Three industry experts dive into the complexities of the material often marketed as an “ethical” alternative for metal in jewelry.
Brand to Know: Noa Fine Jewellery
Third generation jeweler Frieda Kaplan Gross can credit her grandfather for setting her onto the path of a career in jewelry, but designs her line with an unabashed female energy.

London--Third generation jeweler Frieda Kaplan Gross can credit her grandfather for setting her onto the path of a career in jewelry, but Kaplan Gross designs her line, Noa Fine Jewellery, with an unabashed female energy.
“Whenever I design a piece of jewelry, femininity is at the forefront,” said the London-based designer, who launched her company in 2009 and recently was picked up by Saks Fifth Avenue.
Much of Kaplan Gross’ jewelry consists of intricate groupings of diamonds that mimic clusters of flowers blooming on a vine. Indeed, the designer cites nature as her greatest source of visual inspiration.
“Normally my inspiration comes from my love of the natural world,” she explained, “particularly flowers and how they can be interpreted; either as something quite gothic or romantic.”
Kaplan Gross cites her “Diamond Ivy” double-finger ring as her favorite piece of the moment. It features a multitude of fancy-cut white diamonds set in 18-karat white gold.
Lately, the jewelry designer also has branched into cleaner, more simplistic pieces in her “Perla” collection. It consists of pared-down designs that are just as feminine as Kaplan Gross’ ornate pieces: white, violet and pink pearls are set simply in 18-karat rose and yellow gold.
Kaplan Gross said that the new collection “comes from more of a youthful, contemporary approach working with classic pearls, making them more fun, and at the same time, maintaining a feminine aesthetic.”
Perhaps due to the designer’s family history in the jewelry industry, she aims to, “create timeless pieces that can be passed through generations.”
The jeweler’s maternal grandfather was a Polish entrepreneur who operated jewelry shops in Venezuela before becoming a diamond supplier in Germany and the co-founder of a manufacturing workshop in Italy that still exists today.
Kaplan Gross studied at the London College of Fashion, then later at the Gemological Institute of America in Israel, where her grandfather’s business associates would show the designer enormous diamonds to help her learn to grade stones.
Noa Fine Jewellery’s main line is priced at $709 to $43,546 at current exchange rates, with high jewelry and custom pieces priced upon request.
For more information, visit NoaFineJewellery.com.
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