When my fiancée laughed and said in jest, “Women are like rats because you both love collecting shinny things” Now I too laughed when I heard it and I didn’t take any offense because at the back of my mind, I don’t think that statement is all that misleading…
I mean I know myself and I know aside from animals, nice scents and a clean environment, I too love shinny things…and of course by things I mean jewelry.
But since I don’t make a million dollars a year, my collection of exquisite shinny things isn’t all that much of a collection rather it’s more of a humble few pieces.
However, my rat like instinct doesn’t dictates that just because I can’t afford to own every single piece of lovely shinny jewel doesn’t mean I can’t admire them from afar and secretly wish for them to fall from the sky right into my hands.
So for those of you out there who akin to me with a passion for a collection of ‘shinny things’ then I have a something here that might interest you.
Have you ever heard of Todd Reed? Well if you have bear with me. If you haven’t then let me present him to you in a short introduction.
He’s a designer, to be precise a designer of beautiful shinny things – jewelry! Now he’s not like any other jewelry designer because all the gold used in Todd Reed’s work is recycled and all of the diamonds are purchased through reputable sources including many eco-friendly locations.
Loosely that should translate as jewellery that doesn’t just sparkle from precious gems and gold but also from the radiance of social conscience.
To encourage you further, Todd Reed uses raw diamond cubes and other natural diamond shapes in his works. That means they diamonds are uncut, unpolished, natural and retaining perfect geometry.
He started off with this design to question society’s idea of perceived value – how beauty and perfection were norms of society that set value and worth He wanted to challenge that general consensus of what constitute perfection and beauty and introduce to them another view. Raw diamonds was his tool.
Having no formal education or training in the jewellery business, Todd Reed is a self-taught goldsmith and metalsmith. Yet his beautiful works of eco-conscious art have been given a place at the international podium. Recognised and admired, Todd Reed’s creations have won many international awards, and are frequently plastered all over books, trade publications, and consumer magazines.
Even the finest shows and exhibitions in galleries and museums around the world play host to his beautiful creations.
Now personally I would describe his work as unique because conventionally when you’re dealing with diamonds, what is designed and produced have a very refined glimmering polished look.
But don’t get me wrong, I’m not implying that Todd Reed’s designs are an insult to diamonds by setting them out of their polished state. No, instead what I meant was his designs are really unique. I suppose it would be fair to say they take on a more geometric air because his jewellery pieces are designed around the diamonds instead of the diamonds being included in the designs.
Usually geometric designs give you the immediate impression that it must be a modern futuristic design but with Todd Reed, somehow he’s got it down to a tee – making the old look new and the new look old.
I’ve seen some of his pieces and they seem to have a touch of Native South American, or Egyptian Cleopatra or even Old Victorian in them. Yet they don’t quite look like pieces out of those eras because of the geometric touch.
I can’t quite describe it so seeing for yourself would give you a better idea of what I’m trying to say. 
On a last note, I suppose it’s worth mentioning that Todd Reed’s collection doesn’t come cheap. They are after all fine jewellery and not costume.
But who says we can’t admire it just because we can’t own it.
