The Jewelry Making Craft by Iradj Moini
“Iradj [Moini] is a genius”
These words were said in sincere admiration by Lawrence Vrba, one of America’s most prominent jewelry makers of contemporary times to pay homage to his fellow contemporary jewelry making designer Iradj Moini. Iradj Moini produced costume jewelry for Bill Blass, Carolina Herrera and Arnold Scaasi. The Iran-born jewelry maker became a leading jewelry designer of the Oscar de la Renta fashion house, where he creatively designed and directed the catwalk jewelry for a decade, his eye-catching designs have made fashion magazines headlines, are featured in museums, and highlight private collections.
The Jewelry Craft by Iradj Moini
Iradj Moini jewelry pieces always stand out for their massiveness and embody world-class craftsmanship.
Each piece is built upon the best base materials, with semi-precious stones adding value and size as they go. The Iradj Moini jewellery pieces are notably hand set, incorporating semi-precious stones and sometimes vintage artisanal Czechoslovakian crystals, often onto a brass construct, which is then plated with an 18-karat gold or platinum finish.
Iradj Moini is also known to make use of copper, bone, wood, European crystals, and oriental precious stones of bright colors. After a couple of decades, he added the use of bronze, quartz, pearls, lapis lazuli, emeralds, and rubies to his jewelry, allowing the gem's size to exceed that which is considered normal.
No two pieces of Iradj Moini jewelry are exactly alike, as they are all handmade in his Manhattan studio, and each can take weeks to create. His meticulous attention to details keeps the collectors on their toes.
Art Nouveau and Art Deco Influence
Iradj Moini draws inspiration for many of his pieces from the beginning of the 20th century, the era of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. He often reuses old style elements, essentially making a puzzle of pieces of past styles.
Some of his designs are inspired by nature and artistry, and use a blend of colors that form a luxurious and innovative work of art. His pieces are noticeably large, three-dimensional, and pay homage to his architectural background.
Calling Iradj’s costume jewelry fun is an understatement, as his eye-popping and larger-than-life designs will make a statement at any occasion. His jewelry radiates a certain quality of character, attracts curiosity, and has a universal appeal. His jewelry has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as part of Iris Apfel’s collection, and was also featured in the Trop Exhibit with Barbara Berger at the Louvre in Paris, where he now has three pieces as part of the Louvre permanent collections.
The desire to express yourself, and to not be afraid of being the star of the show are the attributes required to pull off an Iradj Moini piece.
“Each piece is handmade and inspired to tell a story, because each woman has such a presence, you want to cherish that and glorify her”, explains Iradj. His philosophy has built him a reputation as one of the most imaginative and visionary designers of his era.
