All photos shot on a Nikon D750, lenses: 50f1.4, 85f1.8
Tis the season..
.. when all my friends are getting hitched! When Love & Co. invited me down to style a series of pictures for their signature LVC Lovemark diamonds and LVC Charmes Petit Bear collection, I freaked out a bit. Tis the season for commitment, is what it is. But then I wondered – what makes diamonds and jewellery specifically a gift between lovers? What kind of love legitimises a rare stone that sparkles as much as your relationship does? So on and so forth. Despite being a bespoke bridal jeweller, what Love & Co. carries at the end of the day are gems, gorgeous, sparkly, trademarked 360degree ultimate light performance gems. Specifically – diamonds. And I’ve always been the kind of girl to over-philosophise and get sentimental over all relationships, not just romantic ones – after all, I did ‘friend-propose’ to my girlfriend of 7 years back in New York last Christmas…
And so i told myself – don’t over think it. So I’d gift these pieces to a girlfriend. Someone would gift these to their spouses-to-be. I have another freshly married girlfriend who gets random diamond earrings as gifts from her new husband because their romance makes us all look bad, that’s why. So yes. Gifts for all occasions, shaped to take the form of whatever we justify as legitimate. And as far as gifts go, these rank way high in terms of their sparkle factor.
What is it about incredibly sparkly things? I’ve struggled with reconciling my academic side with my frivolous one for ages – I know that material goods have value attributed by social constructs that shape perception, but I cannot help but adore all things freakin glitzy, like glitter eyeshadow and sequinned shoes. I used to worry about not being taken seriously as an academic when I walk onto campus in my pink skirts and glitter sandals, but I’ve made peace with myself. And as sparkly things go, this is by far the most insane (as well as, funnily, socially accepted) bit of glitz that I’ve handled. The Lovemark Diamonds come with Light Performance Reports, which I privately think of as Glitter Score, and the inner rims of the ring band can be engraved with personalised messages if you wish. I could go on, but why not hear it from the professionals themselves instead?
Talk about a sparkly daydream. They gave us free reign to play with their entire collection of LVC Charmes Petit Bear pendants and LVC Lovemark diamonds, and I can safely say I’ve never touted so much in terms of cash value on my person as I pranced through ION Orchard before. Still, I’m pretty happy with the stills I got, and definitely appreciate the chance to have creative control over shooting and styling visuals for a commercial brand. When the time came for us to part, I have to say, a little bit of me cracked. Let me keep one! Just one! But no – I suppose – that’s a gift for another day, and from another love.
x
Jem
