John Hatleberg is a conceptual gem artist recognized for the diversity of his work with jewels. He is the world authority on creating exact replicas of famous diamonds.
John Hatleberg has created exact replicas of famous diamonds since 1987. His replicas are visually indistinguishable from the original diamonds. These diamonds are his passion. Always working with the actual gems, Hatleberg has created molds and/or replicas of the Hope, Centenary, Dresden Green, Eureka, Incomparable, Guinea Star, Portuguese, Blue Heart, Victoria Transvaal, Shah Jahan Table Cut, Excelsior I , McLean-Duchess of Windsor, Oppenheimer, Millennium Star, “Lili”, Steinmetz Pink, Heart of Eternity, Koh-i-Noor, Jonker, Light of Peace, Blue Lili and Wittelsbach-Graff Diamonds. Additional commissions remain undisclosed.
The Smithsonian Institution, DeBeers, the Natural History Museum London, the South African government and the Dresden Green Vaults have all invited this artist to work with their diamonds. Most prominent jewelers including Cartier, Chopard, Laurence Graff, Harry Winston, Robert Mouawad and Thomas Farber have enlisted his talents as have the sightholders William Goldberg, Beny Steinmetz and Marvin Samuels.
This artist is also recognized for the perhaps unprecedented diversity of his work with jewels. He has been known to vaporize diamonds to create diamond air, laser pure gold tattoos, make mirrors of meteorites and sandwich holograms in gems. “She-Jewel” is a nude woman covered in 25,000 gems. “Flower Painting” is a two by two foot field of exquisitely crafted jewels. Mr. Hatleberg has discovered a highly rare and highly phosphorescent diamond known as “Sextimer Diamonds”. “Hope Diamond Chocolates”, created from a mold he made from the actual gem, are in the national permanent design collection of the Cooper-Hewitt Museum.
Museum Exhibitions:
American Museum of Natural History
Carnegie Mellon Museum
LA County Museum of Natural History
Chicago Field Museum
Houston Museum of Natural History
Gemological Institute of America
Royal Ontario Museum
Natural History Museum London
Tokyo National Science Museum
Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation
Musee National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris
Collections:
Museum Fine Arts Boston
Smithsonian Institution
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
Mikimoto Museum
Various royal families worldwide
Auctions:
Christie’s London
Christie’s Los Angeles
Awards:
International Pearl Design Competition Japan
Publications:
“Twentieth Century Jewelry” Christies publisher
Vogue
Paris Vogue
W
Elle
Town and Country
The New Yorker
Playboy
Vanity Fair
Consulting:
“Crowns and Diamonds”, permanent exhibit Tower of London
“Diamants” exhibition Musee National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris
“Famous Diamonds” Ian Balfour Christies publisher
Lectures:
Sotheby’s, with and without the noted diamond historian Ian Balfour Gemological Institute of America
The Gemmological Association of Great Britain
Fashion Institute of Technology
