GiGi Ferranti Archives

So much jewelry is beautiful, but there is another quality that truly determines if a piece is worth owning: wearability. Because let’s be real, how many times are you going to wear a necklace that refuses to lay correctly, or a bracelet that isn’t comfortable, no matter how pretty it may be?

The answer is GiGi Ferranti jewelry.

GiGi Ferranti’s designer, Gina, spent years in the fashion industry before launching her jewelry line. She even used to own her own boutique.

During the afternoon I spent with her in her showroom, nibbling on Italian cookies and trying on absolutely everything, Gina referred over and over again to the how of women could wear her pieces: the comfort, the functionality, the hundred different situations she’d considered and accounted for.

Her line’s sweet but sophisticated visual appeal is obvious, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg.

All GiGi Ferranti pieces are made right in New York City, which lets Gina be extremely hands-on in the manufacturing process. When I left her studio, she was about to head to the Diamond District to make some tiny tweaks to a pair of earrings under development: tweaking the proportions slightly so that they would work on women with both longer and shorter earlobes.

The level of thought behind each tiny design detail is staggering. This truly is jewelry that’s meant to go with you though your life, not just sit in your jewelry box.

I rarely wear bracelets myself, but I left the GiGi Ferranti studio thinking about these cuffs.

They’re chic, fun, interesting enough to want while still being simple enough to go with everything. And, of course, solid gold with diamonds. So luxurious!

And look!! They’re even beautiful on the inside.

Like me, Gina of GiGi Ferranti has a love of antique jewelry – she even used to work in an antique jewelry store. We’re both firmly on team “to tell if a piece of jewelry is well made, look at the back” and her jewelry shows that.

Everyone loves a statement piece – and GiGi Ferranti makes some killer ones (just wait!) but it’s an undeniable fact that those pieces just don’t get as much mileage as the everyday favorites, the pieces that you can throw on without a thought and feel good about all day long. In our vast world where so much is mass produced and you can order anything from anyone with a click of a button, finding a brand who blends beauty and wearability without compromising quality or style is rare. And it’s exactly where GiGi Ferranti excels.

Remember a few months ago when we talked about Metal and Smith, the ultra-cool new fine jewelry buying event that launched in September? Well, the event just had its second iteration, and it was even more fabulous than the first.

The clean white walls and bright windows filled with streaming sunlight that I loved so much from the September event remained the same, and I was glad of it. Few things make a blogger happier than an event with natural lighting.

Metal and Smith’s January edit featured a selection of returning designers from the first event, as well as quite a few new additions. One of the new designers was Gigi Ferrante, the brand responsible for the colorful masterpiece above. The designer herself is just as lovely as this particular design: she’s endlessly bubbly and warm and I could happy have talked to her for the entire event.

This gorgeous thing is from Gigi Ferrante’s new Regalo collection, which is resplendent with diamonds, pink sapphires, and pink tourmalines in rose gold. It also matched my nails perfectly.

Eden Presley was another Metal and Smith newcomer – it’s her stunning gemstone rings I’m wearing over the cupcake tray in the photo above. I’ve admired Eden Presley’s work for years, but I’d never seen it or met her in person before.

Which reminds me of another improvement I enjoyed at the January event: I think there were more frequent champagne and cupcake trays circulating. Either that, or I accidentally befriended one of the waiters and he took excellent care of me.

The Metal and Smith January edit brought vintage and antique brands into the mix for the first time!

Obviously this delighted me, especially because it meant I was reunited with one of my very favorite jewelry people, Grace of Jewels by Grace. We sipped champagne and talked about things that had to be deleted from the audio of the videos I was taking (due to severe inappropriateness) and I piled on as many of her earrings as I physically could.

The stud at the top is my own, because it’s a newish piercing and I can’t take it out yet. I think this is its blog debut, actually. Surprise!

Here’s another killer piece from Jewels by Grace: an antique diamond ring with an emerald halo.

This ring…it speaks to me. It sings to me. I look forward to dreaming about it.

The biggest improvement between the September Metal and Smith event and the January Metal and Smith is one you won’t be able to see from this blog post: the January event had more space. The previously one-room #notatradeshow expanded into a second space for January, making it even easier for buyers, stylists, editors, and other guests of the show to work their way between the fascinating array of designers’ display tables.

I, personally, enjoyed having ample room in which to swan around with borrowed jewels, endlessly seeking the best pockets of lighting in front of neutral walls.

Meet your new everyday fave: GiGi Ferranti jewelry.

Metal and Smith: the January edit.

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