Basta brooches on display at GIA
January 02, 2008

Ricardo Basta’s “Dragon Brooch,” is an 18-karat yellow gold and platinum design featuring a multitude of colored stones with unusual treatments. Photo courtesy of Ricardo Basta.

Carlsbad, Calif.—Award-winnng jewelry designer Ricardo Basta’s one-of-a-kind brooches are currently on exhibit at the Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) headquarters in Carlsbad.

The brooch collection is based on natural themes such as plants and animals. One such piece is the “Dragon Brooch,” an 18-karat yellow gold brooch with platinum accents that are embellished with diamonds and hand-engraving. The piece also features a fire opal hand-carved to emulate the flames of a fire-breathing dragon, a demantoid green garnet eye with onyx pupil, a hand-carved mother-of-pearl chest and elephant-hair whiskers.

“We are honored to have Ricardo’s collection on display,” GIA Museum Director Elise Misiorowski said in a media release. “He is rare among jewelers because of his training in traditional European methods of working with precious metals, particularly platinum. He is recognized as one of the premiere platinum jewelry designers in the country.”

Celebrities such as Stockard Channing, Gladys Knight and Vanessa Minnillo have all worn Basta’s designs. His work has also been featured in W, Inside Weddings and Robb Report magazines, as well as on all the contestants in an America’s Next Top Model ad campaign.

Basta has been honored with numerous awards for his cutting-edge and trend-setting designs, including the American Gem Trade Association’s Spectrum Awards and the Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America’s (MJSA) prestigious MJSA Award.

“With each piece I make, I try to do something I’ve never done before,” Basta said in a media release. “Each is inspired in a different way. From its conception to the finished piece, it always changes. First you have the idea and then you revolve around it.”

Basta’s collection will be on display until March 2008.

Museum exhibit viewings are free and available to the public through scheduled tours. To sign up for a tour, e-mail guestservicesmailbox@gia.edu or call (800) 421-7250 ext. 4116. Outside of the United States, call (760) 603-4116.