Already a crystal connoisseur by early adulthood, it is no surprise the prolific artist-turned-entrepreneur established her own eponymous crystal brand Emeshel in 2004.
A fine piece of crystal is something that transfixes-just ask Emeshel founder and award-winning designer Emese Judit Losonczi, and she will invariably agree. When designed by a true visionary and crafted by the most proficient artisan, a simple piece of crystal can be transformed into exquisite art. Whether diamond-cut with immaculate precision, left clear, or colored with luminous hues, best-quality crystal will sparkle brightly, releasing a mesmerizing brilliance that has captivated people for centuries.
Losonczi can certainly attest to the mesmeric power of crystal; after all, designing crystal art is her vocation. Born in Budapest, Hungary, often dubbed “the Paris of the east,” Emese has maintained a long, intimate relationship with her trade, dating back to her first childhood memories of her parents’ ample crystal collection. “I grew up in a big family in Central-Eastern Europe,” says Losonczi. “When I was a child, I remember that at home all around me…I saw crystal.”
Her artistic proclivities developed early on; at a very young age, Losonczi discovered the great pleasure of painting, writing poetry, and creating things with her hands-a telltale sign of the designer’s intrinsic gift. “I’ve been [designing] as long as I can remember-at school, for birthday presents, for any other occasion, I’ve always made something for the person to remember.” Though she never attended art school for glassblowing, her talent and aesthetic drive eventually drew her back to crystal, a medium she has always considered a mystical purveyor of truth. “Crystal communicates through its own lyrical language,” the artist concedes, revealing the blazing intuition of this second-generation crystal designer. “It expresses emotions, and its clarity and purity symbolize truth.”
Already a crystal connoisseur by early adulthood, it is no surprise the prolific artist-turned-entrepreneur established her own eponymous crystal brand Emeshel in 2004, a company built on the designer’s passion for both crystal and, as Losonczi puts it, “all the beautiful things that life has to offer.” However, being the true bohemian that she is, a visionary whose delicate language and flowery sentiment resembles Ginsberg more so than Gates, Losonczi needed the aid of someone with business acumen in order to place her pristine vases, sculptures, and glassware into the hands of international crystal aficionados.
Gallery owner Sandy Marc Kertesz decided to step in as Emeshel’s astute business partner, helping transform Losonczi’s beautiful trade into a lucrative business. Upon discovering her work while living in Budapest, he was instantly taken by Losonczi’s artistic prowess, and thereby resolved to back her work, believing that with greater exposure and sound financial planning, Losonczi’s artistic ventures could expand far beyond Hungary. Kertsz couldn’t have been more accurate. Together, the two expanded Emeshel, transporting her humble, bohemian designs into the hands of world-class artisans who have since churned out some of the world’s finest crystal artwork. With their assistance, Emeshel has since established itself as an internationally recognized brand. Its superb quality and inimitable design rivals some of the world’s top crystal competitors. Though the flagship still remains in Budapest (from which Losonczi’s works are presently distributed throughout Europe), she and Sandy can now comfortably proclaim that by the end of 2009, Emeshel will have showrooms in every major European city.
Since 2004, Losonczi’s striking designs have inspired an entire collection of remarkable crystal art. Each distinct Emeshel piece, from ornate decanters, glass sets, and vases to intricately carved figurines, beautiful Venetian-style jewelry, and radiant sculptures, is handmade from the highest quality crystal, ensuring purity, diamond-cut flawlessness, exquisite craftsmanship, and beauty.
Crystal aficionados in Europe have since celebrated Losonczi’s signature designs, beginning with the Emeshel original HomeLine collection showcasing her prodigious skill. Adorned with Greek flames, grapes, and other elaborate patterns including an image of a hunter beside his canine companion, the HomeLine’s crystal decanters, glass sets, and collectibles transform the simple act of enjoying a good bottle of scotch with friends or serving hors d’oeuvres into an ultra-decadent occasion. For patrons who wish to bejewel their arms or necks, Emeshel’s recent Crystal Love line offers a a number of wearable crystal accessories. The high fashion, modern jewelry line combines finely cut crystal with precious metals and materials, making for richly hued, handmade necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.
But it’s the Emeshel Art Line that’s downright arresting. The Art Line has produced an impressive collection of aesthetic masterpieces, each sculpture burning with a brilliant palette of emerald greens, glowing reds, and effervescent blues. The sculptures, often addressing the human form, are beautifully maternal, reflecting the artist’s innate sense of femininity, which can be seen in pieces such as Laburnum, an oval abstract through which an obscured blue and pink infant delicately gleams. Eternal Love captures two forms in an inextricable embrace, their luminescent purple bodies radiating through a sprinkling of gold dust. Others reflect the designer’s astute observations, as in Fame, where glass encapsulates a black figure, hands bound above his head suffocating his form, as though the very fruits he seeks to reach bind and drown him.
These crystal pieces have become so popular in Europe that Emeshel expanded to the United States. On April 24, Losonczi and Kertesz inaugurated their first showroom in Miami’s Design District. “Following our success in Europe we are now bringing our high quality crystal designs to America,” she explains. “Miami is the host city of the most important art show in the Americas. That’s why we decided to open our first U.S. showroom right here.”
Located on 39th Street and 2nd Avenue, Emeshel’s airy, all-glass showroom presents several of Losonczi’s lines, including handmade beaded necklaces and her more artistic glass sculptures. At dusk, these sculptures come to life, as radiant, fluorescent lighting stirs the pieces from their slumber-and where, against a subdued evening backdro, the illuminated pieces truly pop, an aesthetically breathtaking contrast. The studio features some of her best pieces, priced anywhere from $200 for a set of earrings to upwards of $50,000 for a large sculpture. Losonczi also welcomes personal requests, though custom pieces fetch a much steeper price.
The Miami studio is just the beginning for this avid designer, whose business will soon blossom in America with the introduction of new showrooms and brand stores in several cities including Los Angeles. She is currently broadening the brand’s range as well, introducing a high-end beauty line to the collection, which will be marketed in Asia at the end of 2008. “It is something that has interested me for a long time,” Losonczi explains. “I love designing and learning more about beauty products. Everybody uses perfumes and cosmetics, so why not create this in my own unique style?” Her special cosmetic concoctions, including perfumes and facial creams, will be prepared with the same attention to detail and same philosophy of quality that is behind all of the Emeshel ventures. As an extra bonus, each cosmetics item will be encased in a small crystal container.
Despite her company’s rapid expansion, Losonczi’s fascination with crystal remains unchanged. Crystal still excites her and takes her back to her sparkling childhood when she first gazed at the sparkling clear substance, evoking poetry, intimacy, and inner light within her. Crystal has come to define this designer’s trajectory, and though it has led her to all corners of the earth and far away from her native Budapest, as long as Losonczi is working with crystal, she is home.
News
May 29, 2008In the Blink of an Eye
