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My Favorite Piece of the Week Jewels of 2024
Associate Editor Natalie Francisco chose her 12 favorite Piece of the Week picks from the year gone by.
Associate Editor Natalie Francisco highlights her favorite Piece of the Week jewels as she looks back on her first year with the National Jeweler team.
As we reach the end of 2024, I’ve been looking back at memories from the year and Piece of the Week has always been a favorite story for the National Jeweler editors and me to cover.
Each week, the story features spectacular and innovative jewels that often have a creative story behind them, from award-winning pieces to those featuring hundreds of carats worth of gemstones to Halloween-esque jewelry.
Looking back at the year gone by has me in a sentimental mood since this was my first year with National Jeweler. It was hard to choose between the 50 pieces covered so far this year, but a decision must be made!
These are 12 of my favorite pieces, one from each month of 2024’s Piece of the Week series.
Each week, the story features spectacular and innovative jewels that often have a creative story behind them, from award-winning pieces to those featuring hundreds of carats worth of gemstones to Halloween-esque jewelry.
Looking back at the year gone by has me in a sentimental mood since this was my first year with National Jeweler. It was hard to choose between the 50 pieces covered so far this year, but a decision must be made!
These are 12 of my favorite pieces, one from each month of 2024’s Piece of the Week series.
January: A platinum piece is a must in January, as a tribute to the snowy weather. These platinum “Dream Catchers” earrings by Platinum Born ($1,940) were a perfect way to start the new year.
February: Dallas Prince Designs’ “Twilight Garden” ring turned the cool tones from January’s pick to warm hues as we looked forward to the changing seasons that were soon to come. Imperial topaz takes center stage with diamonds set in 14-karat rose gold in this former Spectrum Award-winning ring ($6,799).
March: What’s better than one piece of jewelry? I’d say a piece that transforms into two! This award-winning “Lotus” tiara by Aril Jewels is not only a stunning tiara with peridot, diamonds, aquamarines, tourmalines, and amethysts in 18-karat yellow gold and platinum but it converts into a necklace too (price upon request).
April: Retrouvaí designer Kirsty Stone looked in her loose gemstone treasure trove for the Piece of the Week in April. The “Treasure” necklace features 32 gemstones weighing more than 155 carats. Tourmaline, tanzanite, fire opal, aquamarine, emerald, morganite, and Ethiopian opal are all set in an “Heirloom” bezel of 18-karat yellow gold ($135,000).
May: “The Blink of an Eye” pendant by Francesca Villa takes the top spot as my favorite Piece of the Week pick of 2024. It centers on a vintage VariVue lenticular image set in 18-karat yellow gold and is framed by enamel, pearls, and diamonds ($15,550). As you move the piece, its eye appears to be opening and closing.
June: Sorellina conjured nostalgia during Las Vegas Jewelry Market Week with its “Cassette Tape” pendant ($23,500) that won a Couture Design Award this year in the “Best in Innovative” category. The piece hangs from a “Playlist” necklace ($22,000) with rock crystal and white topaz Walkman buttons and has a golden spool that can “rewind” and “fast-forward” like a real cassette with the “Cassette Key Pencil” pendant ($6,000).
July: The “Insignia” medallion by Cece Jewellery predicted our fate at the start of the summer with its seven hand-painted champlevé enamel symbols and 18-karat yellow gold and brilliant-cut diamond arrow ($51,000). Maybe the fate spinner landed on the swallow for adventure or the cherub for love.
August: Colorful gemstones were a highlight of August, with Gumuchian’s “Spectrum” necklace that featured 198 carats of amethysts, aquamarines, tourmalines, sapphires, citrines, garnets, tanzanites, and heliodors, along with a pink tourmaline inlaid with onyx to resemble a ladybug, a cabochon amethyst with an owl intaglio, and a faceted citrine with a horse head intaglio ($120,000).
September: This “Black Alley Cat” brooch by Cartier was a perfect choice in honor of Friday the 13th. The feline with fur made of carved jasper and glowing marquise-shaped yellow diamond eyes from the collection of British socialite and model Nina Dyer went to auction at Christie’s. It sold for $50,400, well above its high-end estimate of $20,200.
October: A spooky, slithering snake was a must for our Halloween Piece of the Week! Ray Griffith’s “Double Headed Snake” ring was extra scary with two 18-karat yellow gold heads each with its own set of glowing tsavorite eyes ($3,575). While snake motifs have been around since ancient Egypt, they were one of the top trends of 2024.
November: As the sun began to set earlier, it only made sense for November’s Piece of the Week to be a pair of edgy, punk-inspired black South Sea pearl earrings to match the dark night sky. The “Spiked” studs by Xander Jane took classically elegant pearls and transformed them with 18-karat rose gold spikes ($5,400).
December: Throughout 2024 animals were often on our mind when writing Piece of the Week and December’s insect was the “Kokoro” pendant ($3,908) by Cocoerow Fine Jewelry. Named after the Yoruba word for ant, the 18-karat yellow gold piece features emeralds, opal, tourmaline, sapphire, aquamarine, tanzanite, and a diamond. The pendant was shown at the Reciprocity Jewels exhibition highlighting responsible sourcing at this year’s New York City Jewelry Week.
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