I have a number of favorite booths at JCK Las Vegas—but I never let a show go by without stopping in on Starborn Creations, the Sedona, Ariz., jewelry company that specializes in vividly hued, one-of-a-kind pieces featuring unusual gemstones, minerals, and fossils.
Stepping into the wholesaler’s booth, which is always stacked to the rafters with trays of colorful, boho-looking pieces, feels a little like walking into the jewelry wardrobe of a ’60s icon—say, Joni Mitchell or Jim Morrison.
Pendants anchoring hunks of shimmering, uncut pyrite and slices of fossilized moss; silver bracelets featuring knots of malachite, amethyst, and aquamarine; brilliant rings inset with drusy and meteorite—the aptly named collection excels in designing looks that showcase some of the planet’s most dazzling byproducts.
Blue pietersite, iolite, white topaz, and pearl bracelet, $898
At the brand’s booth this year, I was surprised to see a few pieces fabricated in brass and gold-plated brass; these metals aren’t new to the collection, but made a particularly strong showing this year.
Among those, a piece I absolutely flipped for and that piqued tons of interest on my Instagram feed was the hammered “Arkansas” gold-plated brass cuff. The rustic-feeling cuff features a lineup of double terminated quartz crystals wrapped in bands of gold-plated brass.
Me, trying on Starborn Creations’ cool Arkansas cuff (Photo by the author)
Chalk up our collective obsession with cuffs to Wonder Woman hysteria, but this earthy, tough creation touches on a few trends currently percolating in jewelry: hammered texturing, uncut crystals, and an almost primitive-feeling design aesthetic that fashion jewelry buyers have been clamoring for.
The Arkansas bracelet comes in three metals: gold-plated brass ($398), sterling silver with gold plating ($698), and sterling silver ($698). And it’s definitely on my holiday wish list.
(Top: Starborn Creations’ Arkansas cuff)
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