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Gabor Nagy: the visionary master of the Gothic silver craze

By: Timothy

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Just what is the Gothic Look?

Leather clothing and heavy silver jewelry form the two primary elements of what is commonly known as the "gothic look". It is often commonly referred to as the biker look, the gothic look, the punk look or the rock & roll look. By whatever name you call it, the biker look is one which has its roots in ante-hippie American fashion. The paradigm image it commonly inspires is that of a handsome, rugged, masculine and individualistic man riding a seasoned Harley through endless and lonely country roads into the sunset with a violent agenda often with an element of heroism. It is one which stirs the imagination and induces wonder and awe. Today, this look is immensely popular, due largely to active promotion by musicians, bikers, biker enthusiasts, rock n roll fans and other cultural trendsetters who seek to express new age fashion through the clothes they wear. This article is a tribute to Gabor Nagy: the fashion visionary who spearheaded fashion from the ashes of the hippie era.

Who is Gabor Nagy, and what is Gaboratory?

The Gaboratory school of design, born towards the end of the 21st century, was founded by the late Gabor Nagy, and was the original pioneer and granddaddy of gothic biker look. Long beforethe existence of Chrome Hearts, BWL, Room 101, Nagual, SoulFetish and other leading gothic jewelry brands were born, the one man who started the entire biker jewelry craze sold his crazy, groundbreaking ideas to the fashion world and got everybody sold on the leather-silver gothic look.

Gabor Nagy the Visionary

Gabor Nagy was nothing short of a a fashion visionary; one way ahead of his peers. Going head-on against traditional ideas and perceptions of jewelry as small, delicate accessories adorned exclusively by wealthy, upper class ladies, Gabor Nagy founded Gaboratory and pioneered the entire idea of biker jewelry, which turned the idea of jewelry on its head. Taking the shape of thick, chunky sterling silver pieces bearing anarchistic edgy carved-in designs, gothic silver jewelry was anything but delicate or feminine. Very much contrary to traditional jewelry which inspired ideals of societal class and conformity, Gaboratory's biker jewelry created the vastly different image of the infamous outlaw biker. It was instantly clear at the outset that Gaboratory's gothic silver jewelry was really not something common buyers of jewelry (the upper class) would take to.

Defying all odds, Gabor Nagy successfully pioneered a fashion renaissance which brought jewelry for the first time into the realm of mens' wear. Celebrities, trendsetters and other leading icons quickly took to the stunning designs and solid feel Gaboratory's biker jewelry had, and snapped up Gabor Nagy's jewelry pieces in large quantities. Fans naturally caught on quickly as well.

Another factor which makes Gaboratory's groundbreaking success even more astounding is the fact that Gabor pioneered his novel ideas in an age when the diamond had sent metal jewelry out of fashion. Sterling silver was seen as a mere setting for the diamond, the star accessory which had successfully dominated the globe of jewelry since the phenomenal advertising efforts of De Beers in the 1950s. Gabor Nagy thought otherwise. He saw that unlike diamonds whose surfaces could accommodate only patternless and impersonal cuts and angles, the surface of sterling silver could be subjected to extensive creative input and be turned into unique pieces of artwork imbued with the artist's spirit. Gabor sought to restore the rightful place of sterling silver in the realm of jewelry, and he succeeded in dramatic style.

Gabor Nagy's global footprint

Gabor Nagy's sterling silver fashion spread well beyond the shores of America. Japanese tourists first set eyes on Gabor Nagy's biker jewelry in downtown LA, fell in love with the expertly crafted artwork and infected Asia with an equally intense thirst for gothic silver jewelry. Today, the fashion craze has spread also to mainland Europe, particularly in France and Germany. In Asia, (Taiwan, Korea and Japan) a revolutionary culture of individuality has emerged to snuff out the strait-jacketed and stiffly hierarchical traditional South Asian culture.

Although Gabor Nagy died several years ago, his spirit continues to inspire jewelry craftsmen from all over the globe. His Gaboratory school of design spawned a generation of gifted students successful in their own right, including but not limited to Bill Wall and Travis Walker, the founders of the immensely successful Bill Wall Leather and Double Cross designer brand. Richard Stark of Chrome Hearts, currently the most successful luxury label in the realm of gothic jewelry, drew much of his inspiration from Gabor Nagy's concepts, and today's classic Chrome Hearts designs mostly have their roots in Gabor Nagy's early work.
Gaboratory replicas & Gaboratory inspired jewelry: Why they are becoming more popular

In recent times, Gaboratory jewelry has faced adversity from numerous offshore competitors with the talent, resources and ability to offer equally detailed, gorgeous and well-crafted luxury gothic styled silver jewelry to bikers and other rock-culture lovers at a fraction of Gaboratory jewelry prices. Today, fans of gothic sterling silver jewelry have a wide range of alternatives to original Gaboratory jewelry. Gothic silver jewelry fans are starting to wise up to the reality of branding, which is really no more than an imaginary concept. Brand is not something that customers can always be expected to bear the cost for. In view of the easy availability of cheaper and equally well-crafted offerings, it is no wonder that designer label jewelry isn't an unusual or rare sight on the streets despite the premium brand prices of the original. The new & somewhat wiser sentiment is: why bust the bank on designer label jewelry when you could easily get a almost identical piece made from the same Highest grade 925 sterling silver at a miniscule fraction of the price?

However, in choosing alternatives in the form of replicas or similarly styled inspired designs, it is critical to confirm the grade of jewelry you are buying. Gaboratory Jewelry competitors range from Top grade alternatives & close replicas by real jewelers to mass-manufacturing bootleggers churning out poorly made imitations made from low-grade metals such as steel and copper.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

If you wish to find out more about choosing premium grade replicas made from real sterling silver jewelry, visit gothic Jewelry The author is an experienced Californian mason with 8 years of jewelry craftsmanship experience. He specializes in both jewelry craft and fashion analysis. To find out more about David Yurman, bootlegs, inspired alternatives and other challenges facing the brand, visit /">David Yurman

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