Ann A. Flick refurbishes ancient gems

March 2007

A PASSION FOR GEMS
Ann A. Flick
Refurbishes Pieces From
The Ancient World

By Leah Jayasanker

At a young age Ann A. Flick was no ordinary little girl, she preferred digging in the dirt to playing with dolls. Perhaps she dressed in fancy clothes and had good manners, yet her pastime as a child involved a fascination that dug deep into her soul—one which molded her overall well-being. In time, Flick realized her quest to uncover ancient treasures in the soil was part of her interest in uncovering ancient mysteries of the past. Over light fare and conversation, Ann A. Flick enlightens us with an explanation how culture and society influences current jewelry styles and various techniques of jewelry making.

LJ: How did you develop the interest to work with recreating (refurbishing) ancient pieces from Egypt, Greece and Rome?
AAF: My fascination with the ancient world started when I played the role of Helen in “Helen of Troy”. I had always loved history—especially Native American history—but with Helen I knew my heart was in the ancient world. Although I enjoy the history of ancient Greece and Rome, Egypt and its gods hold a special attraction. I instinctively feel a kindred spirit in their culture, religion and symbols. Their heritage is rich in jewelry. Men and women of all social classes adorned themselves in jewelry, especially stones. Stones represented physical adornment, as well as served to protect, heal, attract or empower. The favored jewels remained inside their tombs to accompany them to the after life.

Another reason for my interest in making jewelry occurred during a trip to Paris. I stumbled on an antiquities store where I found a corroded metal fibulae (a brooch) which was Gallic (via the Gaul people) from the pre-Roman era circa 300 B.C. After this, I began refurbishing antiquities.

LJ: What types of materials do you work with and why?
AAF: For Harlan J. Berk (HJB) they supply the beads, amulets, and other antiquities. They either request a piece be made or reworked to their specifications, or give me creative reign. Let me note, all work done for HJB is one of a kind and I keep nothing in stock.

I use either Indian or Bali high karat (75 percent fine gold and higher) gold beads, spacers, findings and wire. Their intense yellow color and decorative granulation more closely resembles the gold wrought in antiquity. Granulation dates back to the Etruscan (ancient Etrusia) period if not further and shows up in many different ancient cultures and regions.

When selecting stones to enhance ancient pieces, I choose what I think was used during a specific era. Some of these include; pearl, tourmaline, chalcedony, emerald, beryl, lapis, amethyst, jasper, onyx and quartz. The technique of faceting was crude so I try to avoid using modern faceted stones, sticking to polished, carved or roughly cut ones if possible.

My current designs work with wire, wrapping or knotting on silk cord. In the next few months I’ll begin to incorporate gold chainmaille (similar to the chain mesh on Medieval armor and jewelry). Chain weaving was also in ancient Egypt and Rome.

LJ: Where does your inspiration come from?
AAF: My inspiration for design often comes from the ancient pieces themselves, they tell me how to put them back together. Other great sources are ancient exhibitions at museums: Cleopatra, Pompeii, and King Tut to name a few. I haunt the halls of the Field Museum and the Louvre, checking out their displays of ancient jewelry and the techniques the ancient ones used.

LJ: What sorts of cultural or societal influences inspire your work?
AAF: Obviously, the ancient and historical periods inspire my work. Most of my pieces (even those considered contemporary) have a “period” look and feel—none are minimalist or modern. A second major influence is my belief in the mystical power of the stones themselves as well as a universal connection. Art and music transcend cultural differences and biases where their magical appeal is universal and I find that jewelry and gems also hold a universal attraction. My pieces express my love for nature and human kind—where they serve as a medium to share my gem knowledge and expertise, as well as my beliefs on how we need to turn to nature for balance and empowerment, and how we need to connect with others to mutually benefit our global societies and ourselves.

LJ: Do you see a trend in jewelry for 2007?
AAF: I have noticed lots of wire wrapping—again a throw back to ancient techniques and design. As well, there is more “bridge” jewelry, incorporating natural stones over imitations. Women are more aware of a natural stone’s beauty and feel versus a manmade substitute.

LJ: What is some of the work you’ve done for HJB.
AAF: My biggest thrill was reconstructing a gold and glass bead, Roman choker circa 2nd Century A.D. HJB gave it to me in pieces held loosely together by plastic fish wire. I feel (on a superstitious level) that its original owner was guiding me, happy that her beloved piece would once again be whole and loved by another. I also fashioned a pair of earrings from a design worn by the character, Atia from the HBO TV series Rome. Ironically, a similar pair of archaic Greek gold and turquoise earrings was part of the Pompeii Exhibit.

LJ: How does your tag line “Enhancing the Individual Spirit" embrace who you are?
AAF: I’m many times a reticent soul, preferring the solitude of my work and studies. However, being a Piscean fish that swims in opposite directions, I’m also an individual spirit—not afraid to stand alone. I feel that the jewelry I wear enhances my individuality as it paints a vivid picture of the enigmatic ‘gal’ that I am. Additionally, jewelry artisans draw from techniques developed many years ago incorporating their own uniqueness. Granulation is prevalent in Bali silver and gold beads; the Celtic torques are vivid in David Yurman; and renaissance chain weaving is popular in the Byzantine link. By working on an individual basis, I can pull from these many techniques to properly design for my clients.

Ann A. Flick’s Past Reflections collection, fashioned from authentic Egyptian and Roman antiquities, is currently on display at Harlan J. Berk, Ltd in Chicago, Illinois. She’s completed several stone certification and evaluation programs with the Gemological Institute of American and is a member of the GIA Alumni Association. To view her ancient work visit harlanjberk.com , or for consultation on custom work contact Ethereal Designs at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .