Contemporary/Undated Archives

Brilliant & Black: Sotheby’s celebrates Black jewelers.

September 20, 2021

Something extremely cool is happening in the jewelry world right now: an all-new exhibition at Sotheby’s that is solely dedicated to celebrating the work of Black jewelers.

Brilliant & Black: A Jewelry Renaissance opened at Sotheby’s New York on September 17th and will run through September 26th. Co-curated by jewelry writer and stylist, Melanie Grant (who is a fantastic IG follow, btw) and Sotheby’s Sale Director of Jewelry, Frank Everett, the exhibition showcases custom-made creations and signature designs by more than twenty of the world’s leading Black jewelry designers spanning a range of periods and styles from the 1950s to the present day and every piece is for sale.

Sotheby's Brilliant & Black is an exhibition of work by Black jewelers. Image Courtesy of Menelik Puryear

And yes, my darlings, it is as dazzling as you’re imagining. The range of style and personality and sheer luminous beauty is electric. If you’re in NYC, go see this in person. It will be awesome.

I’m not going to waste your time by blathering on when I know we all just want to see the jewelry. I don’t have room to show you all 63 pieces by these brilliant Black jewelers, but I’m going to spotlight some of my faves.

Three extraordinary rings by Maggi Simpkins for Sotheby's Brilliant & Black, an exhibition of work by Black jewelers

Maggi Simpkins is a jeweler I’ve admired for years. I found her through Instragram and always enjoyed seeing her creative, colorful rings. When I heard she was designing several pieces specifically for Sotheby’s Brilliant & Black, I knew they would be good…but the reality is even more incredible than I had imagined. She BEYOND knocked it out of the park. I mean, LOOK at these rings.

These rings give me chills. When I look at them, I feel them in the pit of my stomach. This is exceptional stones and visionary artistry combined in the best way. Yes, Maggi Simpkins, yes!

Necklace and emerald brooch by Castro, from Sotheby's Brilliant & Black, an exhibition of work by Black jewelers

Castro is another superstar Black jeweler who you may already be familiar with. If not, congratulations, because you get to see his work for the first time and that’s a treat. It was a real struggle deciding which of Castro’s pieces to show you because they’re all SO COOL.

Born in Ohio and now based in Istanbul, Castro’s work is opulent, elaborate, striking, and always a revelation. Just look at these two pieces and you’ll see what I mean. The necklace on the left, Antique Bisque Doll, converts into a shorter necklace and a detachable pendant – and the doll pendant is wearing a removable mask.

Earrings and pendant by Castro, from Sotheby's Brilliant & Black, an exhibition of work by Black jewelers

I was trying not to go too in-depth on any particular artist in this post, but I had to give you a closer look at the pendant from the Bisque Doll necklace. On the left is Castro’s other lot in the sale, a pair of earrings. Each design is worth staring at for hours. They almost have a Renaissance jewelry vibe, don’t you think? What an incredibly talented artist.

Brass necklace by Art Smith Sotheby's Brilliant & Black, an exhibition of work by Black jewelers

Art Smith is a full on jewelry icon/legend. An avid supporter of dance who was known for his support of gay and Black civil rights, Smith is considered one of the leading modern jewelers of the mid-century. Not only did he open his own shop in the 1946’s, but Smith’s work sold in department stores in the 1950’s and has been repeatedly featured in Vogue, and exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum and Cooper Hewitt.

My eyes love to dance across the whorls of this Art Smith necklace – my gaze is pulled up and down and across. I can’t resist it.

Deisgns by ALMASIKA from Sotheby's Brilliant & Black, an exhibition of work by Black jewelers

Almasika by Parisian-born Catherine Sarr is a brand I already know and love. Utterly chic and luscious, the designer’s work is heavily inspired by meaningful symbolism like the cowrie shell that forms the building block of these gorgeous black rhodium and diamond earrings earrings. The cuff and the other pair of earrings are buttery 18K yellow gold with tsavorite garnets.

That ridged gold just looks so satisfying to touch, doesn’t it? I want to pet that cuff bracelet.

Jeweler Oliver Smith celebrates 40 years with dazzling jewels.

July 29, 2021

This year marks 40 years in the jewelry biz for jeweler Oliver Smith and he’s celebrating in the best possible way: by releasing two spectacular new collections! One is geometric with dazzling diamonds in innovative arrangements and the other is pure color brilliance with spectacular many-hued stones in classic styles.

Do you want to see? Of course you do!

Diamond jewels of the Cairn collection by Oliver Smith

Jeweler Oliver Smith celebrates 40 years with dazzling jewels.

Here’s a taste of the Cairn Collection. This all-diamond collection from Oliver Smith is noteworthy for the absolutely fresh way that it combines diamonds into unexpected shapes. Each piece is a delightful surprise, a beautiful and unique discovery.

An avid outdoorsman, Oliver Smith found the inspiration for Cairn’s distinctive lines while trekking along unmapped hiking trails. In the designer’s own words:

When you hike unmapped trails, sometimes the only way to figure out the route is to look for the cairn markers. Whenever I’m in Switzerland for the watch fairs I go hiking in Chamonix and Zermatt. There, the only way to figure out where the path is going is by studying the current formations. Rocks stacked on top of each other identify the path.”

There’s something so poignant about a collection inspired by the trail markers that a hiker leaves behind to help other strangers find their way through the wilderness.

Diamond necklaces from the Cairn collection by Oliver Smith

Aren’t these Cairn pendants cool? Each is subtle at first glance, but the eye delights in flitting across each piece’s bright angles and lines.

As a jewelry designer who has a strong connection to the outdoors, Oliver Smith is committed to using sustainable sourcing practices when possible. The Cairn collection features many reclaimed diamonds sourced from existing jewelry. Smith collects and recycles estate jewelry, carefully freeing up diamonds of different cuts, shapes, colors, sizes and clarity to set anew in the stunning Cairn pieces.

Beautiful colored sapphire and diamond jewels from the Oliver Smith Prism Collection

The second Oliver Smith collection we’re looking at today is also inspired by the outdoors, with a nod to the aesthetic of the 1970’s.

This is the Prism Collection. As the name suggests, Prism is all about the glory of color. Featuring a riot of exquisite natural sapphires and rubies in scintillating hues, the Prism collection’s highly-saturated stones are so gorgeous that their beauty pretty much defies description (although I’m going to give it my best shot).

Prism features earrings and necklaces as well, but my personal faves of the collection are the perfectly curated tennis bracelets. I have a soft spot for the one above, with its lovely pink, purple, and blue color scheme, but the best way I can explain how noteworthy these bracelets are is to show you a 360 view of this piece:

Sunset colored sapphire bracelet from the Oliver Smith Prism Collection.

Look at it! LOOK at it. With its perfectly matched stones arranged in flawless color gradation, this piece is a wearable slice of sunset sky. Look at it glow! Have you ever seen anything like this? I can’t imagine how inexpressibly gorgeous it must be in person when it catches the light.

Between Prism and Cairn, it’s very easy to understand how Oliver Smith has been successful in the jewelry business for so long. Happy 40 years, Oliver Smith!! Thanks for rocking our worlds with these incredible designs.

See more on the Oliver Smith website.

Beautiful sapphire and diamond bracelets from the Oliver Smith Prism Collection

All images c/o Oliver Smith. This sponsored post is brought to you by Oliver Smith Jeweler.

Pretty pink jewels by Alexia Connellan.

February 11, 2021

I wasn’t planning on doing any kind of Valentine’s Day post this year but then these pretty pink jewels by Alexia Connellan showed up in my inbox and they were everything I needed to see right now and I knew I HAD to show them to you.

Victoria Bracelet by Alexia Connellan. With pink tourmaline, diamonds, and pink sapphires.

I didn’t originally recognize Alexia Connellan’s name but when I looked at her website, I quickly realized that I have fallen in love with her designs before! Most memorably was this gorgeous sunny yellow ring at a previous years’ of the AGTA Spectrum Awards Design Competition.

Alexia Connelian’s work is characterized by the expert use of rare gemstones in vibrant, joyful colors. She’s a gemologist as well as a painter and sculptor; her designs are the product of a lifetime of seeing the world through an artist’s eye.

Spiral earrings by Alexia Connellan, with morganite, pink sapphire, and akoya pearls.

These pretty pink jewels were released as a Valentine’s Day capsule collection, but I think we can all agree they’d be perfect for wearing any day (or every single day?).

These are the luscious Alexia Connellan Sprial earrings. They feature two pink akoya pearls surrounded by pink sapphire and diamond melee and two beautiful morganite drops (9.5 TCW) in 18K pink gold.

For this piece, the designer was inspired by the “beautiful curves of Christoper Wren’s “Dean’s Staircase” in London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral and the double helix of DNA.”

A beautiful pink Toi et Moi Ring by Alexia Connellan! Pink and magenta spinel with diamonds and pink sapphires in rose gold and platinum.

Could this ring by any more romantic?? It’s in the toi et moi style, which means “you and me” in French.

“I acquired these two gems at the same time and they always looked like a loving couple to me. Their colors and shapes complemented each other so well that I could not bear to split them up into two separate pieces of jewelry.
I decided to put them together in a Toi et Moi ring and let these two soulmates remain together forever.”

This Toi et Moi ring features two extraordinary unheated spinels with pink sapphire and diamond melee in pink gold and platinum.

The hydrangea earrings by Alexia Connellan. Pink sapphires and diamonds in pink and peach gold with South Sea pearls.

These are the stunning Alexia Connellan hydrangea earrings. I have a particular weakness for these because we had hydrangeas in my yard growing up and these earrings really do evoke their bountiful pink puffs of blossoms.

These earrings feature a pair of white South Sea pearls with pink sapphire and diamond melee in 18K pink and peach gold.

The Princess of Hearts and Queen of Hearts necklaces by Alexia Connellan. Biurmese ruby and pink spinel with diamonds.

These two pendants are the Queen of Hearts and Princess of Hearts pendants. They feature a Burmese ruby (left) and unheated pink spinel center stone within a star halo formed of heart shaped diamonds.

Alexia Connellan isn’t just a designer with an eye for extraordinary gemstones, she is also a designer who is committed to doing right by the communities who mine those gemstones. She uses ethically sourced Artisanal and Small Scale Mined (ASM) colored gemstones and post-consumer recycled diamond melee in her pieces whenever possible.

Victoria Bracelet by Alexia Connellan, side view. With pink tourmaline, diamonds, and pink sapphires.

I gave you a peek at this bracelet up top, but it deserved a closer look. How glamorous is that side view? This beauty features a 16.11 purple pink tourmaline in the center with pink sapphire and diamonds melee in pink gold.

What do you think, my darlings? Do these designs call to you the same way they call to me? Does the pink rock your world too, or would you rather see these pretty pink jewels in a different hue?

If you want more pink jewels, I now have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to this glorious color! You can also see pink pretties by Omi Prive here, by Suzy Landa here, and by Tiffany Co here.

See more from Alexia Connellan on her website.

Images c/o Alexia Connellan.