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  Kevin Coates

  I Tempus Fugit

  18K gold with patination, Ethiopian opal, silver

  30mm h x 25mm x 36.5mm. Size 7 1/2.

  From A Year of Rings, 2015.
  Photo: Clarissa Bruce

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  Kevin Coates

  II Meteorite

  18K gold with patination, Sikhote-Alin iron meteorite (regmaglypt), brown diamond

  39.5mm l x 21mm w. Size 7.

  From A Year of Rings, 2015.
  Photo: Clarissa Bruce

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  Kevin Coates

  III Shade of Orpheus

  18K gold with patination, Ethipian 'harlequin' opal

  34mm h x 26mm w. Size 7 1/2.

  From A Year of Rings, 2015.
  Photo: Clarissa Bruce

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• Kevin Coates

  IV Agape

  18K gold with patination, sunstone

  23mm h x 26mm w. Size 6 1/2.

  From A Year of Rings, 2015.
  Photo: Clarissa Bruce

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• Kevin Coates

  V Festina Lente

  18K gold with patination, Ethiopian opal, rubies

  30mm h x 25.5mm w. Size 6 - 6 1/2.

  From A Year of Rings, 2015.
  Photo: Clarissa Bruce

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• Kevin Coates

  VI Dioscuri

  18K gold, Thracian stater silver coin 400-350 BC

  32.5mm h x 30mm w. Size 10 1/2.

  From A Year of Rings, 2015.
  Photo: Clarissa Bruce

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• Kevin Coates

  VII Rosicrucia

  18K gold with patination, rose-cut ruby (filled and foiled)

  29mm h x 33mm w. Size 7 1/2.

  From A Year of Rings, 2015.
  Photo: Clarissa Bruce

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• Kevin Coates

  VIII The Spider and the Fly

  18K gold with patination, Ethiopian opal (slate back), Dominican amber with inclusion

  28mm h x 30.5mm w. Size 7 - 7 1/2.

  From A Year of Rings, 2015.
  Photo: Clarissa Bruce

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• Kevin Coates

  IX The Octopus and the Crab ("...probably her lunch")

  18K gold with patination, baroque pearl, moonstones, fire agate

  34mm h x 27.5mm w. Size 7.

  From A Year of Rings, 2015.
  Photo: Clarissa Bruce

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• Kevin Coates

  X The Serpent's Tooth

  18K gold with patination, Ethiopian opal, ruby, fossilised shark-tooth (Palaeozoic)

  28mm h x 28mm w. Size 7 1/2.

  From A Year of Rings, 2015.
  Photo: Clarissa Bruce
  Private Collection

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• Kevin Coates

  XI A Ring for Sarastro (Mozart Series)

  20K and 18K gold, white mother-of-pearl, abalone shell

  26.5mm h x 27mm w. Size 8.

  From A Year of Rings, 2015.
  Photo: Clarissa Bruce
  Private Collection

  Inquire

• Kevin Coates

  XII Nocturne

  18K gold with patination, carved Australian water opal (slate back), Ethiopian opal, tsavorite garnets

  45mm h x 33.5mm w. Size 7 1/2 - 8.

  From A Year of Rings, 2015.
  Photo: Clarissa Bruce

  Inquire

• Kevin Coates

  Ring Boxes from "A Year of Rings" Collection

  From A Year of Rings, 2015.
  Photo: Clarissa Bruce

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• Kevin Coates

  Ondine

  Brooch. Mother of pearl, ebony, silver

  Photo: Clarissa Bruce

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• Kevin Coates

  The Name of the Cat

  Brooch on mount.
  Brooch: Green glass amulet (Romano-Egyptian, 4th-5th century AD?), jade, aventurine, opal, mother-of-pearl, 18K gold, glass, ruby, silver
  Mount: Mixed media on slate

  "I have always considered cats guilty of cultivating their own mystery, but would never be so disrespectful as to share this thought directly with one of their kind. Perhaps when they first agreed to be domesticated, they were astute enough to include a contractual clause, in very small print, asserting the right to retain an appearance of independence – a caveat of amour-propre, which simply did not occur to dog-kind when it undertook a similar pact with us, so many millennia ago. Their attitudes differ entirely: a dog will look at, towards, into you, while a cat will observe you for its own scientific purpose, the one ruled by subjectivity, the other objectivity. On our side of the page, I have used some of William Salmon’s world about the Cat. But throughout the centuries we, too, have been observed: who knows what is written on the other side of this portal . . ."
  Photo: Clarissa Bruce

  Inquire

• Kevin Coates

  The Name of the Cat

  Brooch on mount.
  Brooch: Green glass amulet (Romano-Egyptian, 4th-5th century AD?), jade, aventurine, opal, mother-of-pearl, 18K gold, glass, ruby, silver
  Mount: Mixed media on slate

  "I have always considered cats guilty of cultivating their own mystery, but would never be so disrespectful as to share this thought directly with one of their kind. Perhaps when they first agreed to be domesticated, they were astute enough to include a contractual clause, in very small print, asserting the right to retain an appearance of independence – a caveat of amour-propre, which simply did not occur to dog-kind when it undertook a similar pact with us, so many millennia ago. Their attitudes differ entirely: a dog will look at, towards, into you, while a cat will observe you for its own scientific purpose, the one ruled by subjectivity, the other objectivity. On our side of the page, I have used some of William Salmon’s world about the Cat. But throughout the centuries we, too, have been observed: who knows what is written on the other side of this portal . . ."

  Inquire

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Known for his technical brilliance and the symbolic imagery of his work, Kevin Coates is considered by many to be Britain’s leading artist-goldsmith. A true Renaissance Man, Coates is also a musician specializing in the baroque mandolin and has performed in concerts and recitals throughout Europe as well as a mathematician; his PhD thesis was titled, A study of the use of Geometry and Proportional systems in the Art of Lutherie. He focuses on the spiritual meanings of jewelry and draws inspiration from music, theater, painting, literature and mathematics. Neither exclusively modern nor wholly traditional, Coates’ work dazzles us with its technical virtuosity and inspires us with its symbolic imagery.

Statement

I approach all my output with what I see as the spirit of the jewel, whether it is to be worn, to be held and used, or placed on a table. It is the mental approach of the Goldsmith, one catholic in technique, and omnivorous of material. The opportunity and ability to work through the deep treasury of precious gems, minerals, and metals is an enormous privilege, and, at times, a true confrontation with ‘prima materia’ – with the very elements of Creation. This extensive ‘palette of absolutes’ is something to which I am constantly drawn, to express the ideas that continue to haunt the different stratas of my mind: a search for the music within the silence, the movement within the stillness, and the eternal moment within the relentless dynamic of time. It is always a pursuit of the metaphor which will first ‘connect’, then enshrine, the meaning to provoke that essential journey of response in others – and like that of the alchemist, it is a quest for the transcendental, one where the Stone’s achievement lies in the ensoulment of the object itself.

Quotes:

“… a man whose work fascinated me for its complexity, astonishing technical virtuosity, sophistication of allusion, and unashamed richness of a kind which would have delighted a Medici Grand Duke.” Sir Roy Strong

To read more about Kevin Coates’ work by Sir Roy Strong, read the Introduction to Kevin Coates: A Hidden Alchemy. (PDF 89KB)

“Coates is Britain’s leading artist-goldsmith, with a renaissance imagination and an ingenuity to match” The TIMES

“At every level, Coates is a master of the imagination, and can balance the proverbial angels on the head of a pin” The International Herald Tribune

“His work seems to belong to the world of the “Wunderkammer”. There is little doubt that Coates will be deemed one of the most remarkable jewellers-cum-goldsmiths to have emerged at the end of the 20th century” Financial Times

“There is no-one in England to compare with his genius” CRAFTS

“A perfectly executed mix of artistic skill and interpretation to be seen to be believed” The SUNDAY TIMES

“Kevin Coates is Britain’s LEONARDO” HARPER’S & QUEEN

Selected Collections and Commissions

• Ayrton Metals Platinum Collection, London – Brooch ‘Selene’
• The British Museum, London – Mozart Medal; Monahan medal
• The British Society for the History of Pharmacy, London – Presidential Badge
• Datsun House, Worthing – ‘Ikaros’ Sculpture
• De Beers Diamond Stakes – Trophy for Ascot
• The Dominican Republic, H.E. Ambassador – Loving Cup and numerous jewels
• The Goldsmiths’ Company, London – The Amity Cup; Tree of Knowledge centre-piece; various CourtCups; medals; and jewels including ‘Oologos’ brooch, ‘Lazarus’ ring, and most recently The Charter Bell
• H.R.H. Prince Faisal al Saud
• H.R.H. Prince of Wales
• Koch Collection, Geneva – Ring ‘Hare and Tortoise’
• Leeds Castle – ‘The Maze Centre-piece’ (Memorial to Peter Wilson)
• Lichfield Cathedral – The St. Chad Cup
• Museum of Fine Arts – Boston
• National Museums of Scotland ‘Entry of the Queen of the Night’ Tiara
• Nissan Corporation, Tokyo – ‘Torus’ Sculpture
• No. 10 Downing Street – St. George Centre-piece (The Silver Trust)
• Royal Ballet School – Choreographic Prize medal
• Royal Museum, Edinburgh – Brooch ‘Waiting for Joan’
• Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence – Brooch ‘Frog Labyrinth’
• Sydney & Frances Lewis Collection, Richmond, Virginia – various jewels
• Victoria & Albert Museum – The Carrington Cup; various jewels including Brooch ‘Athene Noctua’; Brooch ‘Seraph’; Ring ‘Caliban’ and relevant drawings

Exhibits

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