Kazumi Arikawa is considered to be the world’s foremost collector of historic jewellery. To coincide with the publication of his book Divins Joyaux, à la recherche de la beauté, we take a look back at the career of an undisputed master of jewellery.
His name is unknown to the general public. Yet the reputation of this discreet collector is well established. For some forty years, Kazumi Arikawa has been collecting precious objects of jewellery. Around 800 to be precise. However, this lover of precious stones could have had an entirely different destiny…
From monk to collector of fine jewellery
While Kazumi Arikawa’s mother ran a jewellery resale business, the young Japanese man was predestined to become a monk. His library consisted more of sacred texts than books on the history of jewellery. In 1982, he took over the shop with his sister, while continuing to explore the spiritual world in his Buddhist monastery.
It was while browsing through a London museum that Kazumi Arikawa had a revelation when confronted with a tiara by the great Russian goldsmith Pierre-Karl Fabergé. This piece, made of diamonds and pale blue guilloché enamel, touched his heart. All the more so because the jewel echoes a sutra that had a particular impact on him, describing paradise ‘as a world sparkling with precious stones’. It all makes sense.
Click here to read the full article on Luxus Magazine.
Featured photo : © Louis Teran – Flammarion
