In 2015, everyone at Jacobs Gallery wanted to explore a different medium to show off Scott’s works in a new way. We wanted to excite our existing clients with something they never thought we’d try. That’s when we reached out to a talented Las Vegas-based fine jewelry designer and friend, Steve Soffa to create our very first jewelry piece.
About Steve
Steve Soffa is best known for his visionary art, unparalleled craftsmanship, and innovation in all of his creations. He is recognized for designing pieces for Fortune 500 Companies, crafting the Championship Bracelets for the 2010 World Series of Poker, and receiving Gold Awards for his state-of-the-art design processes.
After the two artists agreed to start a timepiece collaboration, we began digging through our archives to find the perfect painting. It was crucial that we find a painting that would showcase well on someone’s wrist. Which one would be equally rich and detailed, but on a much smaller canvas?
That’s when Scott thought of “Art & Sole”, a painting from a new genre. One depicting an artist’s paint-covered Converse.
“Art & Sole“
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We all loved the idea and after months of receiving Steve’s virtual samples, testing its durability, and reviewing prototypes, we celebrated the official release of the Art & Sole Watch in April 2016. The watch was immediately added to many collectors’ personal watch collections and after only a year and a half, we are happy to say we are down to the final two! ?
The “Art & Sole” Watch
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A New Watch in the New Year!
Because our first Jacobs-Soffa timepiece is almost sold out, we are kicking off 2018 with our first women’s watch.
In deciding the perfect painting, the main question was, which one of Scott’s is classy yet sexy enough to make into an elegant watch?
The answer came quickly when we flipped through our Mask Paintings. One of the fastest selling images of the collection is of Alexa and my best childhood friend, Brittany. Her piercing-blue eyes had always captivated the people around her, so it was a no brainer when Scott mentioned using her as a model.
“For Your Eyes Only”
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“If we can capture the ice-blue of her eyes and the pop of her red lips, it will be a success,” said our team.
It was time to make that happen!
The Creation
Before we get into the details, here’s a little insight on Steve. We have known him for almost a decade and have come to realize that he is super OCD. When he’s setting up his display cases, every watch has to be perfectly centered and the glass has to be clean AT ALL TIMES!
His attention to detail and need for perfection is what differentiates him from other jewelry designers and that’s part of why we wanted to work with him.
“For Your Eyes Only artwork was extremely complex because of the facial structure, color tones, and the intricate Mardi Gras mask that was used in Jacobs’ original painting. A major challenge was redesigning such a large format painting into a one-inch dial without losing its integrity,” says Soffa.
We started with redrawing the painting in order to create layers to give it a 3-Dimensional look.
The following step was to design a watch case and bracelet that complemented the artwork. Something that was sleek and elegant like the mysterious girl behind the crystal-encrusted mask.
Without getting into Soffa’s trade secrets, a hobb must be created with the art and placed in a special oven that’s heated for several hours in over 1500 degrees. Once finished, the hobb must go through a cooling process before the metal is ready to be pressed out.
Next, each watch face goes through a stringent 21-step finishing procedure. A few of the processes include cutting and piercing each dial, attaching the dial feet to secure the watch movement, and hand-painting the eyes, lips, and mask.
It’s essential that each dial is hand-finished and inspected for any imperfections before the paint is applied.
Once the paint has been laid down, a specialized treatment is used to seal and preserve their brilliant colors.
Now Steve is ready to mount the four white diamonds as the hour markers. The dials are then mounted in the center on the watch face.
This is when the design really starts to look like something!
After Steve has set the dial feet and inspected each piece, he is ready for engraving.
The Final Step!
On each watch, Scott’s signature, the title of the piece, and its serial number are etched on the inside of the case.
Drum roll please for the first Collaborative Women’s Watch…
“For Your Eyes Only”
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Specifications:
- Hand-crafted dial, specially die-struck in 3D
- Painted dial with hand-set diamonds
- Over 1ct. of brilliant VS white diamonds (G color)
- Slim line, crafted in 316L – Hypoallergenic Stainless Steel
- Custom scratch resistant Sapphire crystal lens
- Stainless steel case back
- Water-resistant to 1ATM (not water-proof)
- Two-handed movement (no second hand; only hour and minute)
- Miyota, Citizen movement
- Precision Quartz analog movement
- Limited Edition painted box to match the artwork
- 5-Year Limited Warranty
- Adjustable links for perfect fitting
Got Summer Plans?
Summer of 2018 will be Steve Soffa’s third year coming to Deadwood. He has display cases year round inside Jacobs Gallery, but the summer is when you could meet Steve.
We hope to see you soon!