De Vera

Profile

Well known on the San Francisco design scene, Federico de Vera travels the world buying everything from Japanese lacquerware and vintage Venetian glass to nineteenth-century Philippine Santos figures and European decorative arts. Contemporary work is interspersed among the antiques, as is jewelry created by De Vera from a combination of old and new materials. Highlights include a nineteenth-century Italian Carrera marble hand; an Italian Vetro Corroso vase by Carlo Scarpa, circa 1933; and a thirteenth-century Tibetan figurative temple fragment made of gilt copper.  The mix is incredible, from architectural remnants to vintage and contemporary glass pieces to nineteenth-century dolls from India. But the real star is the jewelry. De Vera designs most of it himself, and, like his store, it’s a mixture of old and new in such a way that it’s a challenge to discern which is which. Rose-cut diamonds are De Vera’s obsession, in rings, earrings, hanging from leather cords, or set into a dazzling necklace. Sounds pricey, and on average it is.

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Best of New York Awards

• Best Classy Collectibles (2004)