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“ Contemporary furniture, furniture as jewelry or work of art?”
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The YES collection of tables designed by Olivier Garcia was born of the combination of art, nature and precious stones. So, contemporary furniture, furniture as jewelry or work of art?
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Paris Match Switzerland Art & Culture |
The “YES” series
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Each piece is unique, since the starting point is always the fingerprint of the client who commissioned the work. The number of “YES” desks produced is unlimited. The desk is an entirely personalized work. It bears the fingerprint of the client who commissioned it or that of another person of his choice; the fingerprint is composed of precious stones set in the desktop which itself is made of rare wood, either solid or veneer. The desk blotter is made of shagreen, snakeskin or any other skin chosen by the client. The legs are made of gold-plated brass and sculpted to tell a story through symbols. The desk contains a secret hiding-place. The accompanying items incorporate a precious stone chosen by the client. They are made of rare woods, either solid or veneer.
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The range includes: Desk Armchair Desk lamp Floor lamp Bookcase |
The desk
| The desktop is made of the rare wood ziricote, with a shagreen skin desk blotter. The legs are made of titanium brass alloy and each can be plated with from 100 g to 1 kg of gold. The work is entrusted to craftsmen who have received the state-sponsored “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” (“Most Skilled Worker in France”) award. The desktop both reveals and conceals the work’s real treasure: a removable plaque of white gold measuring 12 cm by 8 cm, set with 1,000 diamonds of 0.03 to 1 carat each, representing the artist’s fingerprint or that of the desk’s owner. The work is given a timeless quality by the daring association of natural materials with metals which have been worked in fine layers, then polished, brushed and meshed with enigmatical calligraphies akin to something like graffiti or rock art. Variants of the desktop feature diamonds, emeralds, sapphires or red sapphires and bear the purchaser’s fingerprint. |
The YES desk is part of a complete collection named “YES”. The desk measures 2 metres long by 1 metre wide, for a height of 75 centimetres. Each piece is unique and is numbered, signed and dated. |
The base
| The base is made of a solid brass structure. The finished shape of each leg is obtained from a solid length of brass which is sculpted by means of a water-jet cutting technique (the industrial technique which is best suited to producing non-standard shapes). Once cut to shape, the brass leg is then mirror-polished on its edges, while the sides are given a matte finish. This stage is essential for obtaining the desired finish before applying the gold plating. The etching of personalized symbols is also carried out before the gold plating process. The leg is then plated with 24-carat gold, in the chosen colouring. The possible colourings for the gold plate are yellow, white, pink or black. The gold is applied by electroplating, with each leg receiving a coating of between 0.5 mm and 1 mm, corresponding to a weight of from 100 g to 1 kg of pure gold per leg. My personal hallmark is then stamped on the piece for authentication purposes. |
The gold is applied by electroplating, with each leg receiving a coating of between 0.5 mm and 1 mm, corresponding to a weight of from 100 g to 1 kg of pure gold per leg. My personal hallmark is then stamped on the piece for authentication purposes. |
The desktop
| The core of the desktop is made from tulipwood, as being the most suitable wood for serving as a base for veneering. It is overlaid with a glued-on veneer made from sawn precious wood. Sawn veneers are an exceptional product in the XXI century, as they truly give an appearance of solid wood. (There is one firm in Europe which produces sawn veneers). The precious woods to choose from are: Madagascar ebony, Rio amaranth wood, ziricote wood, amourette wood and rosewood. The desktop incorporates a drawer within its thickness (5 cm). Each desktop contains a secret hiding-place. The next stage is the lacquering process, using satin varnish which must be applied with the utmost skill to ensure the requisite hard-wearing qualities to stand the test of centuries. The final stage concerns the desk blotter, which is overlaid with one of several different qualities of skins. To match the colouring of the desk, we offer a choice between shagreen, crocodile-skin or snakeskin. The desk which was exhibited in Abu Dhabi presents a combination of ziricote wood with shagreen skin. The right-hand side of the desk features the inlaid plaque set with diamonds. It goes without saying that the cabinetmakers and leatherworkers involved are among the “Most Skilled Workers in France” award-winners. |
With its combination of rare woods, gold and precious stones, this prestigious collection is a family treasure since the centerpiece desk bears the diamond-studded fingerprint of the client who commissioned the work. But true possession of the desk is conferred only by knowing the secret… |
The diamond-studded plaque
| The diamond-studded plaque is the showpiece element of the desk. For it embodies a family symbol through the representational design expressed by the inlaid precious stones. We offer a choice between the owner’s fingerprint and that of his wife or children, or a family seal, or a signature. It can be made to one of three different dimensions, chosen by the client. The plaque itself is made of solid gold, whose colouring is chosen to match that of the desk. The precious stone inlay is invisible and each Georgian cut diamond of 0.3 carat or more is authenticated and certified. The plaque is inlaid in the desktop using marquetry techniques and can be removed. We offer a choice of different precious stones to suit the client’s tastes. Both the stones and their cut are absolute top quality. We buy from some of the most renowned gem dealers in the world. In Paris, in the Rue de la Paix, they also supply the Richemond group (Cartier, among others) and further abroad, in Istanbul, the Bulgari group. The plaque is available in different colourings, to match the colour of the stones: extra white for diamond – red for rubies – green for emeralds – blue for sapphires. The desk which was exhibited in Abu Dhabi incorporates a plaque made of solid white gold weighing 500 g, invisibly set with 1,000 white diamonds of 0.03 carat each. It represents the artist’s fingerprint. |
Possible dimensions are: 12 x 8 cm or 21 x 12 cm or 21 x 27 cm. |
Exhibition in Abu Dhabi- Emirate Palace
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