Designer Q & A : Anthony Lent

Anthony Lent is a master jeweler with 50 years of experience at the jeweler’s bench. From studying the grand traditions of goldsmithing in Europe, to serving as head of the jewelry department at FIT (where he taught many of our own in-house jewelers), Tony’s surreal, figural work brings a sense of play and humor to our Catbird world. Get a closer look at his designs by visiting our Wedding Annex or Bedford Ave locations! Not in New York? Our concierge team is happy to help with extra photos galore!

 

What does jewelry mean to you?

 

Simply put, jewelry is my blank page to play, spin, and weave visions and tales.

 

Where do you look for inspiration for your designs?

 

Inspiration can be found everywhere! Everywhere from the history of art to the squirrels on the trees outside of my window, Today the vein structure of some dried leaves on my table is driving me to make some gold critters on a leaf.

 

 

 

Who is the Man in the Moon?

 

Science has answered that as best they can for now. For me he is the doorway to dreams and fantasy of another time and place. I like to refer to my particular iteration as The Moon of The Collective Unconscious because although he is an original sculpture, the face is something we have all seen before and just seems to fit.

 

What originally sparked your interest in goldsmithing?

 

I was a sculpture student at Philadelphia College of Art when I discovered the drawings and designs of Albrecht Duerer. The other renaissance jewelers and their metal work attracted me to the world of classical goldsmithing.

 

What was your favorite thing about teaching?

 

Retirement! I do miss the interactions with students. The legacy of my many years of teaching and seeing so many former students having success in the jewelry industry make me feel good.

 

What is the symbolism of the hands in your jewelry? And are they modeling after something? Or someone?

 

Hands are one of the  instruments that define us as human. The neolithic cave paintings in France have images of and using hands, the art of almost every culture has drawn painted, and sculpted hands in every form. My hands are sculpted from various models. One of the more interesting pieces is we have copied a little girls hands in an old analogue process, and reduced them for a tiny hands earring design.

 

The hands in your work are often wearing jewelry -- do you wear jewelry?

No I do not.

 

 

The texture of the scales of the Gold Ouroboros Snake Ring is incredibly detailed! How did you create this when you were modeling the ring?

 

The scales on my serpents and snakes are an act of insane demand for surface detail, and frankly a compulsion; I can not stop carving them once I start! I say I will not do that again but I fall into the abyss of carving scales under a microscope far too often. The detail is achieved by not just carving into the wax but actually making process molds where I can refine a silver model and engrave the sharper details with much more precision. The unique look on my snakes is a result of that process.

 

 

 

What is one of your favorite pieces to make?

 

One of my all time favorite pieces is the One Hand Band. I love this piece because it is so hard to use a hands motif in jewelry that has not been seen before. I feel that this is one of the most unique uses of that motif.

What do you hope customers feel when they look at and wear your pieces?

 

I hope they smile and say hello to a long relationship with the pieces and become life long collectors. I hope they see my jewelry as not just an accessory but also a work of art worthy of becoming an heirloom.