Martha Seely is one of those special designers whose jewelry makes you smile. Since I first met the creator in 2016—then a Rising Star in the Design Center neighborhood of the JCK show in Las Vegas—I have avidly followed her work as it has grown and transformed, all while maintaining her signature feel-good style.
That’s no accident. Seely designs with purpose—to create beautiful things, of course, but also with a goal to help wearers (and admirers) feel happy and beautiful. “It is in my soul to bring more joy and unity, using color and paying homage to the universe,” Seely says. “Throughout the world, no matter what age, people look up at the sky and are in awe. We are all one with the universe, just as with the oceans and flowers.”
Seely continues her quest to spread joy (successfully, I think) and builds on her galaxy of celestial jewels with her new Starburst collection—earrings and a pendant that can rival the fireworks on New Year’s Eve.
These firecracker jewels feature colorful arrangements of assorted sapphires and diamonds—baguettes and princess-cut gems, as well as rounds in varying sizes. You can practically hear the delightful snapping of color and light from them, cheeriness embodied.
“I started working on the idea of a star design over a year ago,” Seely says. “I looked at vintage jewelry representing shooting stars. The Constellation designs, which represent clusters of stars, are still exciting to me—I’ve created new additions there, too. But for some reason I wanted to feature individual stars this time. And of course I wanted color. The original ideas started out with a larger central stone in the middle, but that looked too much like all the other star jewelry I saw. I wanted to represent stars that looked more exciting and almost alive—like fireworks, but stars.”
The jewels do indeed have fireworks quality, and they seem to positively burst with joy—much to the designer’s intention. “I always try to create unique designs to encourage joy, that make their wearer feel happy and special. I want my customers to feel good about themselves, like they‘re the stars. I love that people use their jewelry to represent who they are, not just as an accessory to go with an outfit.”
Top: Starburst stud earrings in 18k yellow gold with 3.2 cts. t.w. multicolor sapphires and tsavorite and 0.08 ct. t.w. diamonds, $4,165; Martha Seely
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