Energy builds in Kotomori's jewelry designs

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Fashion Writer

•	'Energy Within' Meet designer Amos Kotomori and view his jewelry Noon to 2 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 16 C.S. Wo, 702 S. Beretania

Kotomori will introduce his first line of jewelry to the public Sunday.

The 35-piece collection was inspired by Kotomori's travels throughout Asia. The raw materials came from his tradition of bringing back a necklace for each of his favorite sculptures, a bull and a horse, as a coming-home gift. Why? Kotomori credited them with protecting his home and keeping it safe during his time away. He started taking apart the necklaces because "I needed to lighten the load and recycle."

His process is anything but scientific: He sits down on his living room floor with every saimin, rice and soup bowl he owns spread out in front of him. He puts stones and beads into the bowls, mixing textures, sizes and colors. "I recombine them until they feel like they're happy. It has to feel like the right thing to do for that piece. Then I stop."

As an advertising stylist, Kotomori's work is hectic and stressful. His jewelry provides "a nice balance. It's the contemplative, tai chi in my life." He strings his beads in the quiet of late night and early morning.

As with other aspects of his life, there is a spiritual side to Kotomori's jewelry. He calls the collection "energy within" because he hopes that "each piece will find its own master. There's a pulse to it and it comes alive in the right hands."

Many of his pieces have 108 beads because both Buddha beads and Catholic rosaries are strung with 108 beads. Astrology and the constellations also play a role in some of his designs and selections of stones.

He enjoys working with jade, pearls, opal, turquoise, Peking glass and moonstone.

Kotomori's jewelry pieces sell for $500 to $20,000. They will be sold at C.S. Wo through Feb. 16, and on an ongoing basis at Riches Kahala and Wilkes Bashford in San Francisco.