ama
Pearls from the depth of the mysterious sea
Pearls from the depth of the mysterious sea
The Ama Collection visually evokes the delicate shells of mussels that produce treasured pearls. Meticulously cut glass of substantial size encases a pearl in its center in the form of a light source providing soft ambient light.
The refined elegance of pearls was transposed into the precisely executed form of the Ama lights, designed by Václav Mlynář, BOMMA Creative Director. As he explains,
“Ama is the perfect form of sea shells that create and protect pearls. Much like in the Mussels Collection, I found inspiration in those mysterious lives under the surface of the sea.“
The name of this collection refers to pearls, specifically the Japanese female pearl divers called Ama. In Japanese, the word ama refers to a ‘woman of the sea‘ – a female pearl diver who traditionally collected pearls in Japan over centuries. There are two available construction variations of the mounting that may be preconfigured and determine whether the shell will be opened or closed, evoking real-life pearl mussels. “These lights enable beautiful combinations of opened and closed shells, always creating an original constellation,” Václav Mlynář explains.
Each glass shell is produced by using a special glassmaking technique. Over the course of two days, the glass is heated and gradually melts by its own weight into a prepared conical mold. Ama lighting comes in both opened and closed versions that work beautifully as individual pieces or natural groupings into mussel clusters.
Václav Mlynář is a Prague-based designer working across product design, lighting, interiors and spatial installations. His work combines traditional craftsmanship with contemporary technologies, always with a strong focus on materials, manufacturing and storytelling. He is the Creative Director of the Czech lighting brand BOMMA, founder of MONUMENT Office, and teaches Product Design at NC State University Prague. A graduate of UMPRUM in Prague and the Royal College of Art in London, his work spans product design, interiors, exhibitions and immersive spatial experiences for clients across Europe and beyond.
