The work of an enigmatic artist
BY Merilee Kern
Sculptor and jewellery designer Daniel McKinney is no ordinary contemporary artist. With decades of experience sourcing, supplying, cutting and setting precious gemstones to his credit, he is globally renowned for creating ornate gemstone carvings on an unprecedented scale.
Rarely encountered carvings out of precious stones such as sapphires, rubies, lapis lazuli and emeralds show how his work bridges the gap between traditional gemstone sculpture techniques, ancient history, the natural world and the animal kingdom.
In the late 1990s, McKinney sourced and designed the world’s largest carved blue sapphire that was coined the ‘Millennium Sapphire.’ He carved a giant 90,000 carat stone, which was discovered in Madagascar, and the carvings include 134 historical figures such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Michelangelo, William Shakespeare and Albert Einstein.
This magnificent 61,500 carat piece of art serves as a monumental tribute to humanity’s ingenuity and achievements over 5,000 years.
The pedigree of the sculpture is decidedly impressive including its display at the christening of the Sapphire Princess (then the world’s largest cruise ship), an appearance at the Academy Awards and a Guinness World Records distinction as the world’s largest gem quality sapphire.
It spurred deals for this stellar piece and commanded bids upwards of US$ 50 million.
McKinney’s work as a sculptor and designer not only springs from his in-depth knowledge of the material properties of precious gemstones, but also his profound reverence for the natural world and feats of human civilisation.
The pairing of each gemstone and subject matter of its carving creates a dialogue between the physical properties of the mineral and conceptual origins of his work.
His brand-new collection of ornate bespoke gemstone carvings represents a never before seen suite of extraordinary artwork, which has been carved from rare pieces of higher end precious stones. The carvings draw inspiration from his passion for the Renaissance, ancient civilisations, history, historic architecture, mythology and regal animals.
With a penchant for sapphires, rubies, emeralds and lapis lazuli, McKinney’s long and illustrious career as an international jewellery entrepreneur afforded him special access to gemstone suppliers around the world.
Amid the debut of his newest collection and with decades of fine gemstone art to his credit, this conversation reveals more about the enigmatic artist and his work. Here are some questions and answers that shed more light on McKinney’s career.
Q: Was there anything in your childhood that prompted this particular career path?
A: Yes, I was born in Texas and raised in Hong Kong, and first gained exposure to rough gems as a child while hiking with my father in the steep mountains above the bustling city.
My father was a university gemmologist, and he taught me about the material origins and aesthetic qualities of uncut stones. Using rock hammers, we collected specimens of crystalline quartz, deep red garnets and iron pyrite.
These excursions sparked my lifelong passion for gemstones, and set me on a course to work with them throughout my career as an artist and a jewellery designer.
Q: What spurred your passion to become an artist?
A: In the early 1980s, I learned to source and cut rough gemstones myself, and became a supplier to jewellers in Hong Kong. Later, I established my own gem cutting factory.
Initially serving clients from Idar-Oberstein, which is the gemstone cutting capital of Germany, I honed my skills in cutting a wide array of gems such as tourmalines, garnets, topazes and amethysts.
Later, my association with the pioneering retail company Sharper Image, founded by Richard Thalheimer, propelled my career as a jewellery designer and supplier – it gained me prominence too.
By the early 1990s, I had become one of the leading silver and gold accent jewellery designers in Japan, operating under the playful nom de guerre Daniel Le Duc.
Q: Was there a pivotal moment when your jewellery work morphed into fine art and sculpture?
A: Yes, early on I partnered with former Texas governor John Connally and began creating large bespoke gemstone carvings while exploring Western themes, such as cowboys and horses. Those carvings were sold through Connally’s private network and several galleries across the southwest.
I then took a notable departure from the cowboy motif and crafted a sprawling ornate Chinese mountain scene from a very large ‘tabletop’ aquamarine crystal acquired from Nigeria. That was ultimately purchased by Warren Buffett’s business Borsheims in 1988.
To this day, my work melds Eastern and Western aesthetics, and fuses the spirit of my Texan origins with my childhood in Southeast Asia. In addition to the far corners of the world, I frequently travel to these regions to draw inspiration from them and source new gems.
Q: What are your favourite pieces from the late 1980s and early ’90s?
A: My favourite pieces were large lapis, malachite and jade carvings featuring cowboys and their horses, longhorn cattle, spurs and coyotes.
Beyond these Western themes, I’m also enamoured by the Renaissance period with its artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Michelangelo. Their masterpieces are awe-inspiring and served as my inspiration for various creations including the theme for the Millennium Sapphire, for which I was fortunate to gain much fame.
Q: And what inspired your new collection of bespoke gemstone carvings – and how would you describe it?
A: This new collection reflects my passion for historical figures, artists and architecture, and uses a canvass of large precious gems. The enormous size of many of these sculptures surpasses anything ever seen even in leading museums around the world.
These art carvings, particularly on ruby and sapphire, will be around for potentially millions of years as corundum has a Mohs hardness of nine and is tougher than diamond. The high quality of carving and detail in this collection is unprecedented.
Q: How do you select which gemstone to use for a specific sculpture?
A: The pairing of each gemstone with the subject matter of each carving creates a dialogue between the physical properties of the mineral and the conceptual origins of the work.
Great stories, figures and accomplishments of history, the varied forms and gestures of nature, and even sometimes the evocative musings of myth and fantasy… all of these contribute to my work, which is intended as homage to human accomplishment, imagination and natural wonders.
The luxurious, timeless and durable choice of the precious physical medium of the work serves not only as a bridge from the past to the present but also a cultural lifeline into the distant future.
These stones embody an enduring expression of majestic physical beauty, and the tangible expression of my admiration for both the subject matter and materials used.
Concept and gemstone selection aside, the process of carving and polishing these pieces is both meticulous and spontaneous.
Emergent properties of the crystalline inner structures are only revealed as they’re uncovered by the hewing of the stones. Unpredictable venation, speckles, and areas of opaqueness and translucency give the carvings a prismatic inner life that’s brought forth by their creation.
The story that the pieces tell is twofold; it encapsulates both my epochal intentions as well as the primordial relics of the gemstones’ formation. While work with other materials may fade or decay over time, gemstone is a truly enduring medium. These carvings will not lose their lustre and may well persist in their current form for millennia.
Q: Do you plan to tour galleries with your new collection?
A: My enterprise plans to work with galleries around the world, and cater to their premier clients with our exclusive and rare gemstone canvasses. Our large gemstone carvings will be shown on an exclusive and ‘by invitation’ basis only.
As always, these pieces are never advertised in magazines or shopped on websites. Instead, they’re merchandised through galleries and private dealers who work with an elite clientele. These historical pieces often become family heirlooms before they eventually become prominent pieces displayed in museums.
Q: Do you wish to have these pieces also sold in high end retail interior decor establishments, museum gift shops and artisanal gift stores?
A: Our small pieces can certainly be displayed and sold in museum gift shops or high-end speciality art stores. We will also be working with interior decor consultants to place special bespoke sculptures in elegant homes.