Jewelry

Fall For This Jewelry As We Head Into Autumn - Forbes

With Fall 2019 right around the corner, I have been thinking about all the jewelry I've seen during the summer months of trade shows/press previews and the pieces I covet and want to add into my own jewelry collection.

And, if you are anything like me, you will want a little pick me up, now that vacation days are almost behind us until December and  the warm weather months seemed to zoom by—letting us know that it’s back to  school, work, and reorganizing our lives into full schedules that hit right after Labor Day weekend.

Although, the fine jewelry you add to your collections should be timeless, there is something about the crispness the air, wearing cashmere sweaters and leather and suede jackets instead of tanks and T-shirts that conjure up certain pieces that are essentials to the season, evoke the tones, textures and the autumnal hues of the fall and new beginnings,  yet can be worn year-round and won’t go out of style no matter what season it is.

Here are some of my picks for 'pick me up' jewels for after Labor Day and why I’ve chosen them I've organized them by theme. 

1-The Second Time Around creates a current vibe when emerging talents rework antique pieces with modern bezels for pendants and handmade shanks for rings. Samantha Jackson of Heavenly Vices frames one-of-a-kind love tokens, which were actual coins in different denominations in sterling silver, different karats of gold, ground down in the front to personalize and give as a token of friendship, familial or romantic love. Her ingenuity and passion for hunting down the most beautifully executed engravings, heartfelt, playful and surprising sayings, mottoes and rebus coins led her to want to transform them into pieces contemporary women can wear. Her collection also includes signet rings and pendants -reimagined from the over 1000 love tokens she has amassed. This pendant features an engraving of a maple leaf with a meaning of reserve and/or patience in sterling silver in a modern 14K gold and diamond bezel on a 14K gold chain.

Shari Cohen breathes new life into hardstone and glass (Tassie) intaglios with sentimental and significant motifs and mottos for her Seal & Scribe collection. She then creates new one-of-a-kind hand-finished finely detailed  “frames” for each one of them to offer the modern woman a fresh incarnation of these antique seals to which they can relate and ascribe their own meanings. The particular ring features an amethyst intaglio which is engraved with an oak tree (for bravery and resilience)   and the saying Insperata Floruit/It Has Flourished Unexpectedly Well". 

2-Only You and you alone with have this custom jewel. It’s one of the most personal types of jewelry—one in which you work with the designer whose style you are head over heels over. You can choose one-of-a-kind jewels and that will feel special and extraordinary,  but how much more exceptional will it be to collaborate with the designers to create something which steeped In memories, emotion, significance and says so much about you and what you want to project to the world.

Kim Dunham who was in our recent Independent Designs To Know article works with clients on custom designs based on everything from astrology to their husband’s hobbies to where they spent their honeymoons to a quote that defines how they live their life. Her creativity knows no bounds when she is working with multi-memories and moments. For Her most recent creation “crest” signet ring, her client gave her a variety of symbols to work into the ring, all that represented different aspects of her life with her husband, pets and grandfather (These included: Harvest Moon, Virgo symbol, stars, wheat symbol and inside inscription ‘Do What You Love;  which was last advice she received from her 93-year-old old grandfather)

3-Let’s Twist Again On A Classic Style in jewelry. “Whatever old is new again” is a saying that we have come to use in jewelry. We will see certain shapes, motifs and styles reimagined and reinterpreted in renditions that range from edgy to elegant. This season is no exception. Hoops are redefined with triangle shapes in two different collections and two different looks. They are designed with a knife-edge silhouette and black diamonds in Harley Godwell’s collection, while Sorellina features their expressive take, crafted in onyx with spikes of diamond accents. TAP by Todd Pownell takes the diamond pendant to a whole new level with inverted marquis shaped diamonds sent into an 18K gold disc. Gabriella Kiss's handmade snake motifs are some of the best in the market. Her hoop earrings in small and large versions are a classic and this snake bangle with diamond eyes and champagne diamond head is a piece that anyone who loves serpent motifs will want to own.

4-Jewelry Designed To Tell It Like It is in styles that offer modern, relevant, heartfelt and sometimes irreverent messages. Thea Miller of Dru Jewelry has become known for her cheeky, often empowering messages on signet rings, medallions and bracelets. In this new ID bracelet style, the message is “Come As You Are”—a strong reminder that we should always believe in ourselves and showing our truest self, we can move forward with positivity and strength. Sofia Zakia’s jewelry relies on the mystical and the magical, from celestial to tarot symbols and iconograph. Each of her pieces offers compelling significance. Her ring with diamonds and other precious gemstones on one side and the saying “Protect Me” on the other. It’s a simple saying that allows the wearer to feel safe and secure in today’s world and to ward off fear and trepidation.

5-If I Only Had A Heart or two or three, these are the ones I’d choose. Throughout history, different styles of hearts represented different types of love. Modern designers are more open to hearts that reflect all types of love in creative and beautifully designed renderings on the iconic motif.  The Orly Marcel collection’s 22K heart is set with different stones. The one pictured here is set with rubies for passion, diamonds for enduring love and emeralds for hope and prosperity. Designer Orly Eisbart explains, “For me, this powerful symbol represents love as the center of everything, overflowing with abundance, and acceptance. I hope it will remind the wearers to always lead from their heart.” Lily Fitgerald has designed what seems like a heart within a heart. It’s 22K gold with a diamond slice in the center and the chain is comprised of 22K and coral beads. Michelle Fantaci’s blue enamel heart accented with diamond baguettes hangs off a paper clip style chain with an orb surrounded by baguettes. Pairing this motif with a three-dimensional orb is a play on the heart of the world and how love can conquer all obstacles if we let it.  

6- It’s the perfect time of the year to turn over A New Leaf or to take in the glory of natural motifs like branches and autumn’s blooms. Nak Armstrong creates leaf earrings that take on the feeling of intricate mosaic art with a mix of emeralds and other gemstones. They are truly breathtaking. Annette Ferdinandsen's flair for garden and woodsy motifs takes shape in branches, blossoming with floral motifs crafted from carved garnets for earrings. Two different styles that are both creative in composition yet timeless in appeal.