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.Daisuke Sakaguchi
INTERVIEW |
Daisuke
Sakaguchi is the high end jewellery designer with
a rock in his step. Predominately working with 925
sterling silver, he creates pieces that while beautifully
sublime, exude a unique bravado which can be traced
in part to his graffiti roots. Along with being
a master draftsman, Daisuke’s a super chilled
and friendly guy, but defiantly ups the intensity
ante when he gets onto the subject of his work,
art and fashion. This is obviously a good state
of affairs, so we present Daisuke Sakaguchi on…
…expressing
himself through jewellery:
You paint to make yourself feel good or express
a certain mood, that’s what I set within my
jewellery. It’s still my artwork, just through
a different medium. Take darts players and their
big, oversized jewellery and sovereign rings; it’s
loud and mirrors their personality. I feel like
I can express myself, or even more perhaps, through
my jewellery.
…the
dookie gold chains:
I like the style and size of old school hip hop
jewellery and the craft, materials and finishes
that you see in heavy metal jewellery. I want to
merge the best elements of the gold chains and the
skull rings. You see, a lot of hip hop jewellery
back then was 9 carat gold, quite a grey gold and
of no selling value after you buy it once, so with
gold, I prefer 18 carat which is brighter and more
yellow in colour. I use certain forms and shapes
which are quite traditional but add humour and a
contemporary twist. That way it can be timeless.
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…ice:
I
like diamonds, but a lot of fine jewellery has no
design element to it and only looks good because
of the diamonds. I wanted to make jewellery that
didn’t include diamonds but looked just as
good,
or better. I study the facets and how it shines
and incorporate why a diamond is so bright into
my sculptured rings. I’d rather concentrate
on the form, the curves and facets, rather than
just chucking
a few jewels in.
…the
progression of jewellery:
I
do like interior design and bespoke pieces for the
house but at the same time, I still want to keep
remembering why I do this, for people outside the
house to see. Like a graff artist wanting his artwork
outside, it’s always a public exhibition;
every second you’re out you have the opportunity
to show people what you’ve done. This is something
I always want to concentrate on.
…a
fugazi:
With the big fashion houses, most of their jewellery
is just gilding metal that has been plated. What
looks like white gold is rhodium-plated gilding
metal and has no selling value at all in terms of
precious metal, but because it looks really nice,
people spend money on it. They cleverly brand themselves
as high end jewellery companies but if you break
down the materials, it’s worth nothing and
that’s why I like using
silver. It’s always an existing precious metal
and even if it’s scratched, it’s still
silver underneath.
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...the
market:
Jewellery was traditionally seen as something to
express or celebrate
success, but you don't necessarily have to be successful
or rich to like it. My work is high end but I do
want it to be accessible. I like to be versatile
and my collection features large chains and belt
buckles but also a smaller range of pendants and
sneaker tags so more people can enjoy my work. I
want to meet as many people as possible, but this
will never become an H.Samuel or Argos thing.
...the
total package:
There
are some fashion labels that purely depend on their
name - no design has gone into it. People become
really obsessed about the brand name rather than
the design styles and work that have actually gone
into it. For me, it's presentation, packaging and
quality finishes - this all ties in together. I'm
known for the highly polished finish and I always
want to keep that quality.
For further information:-
W:
www.diasukesakaguchi.com
Words by Terence Teh |
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