Barbara Heinrich's sparkling spirals at Telluride Gallery of Fine Art, 7/1
[click "Play", Susan speaks with Barbara Heinrich]
Telluride Gallery of Fine Art jeweler Barbara Heinrich grew up on a farm in Heilbronn, Germany, the daughter of winemakers. Her designs reflect her roots. The award-winning gold bling is inspired by the natural world, but anchored in German precision engineering: Milky Way, lotus flower, aspen leaves are among the shapes that have inspired her lines – and legions of collectors – over the years, but this year's motif takes the cake. The spiral is a pan-sectarian shape that belongs to us all and excludes no one.
Our tiny planet whirls around in a galaxy that is the shape of a spiral. In ancient myths, the spiral emerges as positive symbol of the cosmic force. The shape is associated with the cycles of time, the seasons, birth, life and death and rebirth. The path of life is a spiral, because it is non-linear: we pass ourselves time and again, but each time from a different perspective.