Love. Passion. Desire. Boundaries. Four cornerstones of a romantic relationship, and the inspiration for LUZ - the latest jewelry line from award-winning Coronado designer Houman. 944 received a sneak peek at the first two items in the collection, which were impressive in their beauty and complexity.

LUZ (the Spanish word for “light” and pronounced “lose,”) is, according to Houman, “what you feel. My LUZ, how I feel, or experiences I have with LUZ are different from your LUZ, and the experiences you have in your life, and who would be LUZ for you or what would be LUZ for you.” Confused? You should be, according to Houman, because love, he says, is characterized by “complexity and confusion.”

It is that complexity that inspired Houman to create LUZ. “There are a lot of hidden things. It’s kind of like sculpture – where you have to stare at it from all the different angles … Each side [of the ring] represents something. One side is love, the other side is passion, the other side is desire, and then the top part where it comes to a point, that’s boundaries,” he says. Add to that eight red ruby accents to represent the color’ of love and passion, and you have the collection’s first signature piece.

As with any labor of love, creating LUZ was no easy task. It took Houman two-and-a-half months of brainstorming, sketching and soul-searching to come up with LUZ, and another month-and-a-half after that to produce his first prototype. “There’s a lot of passion in the line,” he says. “Even the box [design] itself has a lot of passion that goes into it.”

Houman, who grew up in France, is no stranger to passion himself. He has been zealous about jewelry since he was a child, spending time in his parents’ retail jewelry store in Iran. That inspired him to enter a five-year jewelry arts program in Toronto. After earning his degree, Houman began manufacturing jewelry in Nantucket, Mass., during which time he earned a Platinum Guild Award. In 2000, longing for warmer weather, Houman moved to San Diego, where, three years later, he opened Houman Jewelry Design in Coronado. Recognition came again in 2005, when he won the People’s Choice Award as Coronado’s best jewelry designer.

Walking into the store, it’s easy to understand why. Gone are the rows of sterile glass cases associated with many large chain jewelry stores. In their place are warm wood display cabinets, as artfully arranged as the jewelry itself. Hardwood floors and pulsating music add to Houman’s boutique atmosphere, and an interior window offers a view of the jewelry-making process. All of Houman’s pieces are hand-crafted at the store, which adds to their allure. “Each piece is going to get individual attention,” Houman says. “It’s not something that we’re going to mass produce and just throw out there. Everything is going to have its own box, its own packaging; a lot of investment goes toward each item.”

The LUZ collection will also be numbered. Each piece will be cast in white gold and silver (platinum available by request). and all pieces include black gold. Houman plans to add a new piece each month or so, including more black gold, diamonds and black diamonds. A new line also will be unveiled February 10 at his store. But Houman says LUZ is not for everyone. “It’s very bold; it’s very big and gutsy.”

By Audra L. Stafford. 944 Magazine. Feb 2006.

LUZ is not your traditional Valentine design, explains Houman Omidifar, of Houman Jewelry Design. Each year the talented jeweler, who designs not only for his own clientele who visit his store at 953 Orange Avenue, but also for leading jewelers throughout the country, introduces a new line for the holiday that celebrates love. This year his signature pieces, while bolder in concept, carry more subtle meanings.

“My message is deeper, and the look, more abstract,” Houman confides, adding

that his own experiences and emotions do indeed play a role in how he approaches each new design. “The more you look at LUZ, the more you take away from it.”

Passion, depth, drama, mystery – all are embodied in the feelings of LUZ, he says. Yes, there’s a heart design, but it’s visible only from certain angles. LUZ rings are available in sterling silver with diamonds or white gold with diamonds. The design incorporates four rubies. A LUZ bracelet can be ordered in sterling silver or white gold with diamonds.

And, while comfortable to wear, LUZ rings are angular, almost square, rather

than round. “But then, the path of love often turns,” Houman muses.

Source: Coronado Lifestyle, January-February 2006.

Nantucket jeweler Houman Omidifar this month won the Honorable Mention Award at the Platinum Guild International 1998 Platinum Passior Design Competition for his intricate platinum necklace. Omidifar, 25, was among 500 jewelers, most of them from large corporations.

“It was pretty exciting,” said the jeweler from his attic office on Orange street. “I noticed that mainly the huge manufactures won, so it was interesting to be among them.”

Omidifar was one of the youngest award winners. Each submission had to be made of at least 85 percent platinum. The categories included everyday jewelry, precious moments (wedding bands), and statement makers, which Omidifar won. Each statement maker had four value levels, below $700, $700-$2000 and $6,000 and above, which was Omidifar’s category.

Omidifar’s necklace involved more than 100 hours of labor. Omidifar never uses molds or castings. He uses twist wires, hammer, roll and solder techniques to work the precious metal. The technique known as filigree, an old style from Iran, Persia and Iran, said Omidifar, includes lacy jewelers work of scrolls and arabesques.

Omidifar, who has a Persian background, incorporates the modern look with the old style. His finished platinum piece is rounded triangles inlaid with the intricate twisted wires. All of the triangles are linked together and finished off with a single triangle pendant.

Platinum is revered for its white color that resembles silver. The platinum market is hot right no because it more precious than gold and its price has slightly decreased.

Platinum is the most difficult metal to work with, however, as it is less pliable than gold. To bend and twist the metal, it has to be fired with a torch at higher degrees.

When the metal heats up it gets so bright it is like looking into the sun, so one must wear goggles.

Omidifar was trained to work in Platinum and gold at the George Brown College in Toronto, Canada. He trained for four years and worked for six years as a goldsmith.

Omidifar has been on Nantucket for five years. He worked for Kim England Goldsmith and then started his own business last year selling jewelry in local shops and working on commissions.

He works with his assistant, Zeeba, a regal Persian cat. Zeeba means pretty in Persian. “Things are just starting out,” he said, “so for the future we will see.”

By JULIA FAiRCLOUGH, 1998.