THE name Pamela Bähre may not yet be on everyone’s lips, but her unique creations may soon be on every stylish woman’s wrists, necks and fingers. Each piece in the Pamela Bähre Divine Jeweler bespoke and limited-edition collections boast of one-of-a-kind designs meant to complement the soul of each client.
“I believe in consciousness, energy, intelligence, order, beauty. I believe in a presence that underlies everything and everyone in this and all universes, and each of us and all that’s manifested and what’s not is a reflection of this. I believe we all embody this consciousness and manifest it in different ways,” Pamela says of the inherent spirituality that is a vital part of her art. “How does this belief inform my craft? I believe we couldn’t even breathe without it! It is just the life force, the foundation of life.”
Miss Charlize |
[media-credit id=87 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]Pamela hails from Santiago de Chile, born to German-Austrian parents, studied jewelry-making in Hong Kong, but first traveled the world as a high-fashion model. She worked for Bourjois, Za makeup, L’Oreal, Kodak, Umbro, Alberta Ferreti, adidas, Nokia, Moschino, Clinique and many other brands and labels.
“I traveled as a model extensively, so the list is endless. I started modeling at 14 years old. There are still some times I do modeling jobs, but I haven’t really done anything for the past year, so I guess I quit for good when I was 33 to 34. That will make 20 years more or less of modeling,” she said.
How did she evolve from goldsmith to gemologist to jewelry designer? “It was very organic. It kind of happened on its own. First I learned gold and silversmithing, did it a number of years, and then I thought to go further and study gemology and all the side things about jewelry, jewelry-making and metals and gemstones, until I realized I needed to be at least decent at drawing, so that’s when I took design,” Pamela explained.
Who are her mentors, influences and inspirations? “They are my first teachers from Chile—Jose Luis Acevedo and Veronica Maldonado, they are my mentors, spiritual family, encyclopedia, everything!” She laughed. “Influences and inspirations are much the same—ancient civilizations, forgotten magic, contemporary visionaries, music, and most of all, my state of being, the receptiveness with which I experience my life, my empathy and gratitude.”
Her namesake brand was launched in 2014 and was recently unveiled in the Philippines at the Aphro In The Alley at Karrivin Plaza in Makati City.
“My brand is my name: Pamela Bähre. ‘Cosmos’ is the name of the collection I made for my brand launch. Cosmos is the Universe seen as a whole, ordered whole. It is also a system of thought.”
What are the differences/similarities in the creative environments of Chile, Hong Kong and the Philippines? “Creativity is emotions, most of all it is love that draws inspiration from something, so it exists pretty raw everywhere. Differences, I guess, are more determined in belief systems. Cultures have history and that history, combined with desires and needs, largely determine the collective consciousness of societies. That’s why sometimes you go to a country in which pretty much everyone believe they can be/do whatever they want and they often are/do whatever they want. And in other countries, with people with similar resources, things don’t happen because the people just don’t believe,”
Pamela explained.
How optimistic is she of Cosmos’s business prospects in the Philippines?
“Very much! 1,000 percent. All of them are very appealing. I think in the Philippines, there’s a bit of uncertainty from buying and supporting ‘emerging’ artists, but once the people get ‘educated’ about the artist and the artist’s expertise, all is good. I also think that jewelry here is seen in a too conservative light, so there’s also work to do on being adventurous and daring one’s self into experiencing jewelry in different ways,” Pamela said.
Are there plans to open brick-and-mortar stores, or will she focus on e-commerce (www.pamelabahre.com)?
“Not really. My pieces are one-of-a-kind and are based on spiritual energies, so I don’t manage ‘stocks’ of them. Nowadays, the technosphere keeps us ‘near’ and that is a good provider of interaction with my clients, allowing me to still know them before I make something for them.”
(Pamela Bahre photographed by Johann Bona for Rogue Magazine)
1 comment
Pamela Bahre is photographed by Johann Bona for ROGUE magazine.