Adrienne's Jewelry picks
Fashion and jewelry watcher, Adrienne Weinfeld-Berg weighs
in on a few of her favorite brands to watch.
in on a few of her favorite brands to watch.
Judi Powers
Brooklyn-based, Judi Powers embodies her collection with a joyous, easy-going, high luxury aura, mingled with a discreet sense of understated elegance by way of flora, fauna, beach and art inspirations. Her delicate eco-pieces have such descriptive names as Dharma, Amada, A Tree Grows, Botanica, Talisman, Gum Drops, Love Letters and Wedding. Both modern and timeless, they are made from repurposed and recycled precious metals, ethically-sourced and natural color diamonds, blue sapphires, tourmalines, crystals, tsavorite, and more in her signature cashmere style finishes. (judipowersjewelry.com) Aero Diamonds
The Diamonds in Space collection by Aero Diamonds focuses on a new concept of artistry involving diamonds connected without any kind of traditional mounting. The Add-A-Diamond Heritage Program is a hallmark of the grouping. Centered around petite diamond earrings, ear jackets, rings, necklaces and chokers, one of the biggest stars was the outrageous, custom-made, diamond ankle bracelet, created especially for two super-fashiony celebs. Now, while we cannot mention any names, you get the idea. (aerodiamonds.com) |
GoldHenn
A beautiful thing is never perfect and life is about celebrating the luxury of imperfection - this is the credo at GoldHenn. The name is pronounced like golden. All kinds of rocks, minerals, gemstones and even gravel serve as inspiration behind this collection, entirely handcrafted by artisans in New York and Santa Fe. An eclectic assortment of precious stones and diamond rings, earrings and necklaces (often mismatched) as well as horn bracelets of all sizes, some set in 18K gold and liberally sprinkled with diamonds. According to designer Meaghan Hennelly, “Horn is ethically and sustainably sourced through farming practices. The animals are not hunted for their horns. Lacquer is applied over the horn to achieve color. And, for fun, horn is a good luck talisman!!” (goldhenn.com) Giovanni Raspini
A nearly fifty-year destiny of beauty, intermixed with an attitude, makes Italy-based Giovanni Raspini so very unique and off the beaten track. Crafted in the heart of Tuscany, highly detailed and hand-made pieces run the gamut from soft and pretty to completely outrageous and crazy. Of course, the intertwined necklaces, rings and bracelets are sexy and desirable in their own right, but the sterling silver ice bucket, adorned with crocodile handles is the coolest thing ever to hold ice, champagne, wine and everything in between. (giovanniraspini.com) |
William Henry
Known for its luxury knives, McMinnville, Oregon-based William Henry, offers a very different kind of men's luxury jewelry. In embracing handcrafted, wild and wooly money clips, pendants, necklaces and bracelets, with names such as Yucatan, Grandis, Full Circle, First Mate, Woodstock, Lancet and Kells Cross 111, the pieces evoke the past, present and future, incorporating bold prehistoric elements—think dinosaur bone—and modern accents (many found in the American West), along with intricate details, patterns and unique mechanisms. Among the other ingredients are diamonds, rose gold, sterling, nickel silver, rubber, copper, brass, frosted black onyx, red topaz and blue sapphire in a unique blend of patterns and designs, including skulls and other edgy motifs. (williamhenry.com) |
Marahlago
Known as the Caribbean gemstone, Larimar offers mesmerizing colors ranging from sky blue with wispy clouds to a deep oceanic blue with crashing waves. The enigmatic gem was discovered on a beach in the Dominican Republic when fishermen found white and green colored pebbles that had been dislodged by an earthquake and had fallen into a river. Today, Nevada-based Marahlago offers a lovely array of the blue gem in fashion-forward settings, generally silver, and often enhanced with other gemstones. “Several years ago, Marahlago used the top 3% of larimar in jewelry and the high grade stone was just 20 to 30 feet below the surface. Today, we use less than 1 % and the best quality is several hundred feet deep. It's becoming a little harder to find and more difficult to extract!” explains Karen Ellenson, Executive Operations. (marahlago.com) |
Andreoli
A Charming old-world jewelry house that was established in Valenza, Italy in 1945, Andreoli is well known for its prestige and glamorous collections. Centering on a fresh, fertile, fun attitude and worn by a bevy of beautiful (and Royal) international women, the collections include a broad array of luxurious gem-set jewels and even very contemporary titanium jewelry. While a third-generation is now onboard, continuing the brand’s legacy originally begun by Abraham Hadjibay, the values and quality are the same as when the company first opened up its doors nearly a century ago. A team of top Valenza-based artisans continually seeks out new technical challenges, unusual materials and motifs to create intricately configured, fashionably cutting-edge collections. (andreoliusa.com) |
Nina Nguyen
Growing up in war-torn Vietnam, the beginnings of Nina Nguyen's love affair with jewelry, colored gemstones and eclectic design and fashion began when she was a young girl, helping her uncle, a goldsmith in his jewelry casting foundry, working with locally panned gold, “The jewelry I design now is a reflection of my spirit. I create each piece to be unique, feminine and stylish. I envision my pieces empowering the wearer.” After arriving in America with her mother, the young girl designed jewelry as a hobby throughout high school and college. Today, her rich cultural background flows into collections combining understated elegance, lighthearted and bold styling and detailed design techniques. Hand-forged bangles, delicate rings, earrings, necklaces and wrap bracelets in silver and gold, worn singly or together, present the look and feeling of precious, long-ago gems, now in a beautiful antique treasure chest. (nina-nguyen.com) |