Being a jewelry lover can be a true liability when you’re a jewelry editor, like me. If I purchased every piece I saw and coveted, I’d be finely bejeweled—and homeless.
Which isn’t to say that I don’t dream about buying jewelry. Especially when I’m in Las Vegas for jewelry week. Perhaps because the pandemic limited opportunities to see jewelry in person, the collections I saw at the JCK and Couture shows in June blew me away with their creativity, originality, and craftsmanship.
Below are five pieces that have been on my mind since I spied them in Sin City.
The crab pendant in Menagerie, Lauren Harwell Godfrey’s capsule collection of animal-inspired pieces, spoke to me because my sun sign is Cancer and while I’m always drawn to the symbol, I’ve never seen the creature crafted quite so intricately or lovingly (even its little claws are articulated!).
The extraordinary earrings in Lydia Courteille’s gem-tastic Indian Song collection are statement makers of the highest order. As a devotee of Indian history and culture, I recognize a fellow Indophile when I see one. The elaborate pieces Courteille created are a love letter to Indian cosmology and architecture, to Hindu temples and the gods that occupy them, and to the birds and animals of Indian myths and magic. They are substantial in every way.
If money were no object, I’d sate my long-standing desire for an important gemstone ring with this blue sapphire stunner from Picchiotti, an old-school manufacturer based in Italy’s Valenza region. Simple in its design, the diamond-surround setting is the perfect pedestal for the 7.2 ct. unheated Sri Lankan sapphire at its center.
Designer Ann Korman, of ARK Fine Jewelry, captivated me when she explained the inspiration behind her Awakenings collection of sapphire and plique-à-jour enamel designs. In their evocation of the sunrise, the pieces—like the chic cigar band featured below—signal our collective search for new beginnings, perfectly encapsulating jewelry’s ability to be both beautiful and deeply meaningful.
Finally, I’d round out my collection with a dreamy Night & Day necklace from Anna Maccieri Rossi, whose love for my favorite artist, the Belgian surrealist René Magritte, I’ve already highlighted. “A story of change, transformation, freedom” is how Rossi described the piece, which takes its cues from Magritte’s famous The False Mirror cloudscape painting, on Instagram. Art! And jewelry! In one! What more could I ask for?
Top: Indian Song earrings in 18k gold with spinels, rubies, sapphires, white diamonds, and 53 cts. t.w. emeralds, 79,000 euros (about $79,000), price on request; Lydia Courteille
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