RAY GRIFFITHS
Master of Crownwork and the Art of Weightless Volume
Ray Griffiths' jewelry is instantly recognizable not only for its sculptural elegance and gemstone brilliance but also for the grid-like lattice that has become his design signature. Crownwork®, as it's known, is a structural motif rooted in 17th-century European tiara design, reimagined by Griffiths as the defining visual and technical language of his collection. What was once hidden on the underside of regal headpieces has become, in Griffiths' hands, a wearable architecture of gold.
His journey began in Melbourne at the age of sixteen, when he undertook a rigorous apprenticeship in antique jewelry restoration. The workshop, filled with baroque suites, tiaras, and centuries-old European finery, became the foundation for a lifetime of mental fluency. Unlike many designers who come to jewelry through fashion or design school, Griffiths' path was shaped by direct, hands-on experience with the materials and traditions of classical goldsmithing. He speaks gold the way a pianist speaks music intuitively, precisely, with reverence for its form and potential.
Today, from his Fifth Avenue atelier in New York, Griffiths creates bold, luminous jewels that are both technically complex and effortlessly wearable. His signature Crownwork is crafted from 18-karat recycled gold and features a diverse range of designs, including wedding rings, one-of-a-kind earrings, oversized bracelets, and high jewelry adorned with tourmaline, turquoise, or precious diamonds. Each piece is designed with a structural lightness that makes it both practical and luxurious. Clients praise the comfort of his larger-scale jewels, designed to avoid the typical pull of precious weight on the body.
Visit Ray Griffiths at Melee The Show New York
Crownwork has also found its way into Griffiths' latest design evolutions sculptural beads in soft ovals, pods, and spheres that echo ancient forms while feeling entirely modern. These beads, often punctuating strands of Tahitian pearls, coral, or chrysoprase, offer a tactile richness and a quiet sense of play. Their forms nod to classical restraint, but their volume and precision make them undeniably contemporary.
In 2024, Griffiths released Ray Griffiths: The Works, a coffee table book chronicling five decades of craftsmanship and creativity. The book delves deeply into the genesis of Crownwork, his approach to sourcing and working with colored gemstones, and a series of bespoke commissions that reveal the intimate side of his practice. It's part memoir, part design anthology, a celebration of jewelry made not just to dazzle but to endure.
Griffiths refers to himself as an understated maximalist, a phrase that captures his instinct for visual drama balanced by elegance and wearability. Whether it's a luminous pair of pearl earrings or a fine mesh of golden gridwork framing a cabochon tourmaline, his designs speak to confidence without excess. They are jewels meant to be worn, cherished, and passed down quietly powerful, unmistakably his.
