The Maker and Her Companion
About Oriole Designs
Oriole Designs was founded in 2011 by Christine d'Argent, a Swiss-born designer who studied art history and jewellery design. Influenced especially by the Bauhaus production process, her pieces are typically only ever created in small batches – but there are also one-off items. Her main joy is in designing bold, statement-piece rings, and she has taken part in numerous exhibitions and has shown her work in galleries as well as in Crafts Council shows in London.
In addition to traditional gold- and silversmithing practices, Oriole Designs is driven by a deep-rooted interest in utilising and exploring further techniques such as casting, stamping, pressing, spinning, enamelling or guilloche (the decorative engraving of metals and other materials using mechanical engine turning), every so often combining these with contemporary processes such as CAD or rapid prototyping. Oriole Designs likes to mix precious metals with gemstones and pearls, felt, natural rubber and other materials.
All items are made by Oriole Designs or produced as locally as possible.
Oriole Designs is based in Berlin and Zurich.
Every maker has a muse. Mine is a curious little bird called Oriole, whose travel memories serve as the inspiration for Oriole Designs.
About Oriole
Unlike other birds, who duly make their way north and south to follow the sun, Oriole is able to fly to the moon and back just for fun, to travel across entire seas in the beat of a wing, and to journey through time whenever curiosity takes hold. Oriole's adventures have long become the stuff of legend. If you are ever lucky enough to stumble upon his enchanting nest, you will recognise it by its colourful silken threads and shiny jewels. It is like a tiny treasure box. Instead of the sticks and grass that other birds use to build theirs, Oriole prefers to feather his with small souvenirs from his journeys.
Drawing on years of experience as an art historian and senior art market specialist, with a particular interest in academic research, each Oriole Designs piece is accompanied by a carefully crafted story. These narratives blend historical facts with imaginative fiction—Oriole's time-travelling adventures and encounters across eras and cultures—to create wearable art that is as intellectually engaging as it is beautifully crafted.
Pairing quality Swiss craftsmanship with the adventure stories of an intrepid little bird, Oriole Designs brings you elegant objects of high quality to enjoy, treasure and collect.
About Orioles
Orioles are named after the Latin for gold, owing to their resplendent buttercup-yellow feathers, which gleam in the sun. Nevertheless, they are shy and solitary birds, often difficult to spot as they slip through the dappled shadows of treetop branches.
Their specially constructed feet make them excellent climbers and they build their nests high in the canopies, preferring gently rustling poplar, alder, elm or oak. Using only their coral-coloured beaks, they weave their nests into a remarkable woven cup, using strands of grass, strips of bark, bast fibres, sheep wool or horsehair, line them with soft, downy feathers or populus seed hairs, and suspend them like hammocks from a branch. Orioles are known throughout the bird kingdom for being by far the most accomplished nest-builders.
Orioles dine on fruit, berries and nectar, being particularly fond of cherries, which contribute to their feathers being bright yellow. They drink dewdrops and raindrops. Hanging upside down from a branch and spreading their wings, orioles shower in the gentle rain. They also love to have baths, diving into the water from their perch.
Select pieces feature castings by JFD Jewelry, Munich, bringing intricate designs in Argentium silver to life with great attention to detail and precision.
