Ricardo Basta
Encyclopedia
Ricardo Basta is a jewelry designer
in Southern California.
, California
and began working for his uncle who owned and operated a jewelry store. Basta began by sweeping floors and eventually apprenticed with European-trained jewelers.
Early in his career, Basta began working for a high-end retailer in Beverly Hills that specialized in antique estate pieces, known as Frances Klein. There Basta restored and designed pieces from the Victorian, Edwardian, and Art Deco
periods. Basta gained an appreciation of the designs and craftsmanship which in turn inspired his own creations.
Aside from his craftsmanship, Basta has become known for his engineering innovations. Much of his jewelry is created with built-in movement. Basta created a pair of earrings with alternating sapphire
s, tanzanite
s, garnet
s, rubies, and diamond
s set with ball-bearings in between each section allowing the entire length of the piece to spin independently.
Basta has also become recognized in his field as a platinum
expert. In the mid-80s, when information was scarce on the subject, he began to cast in platinum. Most design houses weren’t using platinum quite yet. Through the process of trial and error, he developed an understanding of the best way to work with the precious metal. Since then, the learning curve has decreased due to the popularity of the metal and the development of resources, equipment and technology. Also, due to his experience with platinum, he has written contributing articles for the Platinum Guild International on the subjects of casting and antique jewelry restoration.
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There he participated in a group exhibition entitled: Luxe Life: Masterpieces of American Jewelry. The exhibit featured extravagant pieces of jewelry, ranging in age from mid-19th-century to modern. Basta displayed two pieces for the exhibition: a snowflake brooch and a seahorse brooch.
That same year, Basta had his first solo show exhibiting one-of-a-kind brooches at the Gemological Institute of America
Museum in Carlsbad, California. The show has extended to where several of his pieces are still on display today including his Dragon Brooch created with green sapphire, fire opal, platinum, diamonds, gold
, mother-of-pearl, ivory
and elephant hair.
Jewelry designer
A jewellery designer or jewelry designer is a person who renders original jewellery creations and usually constructs them as well...
in Southern California.
Biography
Ricardo Basta was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of 19, Basta moved to the United States. He arrived in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and began working for his uncle who owned and operated a jewelry store. Basta began by sweeping floors and eventually apprenticed with European-trained jewelers.
Early in his career, Basta began working for a high-end retailer in Beverly Hills that specialized in antique estate pieces, known as Frances Klein. There Basta restored and designed pieces from the Victorian, Edwardian, and Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
periods. Basta gained an appreciation of the designs and craftsmanship which in turn inspired his own creations.
Aside from his craftsmanship, Basta has become known for his engineering innovations. Much of his jewelry is created with built-in movement. Basta created a pair of earrings with alternating sapphire
Sapphire
Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
s, tanzanite
Tanzanite
Tanzanite is the blue/purple variety of the mineral zoisite which was discovered in the Mererani Hills of Northern Tanzania in 1967, near the city of Arusha and Mount Kilimanjaro. It is used as a gemstone...
s, garnet
Garnet
The garnet group includes a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The name "garnet" may come from either the Middle English word gernet meaning 'dark red', or the Latin granatus , possibly a reference to the Punica granatum , a plant with red seeds...
s, rubies, and diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
s set with ball-bearings in between each section allowing the entire length of the piece to spin independently.
Basta has also become recognized in his field as a platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
expert. In the mid-80s, when information was scarce on the subject, he began to cast in platinum. Most design houses weren’t using platinum quite yet. Through the process of trial and error, he developed an understanding of the best way to work with the precious metal. Since then, the learning curve has decreased due to the popularity of the metal and the development of resources, equipment and technology. Also, due to his experience with platinum, he has written contributing articles for the Platinum Guild International on the subjects of casting and antique jewelry restoration.
Exhibitions
In 2007, Basta had his first exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Natural HistoryCarnegie Museum of Natural History
Carnegie Museum of Natural History, located at 4400 Forbes Avenue in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, was founded by the Pittsburgh-based industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1896...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There he participated in a group exhibition entitled: Luxe Life: Masterpieces of American Jewelry. The exhibit featured extravagant pieces of jewelry, ranging in age from mid-19th-century to modern. Basta displayed two pieces for the exhibition: a snowflake brooch and a seahorse brooch.
That same year, Basta had his first solo show exhibiting one-of-a-kind brooches at the Gemological Institute of America
Gemological Institute of America
The Gemological Institute of America, or GIA, is a nonprofit institute dedicated to research and education in the field of gemology and the jewelry arts. Founded in 1931, GIA's mission is to protect all buyers and sellers of gemstones by setting and maintaining the standards used to evaluate...
Museum in Carlsbad, California. The show has extended to where several of his pieces are still on display today including his Dragon Brooch created with green sapphire, fire opal, platinum, diamonds, gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, mother-of-pearl, ivory
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...
and elephant hair.
Professional Affiliations
- American Gem SocietyAmerican Gem SocietyThe American Gem Society is a trade association of retail jewelers, independent appraisers, suppliers, and selective industry members, which was founded in 1934 by Robert M. Shipley, who also founded the...
- American Gem Trade Association
- Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America
- Women's Jewelry Association
- The Jewelers 24 Karat Club of Southern California