gems, jewelry, jewellery, history of jewelry, history of gemology

Mickaël Kra, born in France and raised in Ivory Coast, is recognized as one of the most significant creators of art jewelry in the world. After a dazzling debut in New York, he broke through on the Paris fashion scene in the early 1990s with his bold, African-inspired designs. He quickly became a sought-after talent, collaborating with major haute couture houses such as Louis Féraud, Pierre Balmain, René Mancini, Alphadi, and Katoucha. More recently, Kra has worked with San women (Bushwomen) from Botswana and Namibia to develop the Pearls of the Kalahari, a jewelry collection incorporating ostrich eggshells. As Adam Levin wrote in This Day (South Africa), “the drama and imagination of Paris-based designer Mickaël Kra and the traditional skills of isolated San communities have taken ethnic jewellery to the realm of world-class couture.” This first monograph dedicated to Kra celebrates his exceptional artistry and his unrivaled ability to contrast the sensuous textures of diverse materials with the beauty of human skin. Spanning his enchantingly exotic and erotic creations from the 1980s to the present, the book offers a compelling survey of a visionary whose work transcends cultural and aesthetic boundaries.