Interview with Eric van Limpt

My motivations to become a designer is to be able to translate, to find new ways to show jewelry in a different way. Becoming a designer is probably a natural way of evolving, starting in mechanical engineering and manufacturing jewelry to designing.

I never ever thought of being a designer, it originated in a very natural way. Very much to my pleasure, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I mostly design jewelry, and therefor rings and necklaces are the most common to draw because they sell the most.

Be yourself, don’t look at other designers and do it, just try and try again.

The great designer distinguishes her or himself from a good designer by the way she or he feels with the design and is able to let the costumer experience this extra vibe.

A really good design does not need explanation, only seconds to be remembered.

The value of good design is when the design deserves the right to exist and entertains people, for those who appreciate the value of design and able to invest there automatically is a rewarding and happy feeling.

I would love to design a piece of jewelry for Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, her being the model of elegance and style.

The dream project I haven’t realized yet is a set existing a ring, bracelet, necklace and earrings in a matching style. Designed with using natural coloured diamonds.

I don’t have a secret recipe for success, every designer knows that every well accomplished design takes adrenaline, time and perseverance.

I do get inspired and get a warm feeling when I see a well-designed dress in one of the four fashion weeks by designers as Alexander McQueen and Elie Saab.

Noa Raviv, ensemble 2014. I like this top because of the voluminous lines and curves.
Peter Popps, The Cube. This extraordinary design of these heels challenges your imagination.

My greatest design will be a ring designed with an orange oval diamond and two white oval diamonds. The design of the settings holding the stones and contrasts with the rest of the ring is a great thing to see.

I cannot tell you how other people can improve their designs, what I can tell you is what I do and this is no higher mathematics but solely trust on my feeling and challenge myself, in designing, in competing, in living.

If I hadn’t come a designer I probably would be working in nursing or at least work with people.

My design is defined as functional with a story. The centerpiece stone takes the full attention where all other design elements add and work together as a strong design.
For me design is when the object is causing excitement.

My biggest supporters are without a doubt my parents.

Listening, perseverance and not afraid to fail probably helped me becoming a great designer.

My obstacles before becoming a design master have mainly been believing in myself and keep working on the things I value most.

My belief is that designers should present their work while being there, explain, hear reactions and communicate with costumers or public in general.

My next design project has already started, it will be a big white golden ring, set with a diamond which rises high above the ring and pave set with numerous small diamonds.

My goal as a designer to have costumers all over the world. Be able to design, travel and enjoy people.

I think people expect from me the extraordinary, a design which adds to their lifestyle.

In my line of designing jewelry it is possible to help create a better society by using honest materials, the use of conflict free diamonds, combined with a production facility where no chemicals are used and educate these statements to the next generation.

Currently I just finished designing a small bracelet. The next assignment will be a ring, and I am very excited about using triple excellent cut stones.

The most satisfactory design projects are the extensive ones with multiple pave set lines.

There is nothing I can think of what should be changed in the design industry in the coming years.

Maybe the design field will be headed more towards automated computer designed, where people just give parameters and control the output.

It takes me up to two weeks to finalize a design project.

When having a new design project, I will always start with the already existing parameters.
Do I design a ring, if so what size, what kind of stone, and which color? From there on de design process starts.

Never give up

I do think design sets the trend.

The role of technology in my designs is huge, I design in a 3d program called Matrix 3d.
When finished it becomes a stl fil which is printed in wax or directly in the material I need.

The design software I use is Matrix 3d design, a plugin on Rhino.

The role of color and materials in my design is very important, a design can definitely improve by the use of the correct color.

I would like people to ask me everything they can think of when seeing my design. Per example ask me why, what, how where, how much time and I will tell you everything I know.

When I see a great new design I instantly feel challenged, how is this designed, and where are the points of interests.

So far, I do not believe in co-design because I never experienced it, it might work though.

Costumers I interacted with had the most influence on my design.

The books I read which have the most influence on my design are a book from Peter Gössel and Gabriëlle Leuthäuser named architecture. A book called Ferrari F1 by Rainer Schlegelmilch and offcourse jewellery books like Understanding jewellery and Diamonds.

I developed my skills as a designer mostly on my own by study, try, fail, try again, visit museum, understand the tension between strength and delicate lines.

Without a doubt, I would love to talk and discuss with men and women with a vision like Ben van Beurden CEO of Royal Dutch Shell to talk about future energy,
Alexander McQueen to discuss lines, fabrics and curves. On my list will be for sure
Leonardo Fioravanti, the man responsible for the Ferrari Dino to talk about his vision.

My feelings about the award and the recognition are mixed, it never was or will be a goal to be famous, however that being said the recognition, the attention from customers and press feels rewarding.

My favorite color is black, my favorite place is Temple bar district in Dublin for its music, my favorite food is finger food, my favorite season will be winter because of skiing in the winter holidays, my favorite thing is my dining table and my favorite brand is Ping.

A funny thing happened when a customer had made a bet with his friend about who was the designer of a ring. This being the first time someone recognized work from my hand was a nice experience, having dinner with the winner of the bet made it a very nice evening.

Being a designer every day is a great day, to be able to do the job makes me smile every day.
My motivation is inspiring conversations with customers and deadlines when my jewelry has to be finished.

When I was a little child it wasn’t obvious at all that I would become a designer, looking back though it has been the best possible career path I could imagine.

A thousand years from now there probably will not be any paper and are designs made by bringing thoughts wireless over to a computer automated 3d printer.

Huge fan of NBA basketball, playing golf, enjoying single malt whiskey on a cold winter evening by the fireplace.

In the design studio is a wide variety of costumers and demands, this results in very lifely working area.For nearly twentyfive years costumers work together with me

Designing for me is nothing more than translating thoughts and vision into a wearable piece of jewelry.

I do not have a particular preference in what kind of jewelry I design, whether it is a necklace, bracelet, earring, engagement or wedding rings, everything has its own challenges and for me the variation is a very welcome and pleasurable experience.

My most favorite design is a ring in yellow gold with a massive and wide body, a setting which has opened up from the side and the stone held with claws. The side of the ring is completely set with one line of pave set diamonds. This line of stones is continuing on top of the ring.

The very first item was a ring I designed some thirty years ago for a jewelry company in the Netherlands, simple, tight lines, only one small brilliant cut diamond. Set in yellow gold.

My favorite material is platina and 18 carat palladium whit gold, love working these white materials with their distinguished color and reflection.

I do feel the most creative in the evening and night when the phones are out and the mail has stopped, this is the time where time doesn’t matter.

During my designing I focus most on proportions and how the stones are set in the jewelry.

The emotions I feel when designing is a complete lack of time, it’s an amazing experience to find yourself in a state where every line seems to appear effortless. To be able to draw and think lines and vision is a joyful time which doesn’t deserve the name “work”.

The emotions I feel when I hold a finished piece of jewelry is sometimes doubtful, what will someone else think of it. Sometimes empty, because you work on it with every energy you have. But most of all, always proud.

In my point of view what makes a design successful is the feeling it causes to the people who see, notice, and judge the design. If remembered you’ve touched a string. All people will see your design by their own eyes and judge by their standard. This makes drawing and designing a very open and exposed field of business which I love very much.

When judging a design, I consider proportions the most valued aspect, jewelry wise, is the centerpiece clearly visible and is your eye not distracted. When the design lines amplify one another, and you are attracted within seconds after you see it for the first time that’s when your design succeeds.

From my point of view the responsibilities of a designer are to educate and show what you do, be transparent in what raw materials you use and use diamonds which do not involve conflicts. As a designer and Goldsmith I feel the need to do things somewhat different, per example all my white gold is not rhodinated but pure by alloy and color.

The future of design is in the hands of our children, teach them well and feed them with possibilities, I do hope they will surprise us with breathtaking new designs and until that time has come I will give my very best to challenge myself and outshine.

My last exhibition was a small one, only a few people on a good location with some wine and finger food, so there is plenty of time to answer questions or explain how my designs are meant and how the jewelry is manufactured. My next exhibition will be towards the end of the year and is accompanied by music on a welcoming location, it is an annual festivity, of which we are right now in the middle of the organizing process.

My design inspiration first comes from the stones, how they are cut, the fire in the stone. My interest and therefor creativity probably comes with constructions and elements of structures because of my long last education in engineering.

I don’t know if my style has a description and if so maybe someone else can tell you better than i can. I never thought about creating my own Eric style, it just is the way it is and probably evolves over the years as it will in the future. My approach to designing is to stay with myself, as life is, and enjoy and work. Our motto is: Do it yourselves and live

I live in the Netherlands and yes feeling the cultural heritage of my country affects my designing. The Netherlands a beautiful low-lying piece of flat land, having a special bond with water as everyone will know. The waterways, lakes and land won by the water gives us a special environment, we live in Hoofddorp in the Haarlemmermeer which is five meter below sea-level. And for sure this influences my designs. No nonsense, effective and the centerpiece is the eye catcher, this you can see in my latest design “The Dunes” where water, air and dunes meet.

I do design mostly for individuals and only few for companies, and they ask me for a specific assignment. No long-term contracts, I love the freedom of designing and the freedom of my own company, and being as good as my latest design.

As a company you can select a designer on her’s or his portfolio which will give you a very good view on capabilities, but the most important way to select a designer is by feel, do you connect, do you speak the same language, and are you able to let the designer do his work. Confidence and trust.

My design process consists of two pieces, given the material I work with at that moment. This could be a cushion cut Emerald or a sugarleaf cut Safire or…., these stones take me away on their journey and then the second part of my process begins by inspiration and trying different kind of settings and forms.

My most favorite design items in our room are a somewhat massive wooden table I designed myself, accompanied by 6 black leathered chairs, a black fire place which gives us cozy and comforting evenings.

A normal day in my life is taking breakfast with my son Justin, wave him off to school, enjoy the everyday bookkeeping ;-) and then depending on the assignments I work behind the goldsmiths table to weld, sand, finish and set diamonds in the jewelry, and when finished I get behind my screen and will design new pieces which most usual will take me to far in the evening to finish.

My pearl of wisdom is probably as simple as life it selves. Just do it, begin, enjoy the necessary mistakes and proceed.

Beginning with the negatives of being a designer which is the most positive at the same time: As a designer, your mind is not to steer and therefor never stops. My perspective on designing is that it is the most wonderful job in the world, thinking, creating and showing a part of yourself is marvelous to do.

My golden rule in design contains several lines :make it wearable, make it fit, make it one of a kind, let it speak.

The skills I value the most in a designer is to be able to make a translation. To work with emotion, natural products and expectations and translate this into a piece of jewelry which fits the wearer.

Designing jewelry is made partly by hand, and for the most part with designing in 3d, I use Matrix 3d, which gives me lots and lots of possibilities to design from scratch with an extended library of stones and cuts. Of course, I make a lot of handmade models to inform and show costumers during the design process. My sources of inspiration are -people -architecture in steel, like bridges and constructions- nature, with its flower leafs and extraordinary simplicity.

Although designing can be a very time consuming task and deadlines are of the most important, it will never influence the result. For sure I like working under time pressure and the most beautiful drawings are made with tight schedules.

To design a piece of jewelry will take me at least two weeks, and the more intriguing the stone it could take me up to a month to finish the design.

The most frequently asked question is without a doubt “can you design me a ring which I can wear all day, every day” and for sure the answer is yes, I can. To be able to design together with the costumer, understanding what she or he wants and translating this into a wearable unique piece is second nature.

The most important job experience in the past twenty-five years has been the designing and manufacturing of a necklace with a yellow Safire with custom cut diamonds around it. It took a very good team effort with the diamond cutter, diamond setter and myself to accomplish this piece.

My clients are people who live in anonymity, respecting that I can only tell you about them in general. My clients are looking for craftsmanship and a piece of jewelry which harmonizes with there way of life.

The assignments I really love to do is designing with rare stones, whether it is with diamond or any other gem. I experience these assignments as a challenge and knowing and understanding the singularity makes me feel happy.

The next plan for me is to organize two different shows towards the end of the year and design and realize the next piece of jewelry, this will be a ring with a complete different design. Plan is to compete with this ring in the next design competition.

The designs I make myself and in the manufacturing process there is of course the help of 3d printing and casting involved.

At this very moment, I am busy with designing a ring with a 0.66 ct. brilliant cut diamond accompanied by 40 smaller one’s, this ring will be designed with three rings next to each other.

By mail: goudsmid@ericvanlimpt.nl By telephone: 0031 (0) 23 56 32 480