When JCK checked in with Graziela Kaufman, founder of Graziela, last summer, she casually mentioned a forthcoming men’s collection. It debuted in April, and if you were expecting a small, half-hearted capsule to complement her high-glam, super-gemmy women’s pieces, you’d be way off base. What we have here is a robust, fully realized line with its own design vocabulary that spans multiple categories .
The men’s collection also appears to be a compelling correlate to the fact that Kaufman spent most of the pandemic quarantine period immersed in an atmosphere of round-the-clock masculine energy. Constantly under the same roof as her husband and four teenage and college-age sons, she found the pressure to “man up” was on.
“For years, my four boys and husband asked me to design a men’s collection,” Kaufman said in the collection notes. “I created this collection with them in mind. A masculine interpretation of an evil eye for protection, a flip stone element for the man that can’t stop moving his hands, and mountain-shape stones for the ski lovers and hikers. There’s a little bit of my family in each piece!”
There are cufflinks, beaded bracelets, and dog tag thingies amid lots of onyx and blackened metal, which aligns with what today’s consumers and retail buyers want from a contemporary men’s jewelry collection. But these pieces feel cooler somehow, as they bear Kaufman’s design signatures of graphic configurations and bold colors (i.e, lapis, malachite, tsavorite, and blue sapphire). The turquoise pieces feel especially fresh for a men’s line that’s not intended to be Southwestern; the vibe here is vibrant, hopeful, and shoulders-thrown-back.
And with prices starting at $150, they’re especially gift-friendly for Father’s Day and graduation.
“I feel that the flip-stone pieces are amazing Father Day’s gifts,” Kaufman tells JCK about the necklaces pictured at top, which can also be purchased on a knotted leather cord. “We can even engrave the metal side to make it personalized. I’d also love the protection pieces to be gifted to a dad.”
The classic evil eye motif surfaces in one of the rings shown below, but you hardly recognize it. It’s very subtle—a great way to tacitly equip a young person with some protective armor as they step out into this crazy world.
See highlights from the line below. As an homage to Kaufman’s home country of Brazil, all the pieces are named in Portuguese.
Top, from left: Quadrado flip necklace in black ruthenium sterling silver and black enamel with lapis, $675; Quadrado flip necklace in black ruthenium sterling silver and black enamel with onyx and white topaz, $635; and Quadrado flip necklace in black ruthenium sterling silver and black enamel with malachite, $635; all on 22-inch silver box chains; Graziela
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