her apart from her contemporaries. When many designers have one eye forever cast towards the future, searching for the next trend, the next must- have, Lika turns to the past for inspiration. For this reason, Lika Behar Collection was named as one of the recipients in LUXlife’s Luxury Jewellery Awards, one of the programmes under our ongoing ‘Leaders in Luxury’ brand. Company: Lika Behar Collection Address: 263 Veterans Blvd, Carlstadt, New Jersey, 7072, USA Website: www.likabehar.com ATaste of History in Luxury Design Style 22K Yellow Gold "Moondance" Bracelet with oval cab.