Do you listen to the devil or the angel on your shoulder?
Jewelry designer Edina Kiss’ “Devil” drop earrings pose the question, what if you listened to the devil?
The earrings, our Piece of the Week, feature 53.12 carats of lapis drops with 0.12 carats of ruby and 0.47 carats of pink sapphire in 18-karat yellow gold.
While they come in a matching pair, Kiss often wears hers as a single earring on one side and styles one of her “Angelfish” drop earrings on the other. Then, she truly has a devil and an angel on her shoulders.
The “Angelfish” drop earrings use 42.40 carats of pink opal with pink and blue sapphires and cognac and white diamonds in 18-karat yellow gold ($24,500)
Styled this way, the earrings showcase what inspired the creation of the Devil earrings.
“That feeling of ‘Don’t do it, don’t do it ... and I do it,’” explained Kiss, “I have that with designs, with life choices. It’s two things, opposites, that could turn your life either way.”
Kiss said that the sense of being pulled in the direction of the devil over the angel is symbolic of taking chances and doing the opposite of what most people would do.
One of those “chances” was deciding to create her namesake line, which she began building in 2024 with guidance from Elizabeth (Beth Anne) Bonanno and Joel Cheatwood of The Gems Project.
The earrings are part of the initial launch of her line, which is currently 35 pieces but will expand. The designer plans to introduce 15 to 20 new debuts at Couture next month.
The new debuts will be split into two collections; one will represent summer and fun while the other will be more serious.
As her line is growing, Kiss is cementing her place in the industry as a creator of serious jewelry for people who don’t take themselves too seriously.
She’s dedicated to creating wearable works of art that inspire expressions of individuality though sculptural silhouettes that are both refined and whimsically irreverent.
In her initial launch are her takes on classic motifs, like facial features and evil eyes, as well as original concepts like her fully functioning “Sunglasses” pendants.
The “Evil Eye” pendant in 18-karat yellow gold with a 25.57-carat chrysoprase eyeball accented by blue sapphire and diamonds ($33,000). It is seen styled on an 18-karat yellow gold “Hexagon” chain ($44,500)
Two 18-karat yellow gold “Sunglasses” pendants. The small version (left) is set with orange sapphire and diamonds ($14,980), while the large (right) uses blue and pink sapphire ($19,900).
An Art Deco cuff bracelet in 18-karat yellow gold featuring 7.70 carats of mother-of-pearl, 5.69 carats of aquamarine, 1.63 carats of diamonds, 1.48 carats of pink sapphire, and 1.02 carats of blue sapphire ($98,000)
A large, beaded necklace showcasing emerald and 18-karat yellow gold beads with some adorned with diamonds and a toggle clasp designed as a profile of a face ($33,900)
The “Side Eye” ring centers on a 36.66-carat chrysoprase encircled by tsavorite and adorned with an 18-karat yellow gold eye crafted with a 2.28-carat cabochon iolite as the eyeball, diamonds for the lash line, and blue sapphires at the tops of the eyelashes ($31,900).
Born in Budapest, Kiss’ work is a reflection of her experiences, the adventures she’s had, and the perspective she’s gained from a life well lived.
While next month marks the official debut of her fine jewelry line to the industry, Kiss has always been an artist.
Since childhood she has done ceramics and some drawing, and she started making beaded jewelry around the age of 14. Although, she really got her introduction to jewelry from silversmith Katalin Remènyi.
Remènyi was friends with Kiss’ father, and their families would visit her summer home at Lake Balaton in Hungary, where Kiss made her first pieces on Remènyi’s bench.
Today, Kiss lives in Manhattan Beach, California, where her 18-karat gold designs start as a sketch based around her stone of choice. Then she sculpts a larger version of the jewel in clay before it is put into CAD and crafted in New York City.
She draws inspiration from “a lot of really strange places,” she said, including nature, spirituality, her travels, childhood memories, and dreams.
“I only create things that I really love, and sometimes not everybody loves what you love, but I take my chances,” said Kiss.
“I love fashion. I love makeup. I love the edgy things in life, and I think you could do so much with an eye.”
Her “Side Eye” ring is one of her favorite pieces that she wears every day, despite its large size.
“I think being bold and ballsy is kind of a good thing,” said Kiss.
“Jewelry is one of those things that you wear, and it makes you feel confident, makes you feel seen.”
The ring centers on a 36.66-carat chrysoprase with an eye motif trailing down the side. It’s one of her pieces that shows her eye for choosing gemstones and designing around them.
Kiss said she’s drawn to unusual materials and loves tourmalines because each stone has its own personality, specifically watermelon tourmalines. However, she often works with sapphires, rubies, opals, aquamarine, banded agate, and diamonds.
Related stories will be right here …
The Devil drop earrings retail for $18,500 and are available on the Edina Kiss website.
Stockists of the Edina Kiss line are Marissa Collections and June Simmons Jewelry.
In Las Vegas, Edina Kiss can be found at the Couture show at booth 606.
