I have no idea why it’s taken me so long to feature Acanthus. I’ve been following the designer, Nichole McIver, on Instagram ever since, watching as her design aesthetic evolves and loving each new collection more than the last.
I’ve put several pieces by Acanthus in magazine articles; shared the designs elsewhere, I even interviewed Nichole in April for a blog feature – but for some reason, I’ve been stuck in procrastination station when it comes to sharing it all with you.
I choose most of the jewelry I feature because I think it’s cool or pretty or interesting. I think all of those things about Acanthus’ designs, but it goes deeper than that: I feel a connection to this jewelry. It feels deep and true and right to me, like talismans I didn’t know I needed to help protect me against something I can’t name.
This pendant is one of my very favorites. It’s beautiful, but it also feels like it represents something very specific and important, even though I’d be hard pressed to articulate exactly what.
Something about Acanthus’ designs remind me of antique jewelry but it’s a feeling, rather than a strict resemblance. When I spoke to Nichole about her inspiration, it makes sense:
My inspiration typically comes from my background in art history. I studied illuminated manuscripts and I’m very drawn to the hand drawn and painted designs that adorned objects that were highly personal for the owners. Other sources such as ancient jewelry or more recently, antique jewelry, attract me because of the stories and symbolism behind these pieces and what they meant to the wearers at the time.
Acanthus’ customers love that the work is both raw and refined at the same time, and have a strong appreciation for pieces that are very unique and have a lot of character. Acanthus customers aren’t afraid of bold pieces that attract attention, and have a strong story behind them. “
A lot of dark jewelry – and by “dark” I mean both in color and in subject matter, i.e. snakes and swords and such, gives me a trying-too-hard feeling of HELLO HERE I AM, I AM A REBEL LOOK AT ME. There’s none of that here: these pieces are dark, yes, but in these designs it just feels right.
Part of what gives Acanthus’ designs their unique feeling is that Nichole makes every single piece by hand – each piece is hers, from inspiration to creation.
Everything by Acanthus is handmade by myself and no one else. It is important to me to be the only one creating my pieces, because I think people appreciate connecting with the artist behind them. When creating my signature gold patterning on silver, each and every line and tiny leaf is hand cut and individually applied, so there is a lot of unique effort that goes into each piece. I think it’s important to stress the value of the hand, time and skill of the artist more importantly than simply gold content or material value of a piece.
Jewelry is, after all, wearable art, and a Vermeer painting isn’t valued for the cost of the canvas and paint, but the artist’s unique hand and style.”
When I saw Stella Flame’s designs in person a few weeks ago, I was immediately struck by the pieces’ strength. These pieces are unapologetic. They take up space, they demand attention – not in an overbearing way, but because they emanate a feeling of determined being. Much like the charismatic Stella herself, her jewelry has a magnetic presence that cannot be denied.
From there, the designer’s rich history in the jewelry industry ranges from odd jobs in NYC’s Diamond District to working directly with Phyllis Pressman (Barney’s daughter-in-law) at the Fine and Antique Jewelry Departments at Barney’s and eventually owning her own mini-empire of vintage shops.
Stella Flame’s designs feature precious metals, usually in combination and only with natural gemstones, which are selected with ethical sourcing in mind. The majority of the pieces are sterling silver, often plated in dark or white rhodium or oxidized, and – depending on the collection – combined with pure 24K, 18K, 14K or 8K gold.
I’ve always been drawn to the random, inanimate details that makes cities unique. If you look at my vacation photos, you’ll see streetlamps, windowsills, bits of graffiti – the minor, ubiquitous details that give a place its identity. I think that’s why Julie Lamb’s NYC manhole cover pendant resonates with me so much.
New York City is a place bursting with landmarks. There are a million and one iconic symbols of the city, which have been used in a million and one different ways.
The back of Julie Lamb’s NYC manhole cover pendant really seals the deal for me. This design isn’t your typical “yay, the Big Apple!” souvenir-type of piece. It’s made in the city, by the city, for the city.