If it’s by Martha Seely, I’m in love with it. That was the conclusion I quickly came to after first meeting the Massachusetts-based designer years ago, instantly enamored with her spin on celestial-inspired, gemmy jewels.
One cuff bracelet, which feels well suited for this very in-between time of year, is no exception.
It is a rare occasion when I find myself fixated on sterling silver, yet here we are. There’s something about the way the designer has so smoothly paired a sleek, silvery canvas with the rich gold of her gemstone-hugging bezels that I barely even notice the bracelet’s two-tone nature—it’s just a harmonious, seemingly meant-to-be blend.
The cuff’s focal point: Seely’s signature celestial design, this one inspired by the time between the sun’s setting and the stars’ appearances. A crescent moon of diamonds gracefully cradles the center opal, a stellar gem in its own right with its galaxy of color. At each side, a row of five round, bezel-set tanzanites aligns in perfect succession.
“The origins of the Blue Hour collection come simply from a love for that ‘golden hour’ at sunrise and sunset, when the sun is almost down and everything takes on a golden glow, but the sky looks super blue and often with the orange, yellow, and purple colors the sun gives to the clouds,” Seely tells me. “Opals really connected to that vision, as well as the tanzanites.”
The cuff itself is not brand-new—in fact, it won a design award in 2022—but its recent appearance at Melee the Show in New York this summer serves as a reminder of the staying power of artisan jewels: Well-thought-out, expertly crafted, meaningful pieces never go out of style. “It always takes a little time for my designs to actually get out there into the real world,” Seely says. But once they’re out there, there’s no forgetting them.
Top: Blue Hour cuff bracelet in sterling silver and 18k yellow gold with 8 mm Ethiopian opal, 2.9 cts. t.w. tanzanite, and 0.138 ct. t.w. diamonds, $4,560; Martha Seely
Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazineFollow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine
