This year’s honorees include a Midwest retailer and two multi-store independents, one in New York and the other in New England.
Semi-Mounts & Tiaras: Wendy Brandes’ Bridal Collection
The jewelry designer, a recent WJA Awards for Excellence winner, has gone on all in on wedding jewelry.

New York--Jewelry designer Wendy Brandes is going all in on bridal, officially launching a collection of one-of-a-kind, bespoke and limited-edition semi-mount wedding jewelry.
Though Brandes always has worked closely with clients to create custom wedding pieces, the brand now will have several one-of-a-kind pieces in stock, rather than doing them all on a made-to-order basis.
Wendy Brandes Wedding is priced at $10,000 and up at retail.
It’s offered in three tiers, all of which are available to retailers:
1. One hundred percent custom;
2. One-of-a-kind pieces that are in stock; and
3. Limited-edition semi-mount options, for which production will never exceed more than five of each design created.
Brandes is known for paying as much attention to function as she does to form, considering details from all sides, and the aesthetic very much carries over to her new bridal collection, which officially debuted in July with a one-of-a kind snake tiara.
The Victorian-inspired piece features two twisting snakes that meet in the center to create a heart shape, in which is nestled a baroque South Sea pearl.
The snakes’ eyes are rubies, a nod to the fact that the bride who wore it on loan from the brand got married in July, along with 76 diamonds totaling 0.5 carats to complement the satin-polished and blackened gold.
Wendy Brandes Wedding is for “sophisticated, unconventional brides and grooms who want exquisitely made, wearable jewelry that reflects their unique personalities,” the brand said about the new collection.
“A lot of customers who find me by referral tell me they never planned to wear an engagement ring or wedding band--until they found out that practically anything is possible,” she said. “I’ve made a 2.5-carat antique diamond look low-key; I’ve made a 64-point diamond look like 3.5 carats. That said, the beauty and value of my work is not only about the size of the center stone. My customers care about design and differentiation, which is something that happens in the metalwork.”
In addition to bridal jewelry for women, Brandes also creates wedding designs for men, including engagement rings, wedding bands, cufflinks and shirt studs, and unisex jewelry to be worn by anyone.
Brandes has received a number of awards for her work, most recently receiving Award for Excellence in Design from the Women’s Jewelry Association in New York.
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