Tar Heel company made SI jewelry News & Observer
With North Carolina girl Brooklyn Decker on the cover, it seems fitting that a Tar Heel jewelry company also gets some play in the new Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
StarCraft Diamonds Inc./Nautora of Washington crafted Guy Harvey necklaces worn by several of the models in the issue that hit newsstands last week. The jewelry, which has a nautical theme with fish and other sea life etched into gold and silver pendants, is based on Harvey's coastal-inspired art.
"I had always wanted to do a line of nautical jewelry," says Jim Fortescue, owner of StarCraft Diamonds/Nautora. "And I talked with [Harvey] and showed him some conceptual drawings and we went from there. Everything's done accurately from his artwork."
The process of transferring full-size paintings to small metal discs was tricky, but Fortescue wanted to be certain his jewelry was an accurate re-creation of the images from Harvey's work.
"We've got one of the best model makers in the world doing the work, and he understands the nature of the product," Fortescue says. "We try to get every detail as close as we can. Guy's known for the action in his work, so we really wanted to make that come through in these three-dimensional pieces."
Knowing many of the photos for Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue are shot seaside, Fortescue approached the magazine about incorporating the jewelry in some of the shots. The exposure has boosted sales, which is good not only for Fortescue's company and Harvey, but also for the Ocean Foundation, a conservation nonprofit that receives a portion of the proceeds from the jewelry.
