Game Still-life Sculptures

To Chicago-based artist Patrick Fitzgerald, his miniature car sculptures are a means of traveling through time. Born from a fascination with the soap box...

"Pearl Royale Chess Set" 14K White Gold & Diamonds Ed. of 3 by Colin Burn Medium: 18K White Gold, Diamonds, Sapphires & South Sea Pearls Limited Edition - 3 Only Edition: Artist Proof 1/1 NOTE: preparation time may take up to 12 weeks. Pearl Royale Limited Edition Chess Set Crafted in solid 18K white gold and pave set with more than 510 carats of fine diamonds, the Pearl Royale stands as the world’s most opulent chess set ever created. This unique and lavish chess set radiates pure opulence through the finest quality materials, design, and workmanship. Handcrafted with a luxurious regal feel the Pearl Royale is symbolic in its design to the renowned 1849 Staunton standard chess set. Limited edition with only three sets being created, each being hallmarked, numbered, and authorized by the artist. Each solid 18K white gold chess piece is painstakingly paved’ set with the highest quality fine diamonds, AAA South Sea pearls, and Ceylon Blue sapphires, sitting atop a crystal glass board embellished with solid 18K white gold, pearl, and diamond set corners. The underside of each piece is intricately designed and channel set with the same quality fine diamonds and finished with smooth polished edges to glide effortlessly across the crystal glass board. Crafted as part of the artist's Limited-Edition Pearl Royale contemporary art collection, this truly unique chess set is sure to be realized as one of the world’s finest jewelry artworks ever created. Exquisite Staunton With championship origins, the Staunton design has been the world standard since 1849. Inspired by this legacy, the artist has paid homage to this royal standard, meticulously dressing and bringing each of his pieces to life with lavish regalia, fit for Kings and Queens. Artists Inspiration: As a young child I regularly played chess with my cousins so my parents gave me a beautiful Staunton chess set which I really loved. Growing up in the 60’s & 70’s my generation was exposed to Hollywood movies of epic battles, it was popular for us kids to have collections of toy soldiers which made chess a popular game as it embodied the same spirit and challenge. Thinking back on that fun times I was drawn to the idea of creating the world’s most beautiful chess set and in 2008 I finally put pen to paper to commence the design. At the time I was doing a lot of work with beautiful South Sea pearls, so they became the inspiration for my design to embody the heads of each piece and bring life to the characters. It was perfect as I could use both black and white pearls to define each side of the chess set. It was also important for my design to be Staunton-inspired as this has become the standard for chess sets since 1849 and the only chess set allowed in the world championships. I wanted to create the most beautiful chess set within this royal standard and it had to be dressed in all its regalia, with the world’s most beautiful diamonds and rich blue sapphires fit for kings and queens. My overall dream was to create the world’s finest chess set for the world’s greatest players to do battle! - Colin Burn The high-quality gems sourced and used in making the Limited-Edition Pearl Royale Chess Sets are GIA certified. Established in 1931, GIA is the world’s foremost authority on diamonds, colored stones, and pearls. A public benefit, non-profit institute, GIA is the leading source of knowledge, standards, and education in gems and jewelry. South Sea Pearls The Australian and Tahitian South Sea pearls are internationally regarded as the finest and most prestigious pearls in the world. Among the largest and rarest of cultured pearls, they feature a distinctive lustre and superior strength, endowed by their thicker layers of nacre. The Limited-Edition Pearl Royale Chess Set, features both silver white Australian and peacock black Tahitian South Sea pearls of AAA quality. Fine Diamonds The Limited-Edition Pearl Royale Chess Set features over 510 carats of the finest white diamonds ethically sourced and certified from the worlds leading diamond suppliers. Ceylon Sapphires Ceylon, which is now known as Sri Lanka, is one of the best-known sources for sapphire gems, particularly the Ceylon blue sapphire. Sri Lanka has produced sapphires for many years and a few of the most famous sapphires include the 423 carat Logan Blue Sapphire, the 563 carat Star of India...