Review: Beautiful Creatures by Marion Fasel

These days we are all searching for creative ways to escape from reality. With travel restrictions still in place, who would have ever thought a trip to the mailbox would take me on a wildly exciting journey through the animal kingdom.

Beautiful Creatures by Marion Fasel
Cover of the book “Beautiful Creatures” by Marion Fasel.

This beautifully curated book, aptly named “Beautiful Creatures” by Marion Fasel provides readers with fascinating examples of how the animal and mineral world collide with the assistance of talented and imaginative jewellery designers.

This hardcover book consists of 160 pages, each filled with stunning colour images of the featured jewellery items. Officially released in October 2020 with the help of publisher Rizzoli Electra, this is the ninth book that Fasel has authored. The book acts as a catalogue for an exhibition that Fasel helped curate to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

David Webb Zebra Bracelet in Beautiful Creatures Book
A page from the book “Beautiful Creatures” featuring a Zebra-inspired bracelet by David Webb in the “Land” section of the book.

Beautiful Creatures is divided into three sections. Each section represents a common habitat for the featured bejewelled animals: air, water, and land. Whether anatomically correct or a whimsical interpretation, each piece infuses the reader with a sense of adventure. Created with a keen eye for detail and crafted using the finest materials, the high quality craftsmanship is evident. Fasel seamlessly flows through an evolution in time and design within each section. Intimate details pertaining to the designer and the history surrounding the creation provide the reader with a more profound appreciation for each beautiful creature.

La Meduse jellyfish brooch by Jean Schlumberger in the book Beautiful Creatures
La Méduse brooch by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany and Co. featuring moonstone, diamonds, sapphires, gold, and platinum in the “Water” section of the book.

One of my favourite stories depicts the inspiration for creating the “La Méduse” brooch. Made of moonstones, diamonds, sapphires, gold, and platinum, this piece was designed in 1967 by the famed Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany and Co. The design only came to life more recently in 2000. Fasel describes Schlumberger as creating the piece for a friend that “was stung by a jellyfish while swimming at the Mill Reef Club in Antigua in 1967. [. . .] during one of their regular phone calls, [Schlumberger] decided to design the jewel as a surprise to help ease her pain” (Fasel, 2020). The use of gemstones, in particular the moonstones, truly bring the brooch to life.

Boucheron Bee Clip in the book Beautiful Creatures
Boucheron Bee Clip made of sapphires, diamonds, and gold from the “Air” section of the book.

This book is perfect for animal and jewellery enthusiasts alike. The concise texts are easy to read and provide unprecedented details about the designer’s life and design evolution. Each tale has you yearning for more, while the images captivate you and transport you into an unprecedented and glamorous animal kingdom.

Written By: Alanna Campbell October 22, 2020

Opinions and experiences are my own. I am not affiliated with anyone described in this article. Photos are credited to @acgemlab.