Designs Crafted in Gold, for Those Who Prefer Simplicity in Jewelry

By RUTH ROBINSONFEB. 5, 1977 This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems. Please send reports of such problems to archive_feedback@nytimes.com. There's a tiny shop on Madison Avenue devoted to the simple 18karat gold jewelry that Jean Dinh Van designs. His rings, bracelets, earrings and chains are the kind of ornaments that, like a woman's wedding band or a man's signet ring, are almost never taken off.For all their simplicity the pieces have a delicacy, an originality and a style all their own. The use of four colors of goldyellow, white, red and greenallows for infinite variety. Mr. Dinh Van may be new to the retail business (he opened in New York the week before Christmas, in Paris last October, and Geneva back in September) but he's been a known quantity in Europe for some time, having designed exclusively for Cartier for 10 years and done custom work for such women as the Duchess of Windsor, Claude Pompidou, the widow of French President Georges Pompidou; Catherine Deneuve and Jeanne Moreau.Superfine to HeavyHis chains, handmade and so flexible they crunch up to almost nothing, have achieved a certain status. Like many Dinh Van designs, they follow a progression from superfine to heavy so that the same style can be worn by children, even infants, as well as men and women. Sometimes the designer gets a different effect by alternating colors and shapes of links, adding pearls or slices of coral.There's nothing ostentatious about his work even when he turns to diamonds. Paveed stones fill in the center of a cross, accent a wide ring or dress up a chain suitable for a young girl's first dance.AdvertisementRings and bangles come in squares and rectangles as well as in more conventional shapes and can be worn in multiples of varying colors. Stud earrings are small and understated. Little hoops give the impression the wearer has pierced ears and look well two to a lobe. At $55 a pair, they're the lowestpriced item in the shop, at 737 Madison Avenue between 64th and 65th Street. Earrings,. though, can go as high as $695 for X's of baguette diamonds. Chain necklaces run from $99 to $999.AdvertisementPooling their resources and talents a group of potters, sculptors, enamelers and weavers has opened the Nine Artisans Gallery in Greenwich Village. It's a pleasant place, this cooperative at 142 Seventh Avenue South between 10th and Charles Streets, with silver and enamel jewelry displayed against blocks of natural wood, pots and sculptures arranged in sand boxes and weavings and enamels adding a splash of color to stark white walls.Although there is a fulltime store manager each member puts In 10 hours a week behind the counter. Thus a passerby dropping in to price a pumpkinlike tureen in the window may end up purchasing it from its creator, Mimi Okino. The piece Is typical of her free, fluid style inspired by squash and seedpod forms.Another day, a customer might be served by Rima, who turned to silver jewelry as a way of making sculpture salable back in the 40's, long before such a thing was accepted practice. Or by Nina Anderson, whose fused silver bead necklaces were inspired by Moroccan nomad jewelry and whose buckles and bracelets ornamented With landscapes resulted from her interest in etching.Enamel PortraitsThen there are the enamelers. Walter Belizario does vibrant clolsonne and champleve pendants and neckpleces Myriam Bedolla, adapting graphic techniques to her medium, specializes in silkscreen enamel portraits done to order from photographs, for an average price of $130.Nancy Kyriacou turns out graceful porcelain jars and teapots with an Oriental look, while another potter, Beth Forer, is interested in the AmericanIndian idiom. Larry Greenstein, who considers himself primarily a sculptor, is represented by ceramic figures with a primitive air reminiscent of African carvings. The lone weaver in the group, Norma Baum, often uses wool that she spins and dyes herself.Prices at Nine Artisans reflect the savings possible when craftsmen deal directly with their clients. Thus pots range from $4 to $200, sculptures hover around $300 and jewelry goes from $20 to $300. Foreign visitors will appreciate the fact that French, German, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese and Danish are spoken here. The cooperative intends to keep, its original name even after. additional artisans join.A version of this archives appears in print on February 5, 1977, on Page 21 of the New York edition with the headline: . Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe