Don Shoemaker Furniture

Many of my readers have asked me to write about Don´s “Diamond Line” designs. You may recall that I already published a post on the renowned diamond desk, which became a legend as one of Mexico´s most prominent newscasters, Jacobo Zabludovsky used to broadcast the daily news sitting on his diamond desk. I also called on your attention to the brand new unlabeled diamond desk copies that I have found on sale at auctions and galleries. (Check my posts “AAD – Appearances are deceptive” and “New Don S. Shoemaker copies – the diamond desk”).

The “Diamond Line” or sometimes referred as to the “Z Line” was the result from Don´s experiments during the decade of the 70´s with linear designs, these furniture pieces were superbly crafted in laminated exotic woods, some of which I will introduce to you below.

Diamond Line dining or conference table. This spectacular stack-laminated table could be used for a dining room set or a conference room.

Matching dining/conference table ZigZag chairs. This is Don´s reinterpretation from the De Stijl, the famous cantilevered zigzag chair designed by Garrit Rietveld. The pictures below show a pair of these ZigZag chairs, although I have to point out that the traditional Shoemaker black leather upholstery that comes attached to seat and back is missing on these chairs.

Diamond Line side table. Very stylish, the perfect complement for a Diamond dining room set. As seen in a Mexico City gallery.

Of course, there are more geometric designs to show from this line, but I will keep some of them for a future occasion!

Copyright © 2011 Karin Goyer. All Rights Reserved.

@donshoemaker.com

Are you prepared to buy Don S. Shoemaker originals? Let´s make a quiz…

Appearances are deceptive. That´s why you must train your eye to find the differences between the originals, the copies and  forgeries. It is like playing the cartoon of the 7 differences, but this time with the added value that you can lose a lot of money in a bad perception. This is the only weapon that we collectors have to fight forgers that are flooding the market taking advantage of our good faith.

Do not forget the MANTRA: if the piece seems odd,  if the leather is new, the wood looks new and smells like new, and carries no label or stamp or is taped, then it is a forgery or a brand new copy !

• The Sling side table is part of the original “Sling Casuals Line” designed by Don S. Shoemaker in the 60´s. I have included a picture of an original Sling side table from my personal collection and a picture of a brand new copy, as seen at an auction. The Sling side table was available either with a wooden top or a leather top.

Now, are you ready to identify which one is the original Sling side table and which one is the copy?

• Another example for you to analyze. Which one is the original Don S. Shoemaker diamond desk and which one is the copy?

• The Elephant Lounge chair: which one is the original Don S. Shoemaker and which one is the forgery?

• This table is the last one in our quiz. Have you decided which one is the original Don S. Shoemaker table and which one is the fake? One of them was found in a Mexican auction house and the other one in a Chicago based auction house.

Copyright © 2010 Karin Goyer. All rights Reserved

@donshoemaker.com

During the decade of the 70´s Don experimented with linear designs and created the “Diamond Line” or sometimes referred as to “Z Line”, built in laminated tropical woods. There is a very well-known example, the diamond desk of Jacobo Zabludovsky, one of Mexico´s most famous newscasters. Street tales say that a total of 25 diamond desks were produced, but the unlabeled desks currently on sale might be easily 10 times that number…

To compare, let’s review two samples of the original Don S. Shoemaker diamond desk versions available during the 70′s and 80′s, showing some completely normal wear on the surface and on the desk legs, great looking laminated tropical woods, both carrying the Don S. Shoemaker original label:

Below are samples of brand new diamond desk copies as I have already seen several of them around, based on both original versions shown above. As you are able to judge by yourself, the laminated woods look brand new, evident is the total absence of patina, no scratches, no dents. The wood has still the greenish color of fresh cut wood, the surface shows no wear at all, and no Don S. Shoemaker label is present.

Again, I will withhold information about the original design to prevent better copies!

Copyright © 2010 Karin Goyer. All rights Reserved

@donshoemaker.com