GemBank1973: antique jewelry that collectors love.

February 28, 2023

If you spend much time on antique jewelry Instagram, you’ve already seen GemBank1973’s posts. They’re always sharing beautiful jewelry close-ups and eye-catching themed group shots.

But have you ever looked at their online store? Because I hadn’t until last week, and it totally blew me away.

GemBank1973: antique jewelry that collectors love.

I knew from Instagram that GemBank1973 had great antique jewelry, but I didn’t realize that they were a family-owned business that has specialized in jewelry for three generations. That’s some serious history, the kind of background that brings connections and knowledge. They’re also an established member of LAPADA, a very well-respected UK Association for experienced antique dealers.

And, of course, there was the jewelry itself! There were so many things that caught my eye on GemBank1793’s website that we’re going to look at categories of jewelry rather than individual pieces.

Let’s start with a personal favorite: chains.

Chains

As any serious antique jewelry lover will tell you, chains are an invaluable part of a jewelry collection. They’re beautiful on their own, with their finely wrought links of old gold, platinum, or silver, but they also allow us to wear charms, pendants, brooches, and more in so many fun ways.

GemBank1973’s chain section features over 100 chains, ranging from delicate chokers to sturdy trombone links and ample longuards. If you’re on a budget, they also have a dedicated page for chains under £500.

Celestial jewelry

Is there anything more whimsical than a jewel that reminds us of the heavens? These twinkling star and moon beauties are romantic and timeless, whimsical designs that dreamers of any era can appreciate.

GemBank1973 has a dedicated page for celestial jewelry, which is something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before! Click through and you’ll find sparkling starbursts and crescent moons from the past 200-300 years.

Charms

GemBank1973’s robust charm section offers a wonderful variety of these delightful little treasures in all shapes and styles. Most are around $150, but there are a few under $100.

I think my favorite of this batch is the little mouse with the articulated tail. Or maybe the skier with the pearl head? But I also love the baby sputnik and that teeny tiny corkscrew.

Tiina Smith: more than a jewelry store.

October 11, 2021

It took about three minutes of chatting on the phone for me to realize that Tiina Smith was a kindred spirit.

My interest had already been piqued by her store’s website, with its beautiful photos, highlight on women makers, and intriguingly gorgeous curation; but when she told me that their boutique is set up like a parlor to encourage people to come in and learn, to touch the jewelry and understand why it was special, I knew I needed to write about her.

Tiina Smith: more than a jewelry store.

Tiina Smith specializes in noteworthy jewelry, primarily vintage signed pieces by master jewelers of the 20th and 21st centuries. After years of research and relationship-building as she built her own personal collection of jewelry, Smith began to feel that there was an open niche in the jewelry market that her unique knowledge could fill. Eventually she decided to turn personal passion into a second profession and founded her eponymous Boston store, Tiina Smith Vintage & Exceptional Jewelry.

A quick look at the Tiina Smith website will convince you that her approach is working like a charm. The collection is instantly impressive, filled with distinctive designs bursting with color and energy. In my initial scroll-though, I opened almost every listing to take a closer look.

Michele della Valle brooch from Tiina Smith

Much like yours truly, Tiina comes to jewelry from an unexpected background. Before jewelry, she worked on Wall Street. It wasn’t as strange a leap as you might expect. In the founder’s own words: “Working on Wall Street, I began to treat my jewelry collecting the way I handled my portfolios – with in-depth research, market insight and a solid understanding of value.”

Tiina prides herself in being a discerning, well-informed jewelry collector and she revels in helping her customers become as knowledgeable as she is. She wants jewelry lovers to truly understand what makes a particular piece noteworthy and valuable, what was happening in the world when it was made, what makes something a good investment rather than just a pretty object – and she wants them to know they can come to her to source the pieces they can’t find anywhere else.

Rings from Tiina Smith

Here are three extraordinary rings that caught my eye: an Art Deco platinum and diamond shield ring, a 16.77 fancy light brown diamond ring, and a very cool design from Danish modernist Hans Hansen. Each very different in style, these three rings share a distinctiveness that is emblematic of Tiina’s collection.

In keeping with their founder’s belief in jewelry education, the Tiina Smith boutique frequently offers in-store events, from fun, casual evenings to art events to jewelry talks with speakers like Tom Heyman of Oscar Heyman, jewelry historian Ruth Peltason, and Jewelry Curator at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts Emily Stoehrer.

Bulgari earrings from Tiina Smith

But don’t despair, my non-Bostonian jewelry lovers! The store’s website has a wealth of gorgeously-illustrated jewelry education that you can fully enjoy from anywhere.

Check out the Meet the Maker section to learn more about exceptional designers or read through Tiina’s Takes for the founder’s in-depth thoughts on any number of different jewelry topics. The store also occasionally travels for events in other cities, bringing parts of their extraordinary collection on the road.

David Webb bracelet from Tiina Smith

If you’re a longtime DitL reader, I don’t think I need to explain to you how enthusiastically I agree with the idea of encouraging jewelry education. Jewelry education is good for all of us – knowledgeable collectors know what they want and can make buying decisions with confidence. The more you understand something, the more you can truly appreciate it!

In addition to their gorgeous jewelry collection, education opportunities, and events, Tiina Smith also offers a variety of jewelry-related services that allow collectors to benefit from her expertise, including jewelry styling, appraisal, and more. She also acquires estates and individual pieces from collectors wishing to make room for new things in their jewelry boxes.

Manuel Santelices illustration featuring a Belperron necklace from Tiina Smith

Tiina Smith also uses her boutique as a jumping off point to explore the intersection of jewelry with other forms of art. In a recent collaboration with Fashion Illustrator Manuel Santelices, Tiina Smith commissioned the artist to create “A Year In Jewels,” a series of 12 original artworks featuring jewelry from the Tiina Smith collection.

On November 2nd, Tiina Smith and Manuel Santelices are taking their joint project to NYC for a day of art and jewelry featuring some very special activities for the guests who attend! The illustrations are utterly gorgeous (see above) and I’m sure the event will be fascinating.

Marina B cuff bracelet from Tiina Smith

Tiina Smith’s next jewelry education event is coming up on October 20-21! The guest speaker will be Creative Director of Marina B, Guy Bedarida.

Marina B was founded by Marina Bulgari, and yes – those Bulgaris. Marina’s grandfather founded Bulgari, but family infighting among the next generation led Marina to strike out on her own instead. The result was Marina B, a wildly popular brand known for its boldness, versatility, and distinctive gemstone cuts.

If you’re in Boston, go check out the October 20-21 event at Tiina Smith to learn more and also see extraordinary Marina B pieces from the 1970s and 1980s along with their original jewelry renderings.

Oscar Heyman earrings from Tiina Smith

My goodness, I’ve thrown a lot at you here, haven’t I? But I didn’t want to leave anything out! The extraordinary jewelry, the founder’s Wall Street background, the educational events, the art connection, and did I mention the jewelry?? It’s each a part of what makes Tiina Smith so exciting as a whole.

What do you think, my dears? Do you plan to try to catch one of Tiina Smith’s upcoming events or stop by her store the next time you’re in Boston? I definitely hope to visit IRL someday.

Vintage car brooches from Tiina Smith

For now, don’t forget to visit Tiina Smith’s website and Instagram account to see more, and if you’re in Boston or NYC, don’t forget to check out the upcoming Tiina Smith Marina B event (Boston, Oct 20/21) and Manuel Santelices illustration event (NYC, November 2).

This sponsored post is brought to you by Tiina Smith.

Emerging jewelry designers unite at Space 85.

February 2, 2021

One of my very favorite things about the jewelry industry is getting to see the work of emerging jewelry designers. There’s nothing more thrilling than the vibrant innovation and jaw-dropping creativity of independent artists.

Space 85 is a new and exciting online platform dedicated to exceptional artisan handcrafted jewelry from emerging jewelry designers in New York! It’s as cool as it sounds.

Emerging jewelry designers unite at Space 85.

As a jewelry consumer, the problem with loving emerging designers tends to be a very practical one: how does an average shopper actually FIND small businesses run by independent designers in order to buy their jewelry?

Space 85 solves this problem in the most satisfying way, by offering an online shopping experience dedicated to extraordinary handmade pieces by independent jewelry artists.

Jewels by Alexa Horton, Linda Hoj, and Angelica Cammarota.

The artists at Space 85 use a variety of materials, from high karat gold to sterling silver, the finest gemstones to earthly rocks, to out of the ordinary materials. The majority of the pieces shown on Space 85 are made using the ancient lost wax method, traditional metal-smithing, and a combination of the two.

Every piece of jewelry at Space 85 is made in the New York City area; that’s every part of the process from from creation, to casting, to setting and polishing.

Earrings by Ruth Edelson and Taryn Leavitt.

When you browse Space 85, you can filter View All, filter by type of jewelry (necklaces, earrings, etc) or filter by Designer. If you go to the page that lists all of the designers, you’ll be greeted by something remarkable: the listing of each includes not only a picture of each brand’s jewelry, but the actual face of the artist.

This may seem like a small detail, but it is perfectly emblematic of everything that makes Space 85 noteworthy.

Jewels by Dori Friedberg, Taryn Leavitt, and Lori Anne.

How great it is it when you buy something for yourself and you know the identity of the actual human being who came up with the idea and made it happen with their own hands?

It is the coolest thing and I absolutely love to see the industry evolving to allow these talented artists to have more support and more ways of reaching the jewelry-loving public. It’s good for artists and it’s good for us, the jewelry lovers of the world, because it means we have the chance to buy their gorgeous, authentic creations.

These are two of my favorites from the currently available pieces on Space 85. They have the same incredibly cool use of geometry and negative space that I find absolutely irresistible.

The wing pendant on the left is by Patricia Kolodny; it’s 22K yellow gold with diamonds. The mind-blowingly cool necklace on the left is by Taryn Leavitt. It’s oxidized sterling silver with 18K yellow gold and it was inspired by a street grate the designer saw in Italy.

Jewels by Alex Story, Susan Meier, and Laura Caspi.

Space 85 launched last year with a huge push around the holidays – because what’s better than artisan made jewelry as gifts? – but the platform is still going strong.

In our age of quarantine, it’s so important to have ways to find new and exciting jewelry from emerging designers from the safety of our own homes. I look forward to keeping an eye on Space 85 and to see how they grow over time.

Pendants by Sandrine B Jewelry and Lori Anne.

Because Space 85’s inventory is dedicated to showcasing the work of a range of artists, the jewelry it offers spans a wide and eclectic range of styles.

I’ve come pretty close to showing you one piece from every designer here, but there’s so much more to see! I strongly recommend clicking over there and taking a look. It’s worth your time.