In Praise of Languor

Most of us probably wouldn't make a connection between Africa's cultural heritage and the excess of The Great Gatsby, Death in Venice and the James Bond series. But when they're pulled together as muses for the second collection of St. Erasmus jewelry, they somehow make perfect sense.

Designer Pieter Erasmus' namesake line has been four years in the making, conceived after years of working alongside Erickson Beamon's Vicki Sarge. He wanted to create a stand-alone line that combined the landscape and culture of his native Africa with the flavor of India, where each of his designs is handcrafted by local artisans. As if these two contrasting influences weren't enough, Erasmus has added a third layer to the vision for his summer collection—a veil of sultry, langorous decadence.

Gatsby inspired a mix of the label's signature crochet work, Swarovski crystals, shimmering threads and languid silver chains, while the sparkling stones of the Venice-influenced pieces are cloaked in black crochet mesh. The Bond series is the most lavish of the three, incorporating the gold and silver Zari threads used in Indian and Pakistani garments—and believed to have once been woven into the region's royal court fabrics.

"I've always liked to take materials and give them a new voice," says Erasmus. "Crochet reminds people of their lonely grandmother or spinster aunty. It's considered a boring hobby and nobody wants to do anything creative with it. So for me to take this technique, add Zari and Swarovski crystals, and create a beautiful piece of jewelry makes me very happy. The materials and craftsmanship are definitively Indian, but to take something out of its context and let it speak with a new voice is surely African."

—Erin Magner