Preciosa introduces Pearl Drop by Frank Tjepkema

"I conceived Pearl Drop for Preciosa as jewellery for a space.”

At this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan, Preciosa Lighting is presenting a new pendant by Amsterdam-based designer Frank Tjepkema. The raindrop shaped light is a work of art, hanging gracefully like a beautiful necklace. Glass and metal are the only two materials Mr. Tjepkema needed to bring this treasure to life.

“Glass in order to suggest pearls is a perfect match,” he said. “The metal parts are designed in such a way that the whole piece emulates the quality and detail of jewellery.

Looking at the range of Mr. Tjepkema’s work, you can see he is definitely a contemporary designer. But inspiration for Pearl Drop actually came from history. Mr. Tjepkema explained that while researching historical chandeliers on antique paintings, he found himself more enamored with the jewellery worn by the women in the paintings than the chandeliers themselves.

“I realised they had repetition and were often made of noble materials, but even more striking was the fact that jewellery and chandeliers serve the same purpose on different scales: the epiphany of ornament in its purest form."

Mr. Tjepkema even knows the exact painting that moved him to design Pearl Drop.

"The inspiration for Pearl Drop literally came from the 15th century painting “Woman Reading a Letter” by Gerard ter Borch,” he said. “I was captured by the relationship between the chandelier and the jewellery the woman reading the letter is wearing."

 

Trends lighting up the industry

From interior to product design, architecture and jewellery, Mr. Tjepkema is a versatile designer with an artistic approach to his work. He has observed a few interesting lighting trends.

“The LED revolution has definitely opened a whole new era of fixture design,” he said. “I also notice that artists are more and more interested in light as a medium.

In his own work with lighting, he consciously considers how fixtures will contain and diffuse light.

“If architecture is basically managing light, with light fixture design the central question is how do I choose to generate light and how will it affect the space and people’s mood,” he said.

Pearl Drop is the second chandelier Mr. Tjepkema has designed for Preciosa. His first, Echo, is the new interpretation of the historic chandelier Eugene. The cooperation has created two enchanting pieces.

“I love working with Preciosa because the company is so well-rooted in craftsmanship,” he said. “It’s the real deal! Not a marketing company outsourcing the production. Everything is in house for maximum quality.”

Preciosa believes in the cultivation of chandeliers, using history and know-how to create contemporary pieces for any space. Mr. Tjepkema’s new design meets that goal perfectly.

“I hope Pearl Drop will find a logical place in the Preciosa collection right at the intersection of tradition and modernity.”

Pearl Drop can be experienced in Milan through 22 April:

La Posteria
Brera Design District
Giuseppe Sacchi 5/7

Echo and more of Frank Tjepkema’s work is also on display in Milan:

Masterly
Palazzo Francesco Turati
Via Meravigli 7