I think that the lobster clasp has ruined a lot of otherwise interesting jewellery designs. Case in point: this Glen Bracelet for Atelier Swarovski by Juan Carlos Obando.
The Atelier line is quite limited in terms of the pieces made and the distribution and usually features a higher price point. Designers are invited to work with existing stones and to collaborate with Swarovski on new cuts, colours, and uses for existing materials.
I like the way Obando incorporated a jet crystal link into this polished metal bracelet. But man, that honking big lobster clasp just inserts a sad trombone “wah, wah, wah” into the entire concept. Maybe that clasp needed to be rhinestone studded too? Or at least the same shade of metal as the links. I dunno – it just doesn’t work for me.
I don’t typically feature things I dislike but lobster clasp and the lazy fabric ties on necklaces are among my big jewellery pet peeves. Design should not stop at the clasp or closure of a piece.
Lecture over.
Should you be a lobster (clasp) lover, this piece sells for USD $180.

I don’t care for it either and I would guess that many buyers will be disappointed by it in the near term too.
To my eyes, there is a litany of disappointments to be found in both the design and execution of this piece, too many for me to catalogue really.
The clasp/closure is an intrinsic design element. With some pieces, maybe even the not important design element. And with so much that is produced today, it’s a throwaway, cheap component that looks like an afterthought and ruins the design, no matter how simple it maybe or how inexpensive the piece is. Lobster clasps and ribbon ties are like the Coles Notes of jewellery … like they couldn’t be bothered to put the effort into telling the full story.