The second in our series of entrepreneurial women in the jewelry business in celebration of International Women’s Day, March 8, 2019
Shari Cohen, the designer behind Seal & Scribe brings the past into the present with her artfully curated antique gemstone intaglio and Tassie (glass and paste) seals which she describes as “miniature paintings in need of a new frame.” She creates one-of-a-kind, hand-finished, finely detailed ring, pendant and earring settings, resulting in elegantly modern styles with a future heirloom quality for these timeless treasures.
Cohen chooses the most exquisite seals with superior engraved mottos and motifs, full of sentiment and symbolism. “I set out to design the type of pieces that would emotionally connect to the wearer.” She explains. Cohen’s respect for the history of the pieces and her deep affinity for the myriad meanings that evoke love, friendship, strength, protection, safety and luck, resonates with today’s women looking beyond the beauty of a piece, in search of something that speaks to them on a very personal level. “These works of art conjure different associations and are as relevant today as they were in the time they were popularized,” Cohen says.
Over the past 10 years, there has been a trend towards repurposing jewelry that has broken down or styles that are not being worn. But Seal & Scribe’s approach goes deeper—it offers the modern woman a fresh incarnation of these antique seals to which they can relate, ascribe their own meanings and wear with both antique and modern pieces they already own.
Here Shari Cohen talks about her passion for designing jewelry and the road along the way.
When and how did you develop your love for jewelry?
“I think I got it from great grandmother, who was known as quite a jewelry hound in her time. She selected and bought her own pieces back in the early 1900s when it wasn’t so common for women to purchase their own jewelry. She acquired some lovely pieces and demi-parures which are still in the family today. They’re modest compared to so much of what we see online, but I feel lucky to come from generations of ‘family jewelry’ that can continue to be passed down. The handing down of these heirlooms ensures that family ancestors and stories are passed down with them and there’s something very comforting in knowing that one’s life will be remembered through a beautiful piece of jewelry.”
What was the first piece of ‘real’ jewelry you owned?
“The first piece of ‘good’ jewelry I can remember is a 14K yellow gold heart locket that my grandfather presented me with when I was about six years old. I come from a family who has always given jewelry for special occasions and to mark meaningful life events, and my maternal grandfather was one of the best jewelry gifters I have known. But my grandfather had a very cheeky sense of humor. Sometimes he made us recite the Pledge of Allegiance, other times sing the National Anthem when he gave my sister and me pieces but he also always chose something that said something about each of us.”
After that what type of jewelry were you attracted to the most?
“Ever since I was young, I’ve always been attracted to antique jewelry. There was something magical about the older pieces. I was around eight years old, had some birthday money and my friend’s mother was an antique dealer. I spotted a Victorian cameo ring set in an intricate setting and shank while she was going through pieces for a show. I remember buying that ring like it was yesterday, and I still have it, though it barely fits on my pinky now! I sometimes think I should sell it, but it represents my first foray into choosing and buying jewelry for myself so I kept it and know it’s one of the pieces I’d like to pass down in my family. Today, my sweet spot is Belle Époque. I love all those floral swags and bows, (how can you not swoon over that!), But I am also drawn to Art Deco geometric shapes as a fundamental design element.”
Were you always a jewelry designer or did you have another career before this?
“I worked, and continue to work as a part-time consultant. I work mainly through UN organizations with country teams in Africa and Asia, helping them to facilitate positive social change using human rights-based approaches. A key element of my development work is centered around telling personal stories to deepen connections with others and create movements of positive social change. I realized about a year ago, that Seal & Scribe is also centered around people telling personal stories, but of a different nature. So I guess storytelling is a fundamental aspect of my life in both of my careers, but it wasn’t a conscious thing at all, it just happened very organically.”
What propelled you to launch a jewelry collection?
“It was a very slow process. But I knew for a long time that I wanted to deal with some sort of antique pieces. I had bought an antique seal and then was so taken with it, I just started hunting around for more. By the time I had collected a number of seals and intaglios, they just sat on my desk and I kept looking at them and wondering what to do with them. At night I would surf the internet studying antique jewelry. One day something just clicked and I had an ‘aha!’ moment and I sketched out a couple of ideas on a piece of paper. I wanted the modern woman to see them in a way that she could wear them and incorporate them into her contemporary wardrobe. I began sketching out what would be one-of-a-kind original ring and pendant settings in gold for the Georgian through turn-of-the-century seals and intaglios that came from different parts of Europe. I knew that I wanted to reset and give them a new life that was current and spoke to today’s woman while still respecting the craft of the original piece.”
Can you give our readers a brief overview of these seals and intaglios you fell for and what they were used for originally?
“In jewelry terms, an ‘intaglio’ can be anything etched into a piece of stone (precious, semi-precious, or hardstone such as carnelian, bloodstone and agate). A ‘seal’ is an intaglio that was originally intended for use to seal envelopes with a hot wax stamp for correspondence, as well as important documents so that the recipient would know from whom the document came, and more importantly that the document was not read by prying eyes before reaching the intended recipient. In the days of the Romans and up through the early 19th century, many seals used were that of family crests or coat of arms, to denote which person/family sent the correspondence. A Tassie is named after its creator James Tassie who set out to replicate intaglios in high-quality glass and paste which he developed. They became extremely popular and featured classical subjects, Inspirational mottos and styles that were filled with wit and whimsy. There are also a sub-species of intaglios and Tassies called ‘rebus’ which are a combination of words and images that together form a saying, like a word puzzle.”
Did someone help you with the process and inform you about how to get the business going?
“At that point I’d been in contact with Grace Lavarro, of Jewels by Grace, for a few years, looking to reset a family stone. I told her of my desire to be in some part of the antique jewelry business. Once I had the concept for Seal & Scribe, along with some sketches and loose seals, Grace and I met for lunch and I showed it all to her. She was intrigued by the idea and offer to list a couple of prototypes on her website and see if there was any interest. Grace mentored me and we listed the first two seals on Jewels by Grace in early July 2016, much to our mutual delight the first one sold within two hours and Seal & Scribe was now a real business and I owe so much to Grace for her patience, guidance and invaluable knowledge.”
How do you accumulate as many seals/intaglios and Tassies as you do?
“I go on buying trips to purchase new inventory, but I also have people who source for me. I’ve met some wonderful and giving people who contact me and say, “Hey, I have these seals and I think you could do something really special with them” and those are really lovely moments when a fellow designer shares some bounty with me.”
Are they in antique settings when you find them?
“Many of the pieces I get are fobs or signet rings in which the metal has worn down from age and wear and they are just calling out for a new beginning. I know some die-hard antique dealers and collectors believe it sacrilege to take them out of their original fob settings. But when you are wearing a fob, only you know what the message is and not even you can get the pleasure of seeing it due to the way it hangs. Therefore when the engraving is truly striking, completely relatable, meaningful, humorous or inspirational, I will remove it from its setting so that I can frame it for the wearer to see and enjoy and as a conversation piece which gets people talking. It also becomes a talisman if it’s a saying or rebus that the wearer truly believes in.”
How and where do you build your settings and what are they inspired by?
“I have a team of artisans who help me bring to life the designs I create for each piece. There are quite a lot of steps in making one Seal & Scribe piece so along the way there are wonderfully talented people who contribute to each finished piece. They are my jewelry fairy godmothers and godfathers, and I’m blessed to have such wonderful people infusing their skills and expertise into each piece, which makes them all the more special.
Each setting is a one-of-a-kind for each piece. No two seals, intaglios or Tassies are exactly the same shapes so the settings have to be reworked for the different silhouettes. I am extremely inspired by antique settings, particularly the Georgian cut-down collet settings, but I take that inspiration to the next level and figure out a way to contemporize and create rings that will look equally well with antique rings or modern styles. I design my pedants to work seamlessly in with layering of new, antique or vintage chains, medallions and charms.”
Do different pieces speak to you in regard to what you will create: a ring or pendant?
“Definitely. The messages, images and the shape and color of the seals, intaglios and Tassies all inform what type of piece they will become. Sometimes it takes me a year or so to determine what I want to do with a piece and other times, it’s right there for me to see.”
Can you talk about some of the favorites that you have had and sold or some you kept and why on both?
“Some standouts that have sold include a lion looking back at a flaming torch with a French motto that says, “The Strongest Can Be Frightened of Nothing”. I had some deep regret in selling that one, but now I just think of it bringing strength to its new owner and that puts a smile on my face. It became a bit of a favorite and I had the foresight to make a mold of that one because it was so stunning in every way – motto, image, quality, color – and I wanted to be able to create solid gold versions of some of the better seals after the original had sold.
The ‘Telle est la Vie/Such is Life’ seal was another stand out that’s become quite popular as a solid gold piece. In fact, we recently had a bride order one as a wedding gift, chosen together with her husband to remind them that their marriage will encounter rough waters but it’s how they get through them that counts. And that’s a wonderful talisman to contribute to a young couple’s marriage, so it was an honor to create that piece for such a special occasion!”
I don’t keep a lot of pieces, but right now I’ve kept a very rare and older Georgian-era mother of pearl desk seal that has been painstakingly hand-carved with a rather glorious family coat of arms and a house motto in Latin that says, ‘Truth Shines Like A Rose’, as well as ring I call ‘Cupid Rowing on a Sea of Love’ and which I’ve held on to because the setting is very difficult to recreate due to the shape of this particular seal. I’ll let it go at some point, but I’m still trying to find a way to recreate the setting with other shaped seals. And lastly, I’ve held on to one of my latest moon rings, ‘Blue Rose’, which just came out so breathtakingly beautiful and feminine that I’ve held it back as a benchmark of how all future moon rings should look. All that aside, if someone really wanted one of the pieces I’ve held back, I’d probably sell them because ultimately I want each piece to become a cherished family heirloom to be worn and infused with life’s stories and passed on to the next generation.”
Can you talk a little about how each person ascribes their own meaning to the pieces?
“Absolutely! And that’s why I’m doing this. It’s so gratifying to help someone select a piece of jewelry that carries deep and lasting meaning to them. It’s the stories that I hear from my clients that motivates and excites me to keep going with this. The sentiment, the talismanic/touchstone aspect, the personal tales, and the fact that people are purchasing a Seal & Scribe piece because it means something special and personal to them, not just because it’s pretty. When a client tells me that they can’t wait to pass on their Seal & Scribe piece as a future heirloom, that’s about the highest compliment I can think of to receive! Ultimately, Seal & Scribe is about the symbolism that human beings link to jewelry that goes far beyond adornment, and morphs into tangible artifacts that we can wear, that are present with us as we move through life’s ups and downs, and that we can infuse with our dreams, believes and passions and pass on to future generations as a decorative vessel of family history, and hopefully of lives well-lived!”
