subject: A Tribute To The Late Gabor Nagy: The Legendary Founder Of The Gothic Silver Craze [print this page] What is the Gothic Look? What is the Gothic Look?
The classic silver gothic look is created by a putting together a potent mix of leather clothing and heavy sterling silver jewelry. It is often alternatively referred to as the biker look, the gothic look, the punk look or the rock and roll look. By whatever name you call it, the aforementioned look is a historical phenomenon which has its roots in post-hippie American culture. The concept it commonly inspires often consists of a handsome, rugged, individualistic and masculine man riding a seasoned Harley over winding deserted roads into the sunset with a violent agenda often with an element of heroism. It is one which tickles the imagination and inspires awe, admiration and wonder. Today, the biker look has been popularized by musicians, bikers, biker fans, rock n roll enthusiasts and other cultural trendsetters keen to express new age fashion through the snazzy, head-turning outfits and accessories they wear. This writeup is a testament to the legendary Gabor Nagy: the fashion visionary who spearheaded gothic fashion during the era of the biker.
Who is Gabor Nagy, and what is Gaboratory?
The Gabor Nagy school, established in the early 90's, was started by the late Gabor Nagy, and was the very first pioneer and grandfather of the gothic biker look. Long before the existence of Chrome Hearts and other well-known gothic jewelry brands came into existence, the one man who started the entire biker jewelry craze marketed his crazy, earth-shaking ideas to the fashion industry and succeeded in getting everybody sold on the silver-leather look.
Gabor Nagy the Visionary
The man was nothing short of a a fashion visionary; one way ahead of his peers. Going head-on against established paradigms of jewelry as tiny, delicate looking accessories worn only by wealthy, upper class ladies, Gabor conceptualized the entire idea of biker jewelry, which shook the fashion industry. Taking the shape of thick, chunky sterling silver bracelets and rings bearing loudly anarchistic gothic carved-in designs, gothic silver jewelry could hardly be described as delicate or feminine. Very much contrary to traditional jewelry which stirred ideas of societal class and conformity, biker jewelry created the contrasting image of the renegade outlaw biker. It became instantly obvious at the outset that this was really not an accessory which traditional buyers of jewelry (the socialites) would wear.
Despite the seemingly terrible odds, Gabor Nagy single handedly pioneered and led a fashion renaissance and brought jewelry for the first time into the realm of mens wear. Trendsetters, celebrities & and many other leading icons quickly grew to love the beautiful designs and solid feeling, and snapped up his jewelry pieces in sizeable numbers. Fans naturally caught wind quickly of the changing fashion trends, and quickly followed suit.
The other thing makes Gaboratory's groundbreaking success even more impressive is the oft-forgotten fact that Gabor Nagy pioneered his ideas in a time when diamonds had sent metal jewelry out of fashion. Sterling silver was at that time seen as a mere complement to the diamond, the star accessory which had successfully dominated the globe of jewelry since the phenomenally successful advertising efforts of De Beers in the 1950s. Gabor thought otherwise. He saw that unlike diamonds whose surfaces could accommodate only patternless and impersonal cuts and angles, sterling silver could undergo extensive artistic handcraft and be turned into unique pieces of artwork imbued with the heart of the artist. He sought to bring sterling silver back into the limelight, and he did so in dramatic style.
Gabor's global footprint
The gothic silver fashion created a global impact which spread well beyond the shores of USA. Within a year of Gabor's revolution, Japanese tourists first set eyes on biker jewelry in downtown Los Angeles, fell instantly in love with the expertly crafted artwork and imported the thirst for gothic silver jewelry across the Atlantic to Asia. Today, the fashion craze has spread also to mainland Europe, especially in France and Germany. In Asia, (Taiwan, Korea and Japan) an entire new culture of individuality has emerged to down out the strait-jacketed & strictly hierarchical traditional South Asian culture.
Although Gabor died several years ago, his spirit continues to inspire designers from all over the globe. The Gaboratory school of design spawned an entire generation of gifted students successful in their own right, including Bill Wall and Travis Walker, the owners of the well-known Bill Wall Leather and Double Cross designer labels. Richard Stark of Chrome Hearts, arguably the most successful designer label in the realm of gothic silver jewelry, gleaned much of his inspiration from Gabor Nagy's work, and today's classic CH designs arguably have their roots in Gabor's early work.
Gaboratory replicas & inspired alternatives: Why they are becoming more popular
In recent days, Gaboratory has faced challenges in the form of several offshore competitors possessing the talent, resources & ability to deliver equally detailed, gorgeous & well-crafted luxury gothic styled silver jewelry to bikers and other rock-culture lovers at a fraction of its jewelry prices. Now, fans of gothic silver jewelry have easy and affordable access to an extensive range of alternatives to original jewelry. They are wising up to the reality of branding, which is actually no more than an imaginary concept. Brand is not something which customers will always be willing to pay for. In view of the easy affordability of cheaper & just as intricate offerings, it is little surprise that luxury label jewelry isn't an uncommon sight on the streets notwithstanding the luxury brand prices of the original.
The new & somewhat wiser sentiment is: why bust the bank on luxury label jewelry when one can get a practically identical piece made from the same Highest grade 925 sterling silver at a miniscule fraction of the price?
However, it is important to understand and confirm the quality of jewelry you are paying for. Gaboratory Jewelry competitors range from Top quality alternatives & close replicas by freelance expert jewelers to mass-producing manufacturers who churn out low grade imitations made from cheap materials such as steel and copper.
To learn everything you need to know about selecting top grade replicas made from real sterling silver jewelry, visit skull Jewelry
