Before Jade Trau began making diamond jewelry in 2007, she had a long family history in the diamond business to draw on—but that was about it.
“My grandfather was a sightholder,” Trau tells JCK. “He owned S. Trau and had a cutting facility in New York for 40 years. But he never made a piece of jewelry in his life, nor did he ever walk into a trade show. He didn’t feel the need to do that.
“So when I moved into jewelry, I thought it would be simple,” she adds. “I made so many mistakes. Short of the fact that I knew how to use a loupe, I didn’t know anything about jewelry.”
In 2012, after about five years of making one-offs for private buyers, Trau established her eponymous company, which offers diamond and 18k gold jewels. And she hasn’t looked back.
The New York City–based designer recently spoke to JCK about her new Plié line of bangle bracelets and hoops, the shapes that resonate with her, and why she has never ventured into colored stones.
On her new collection
“The Plié collection is my first with bangles and hoops. They were lacking in my collection. I didn’t have the resources to figure out how to do big oversized hoops that weren’t really heavy. I’m very loyal to my one shop. But I had to go to somewhere else to make them. In Vicenza, I found this company that does 18k tubing wire, really well made. It felt like the right time to use it.
“I haven’t had bangles, the solid bangles, because I needed to work on the mechanism, and it required soul-searching to do what felt right. Generally speaking, across all brands I see more problematic bangle hinges than I see impressive ones. I worked on some solid ones, and then these hollow Plié flexy ones are so nice because they are pretty solid.
“And they fill a nice price point. A solid bangle would be $20,000, and these retail between $4,000 and $7,000. And same with the hoops. I have a lot that are front-facing, more like crescents, and some smaller hinged hoops. But I did a large flexy pair in Plié, and I’m obsessed with them.”
On the bangle train
“People have always loved bangles, and maybe the trend of everyone wearing the same Cartier Love bangle is evolving, where we don’t want to feel like we’re wearing a jewelry uniform?”
On her retailers
“My top 10 doors are split between the lifestyle door, like Elyse Walker or ShopEtc, and then I have stores like M. Flynn in Boston, which is owned by two sisters. They’re not watch stores, they’re pure jewelry, not lifestyle. And they act as the new Main Street jeweler. You won’t find Marco Bicego or David Yurman there, but they have a really nice cross section of small brands.
“And I have Rolex-anchored doors, like Frank Adams in Albany, N.Y. Kimberly Adams is just crushing it. She was in the best strip mall you can be in in Albany, and then she found a lot and built her own strip mall a few months ago. Her Rolex boutique is so beautiful, they’re sending people her way.”
On lab-grown diamonds
“I’m not against lab-grown diamonds, but I think they need to be on your glasses or your handbags. It’s wasteful to put them in your fine jewelry. Now you need something that feels unique and special and moves the needle. Something that doesn’t look so generic that it could be fake.”
On stone silhouettes
“My whole thing has always been playing with shapes, especially the round-edged fancies. That’s what my grandfather bought. Parcels of marquises and pear shapes, ovals and round stones—those are my sweet spots.”
On staying with what she knows
“Everyone tries to encourage me to move into other things, like colored stones, but that doesn’t feel authentic to me. Because I’ve stuck to diamonds and gold, my point of view is more important than ever. I don’t get to say, ‘Same collection, rubies now.’ So I have to push the boundaries.
“I genuinely add value because I know it so intrinsically. I go to antique shows and I’m always buying goods. I know what I’m buying is top-notch, and my clients really trust me. I understand the nuances of diamonds.”
Top: Two-Tone Penelope Plié small hoops in 18k gold and platinum with 0.43 ct. t.w. diamonds, $4,800
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