Ten jewelry designers have been chosen to make their fine jewelry trade show debut at JA New York this coming weekend as part of the New Designer Gallery. Pictured here is a piece by Santi Rom.
New York--Ten jewelry designers have been chosen to make their fine jewelry trade show debut at the JA New York Summer show this weekend as part of the New Designer Gallery.
Liz Kantner, a jewelry consultant and publicist, who spent 4 years as a marketing communications specialist for Colorado-based designer Todd Reed, curated the group, taking over for designer advocate Cindy Edelstein, whom the industry lost earlier this year.
“Each designer we’ve selected to participate in the New Designer Gallery has a very unique aesthetic,” Kantner said. “The consumers who shop with our retail partners are looking for something different, wearable and meaningful; they’re prepared to invest in quality pieces that they can wear daily and layer with their existing jewelry wardrobes. This group of designers provides all the touch points that our retailers need to fit their client’s needs.”
Among the designers showing is Elisa Solomon of Elisa Solomon Jewelry, the group’s most recognizable name who sells at the likes of Roseark, ABC Carpet & Home, and Catbird. The New Jersey-native created her first collection in 2004 after studying metalsmithing at the University of Michigan.
From top to bottom: Elisa Solomon Jewelry’s 18-karat rose gold ring with opal, white diamond and aquamarine ($1,210) and 18-karat rose gold ring with opal, white diamond and aquamarine ($1,360) Solomon’s designs center on organic, tactile settings with a 1960s flower-child vibe: think peace signs adorned with multi-colored sapphires, and guitar and daisy motifs.
The designer also is inspired by Native American iconography and features small, carved animals in much of her work.
Jacqueline Stone of Salt + Stone previously authored “Designer’s Diary” for National Jeweler, a regular column on the day-to-day life and struggles of being an independent jewelry designer.
Salt + Stone’s 18-karat gold ring with custom-cut amethyst cabochon and green tsavorite ($1,450) The former Tiffany & Co. product development specialist and former JCK Design Ambassador, who is now based in Colorado, specializes in custom engagement rings as well as fashion fine jewelry collections, like her Gumdrop series, which features bright cabochon-cut stones that, true-to-their-name, look good enough to eat.
Santi Rom’s 14-karat gold medallion with black and champagne diamonds ($9,235) Designer Roman Drake of Santi Rom has worked as an artist in several mediums for more than two decades. Each piece from the Santi Rom collection is handmade by Drake, and individually molded and cast, making each creation one-of-a-kind.
Byzantine era and the imperfect element of design inherent to handmade craftsmanship.
Nantucket-native Hannah Blount operates her eponymous jewelry line from Boston’s artist district.
Clockwise from left: Hannah Blount Jewelry’s oxidized sterling silver ring with a white diamond ($310), oxidized sterling silver ring without a diamond ($120), and 18-karat yellow gold ring with a white diamond ($1,440) Among the pieces she will be bringing to JA New York are the face-motif rings from her Cameo line, which feel mythical and spooky at the same time.
Blount’s jewelry is earthy, organic and spiritual; the designer often works with semi-precious stones ranging from Herkimer diamonds to turquoise, aquamarine and moonstone.
Adriatic Jewelry’s Rebecca Fragola will debut a new collection at JA New York. Called Veza, the range features 14-karat yellow gold and white sapphire pieces in a sleek, minimalist design that lends itself well to layering.
Adriatic Jewelry’s 14-karat gold rings with white sapphires ($250-$600 per style) Fragola also produces a brass and silver line, and will have previous fine collections on hand at the show. All of her work is handmade in the United States.
Designer and gemologist Rachael Sarc worked at a number of jewelry brands in New York before launching her own collection in 2014.
Her signature is a crisscross motif, in which gemstones are draped with intersecting lines of diamond pave. She has also designed a large volume of bespoke pieces for her clients.
Rachael Sarc’s black rhodium-plated 18-karat white gold ring with white and multicolored diamond pavé ($13,660) The daughter of a goldsmith, Alexis Kletjian launched her namesake line in 2011 after a career in fashion design and the birth of her children.
Her collections range from a series of jewels engraved with Victorian star motifs to stacking rings and her most compelling collection, the Lotus Shield, in which a center stone and accent diamonds are set in a gold shield-shaped pendant.
Alexis Kletjian Fine Jewelry’s 14-karat gold bracelet with emeralds ($5,800) Emilie Shapiro cut her teeth at Pamela Love and Allforthemountain after studying jewelry and metalsmithing at Syracuse University and Alchimia in Florence.
The accomplished designer relies on the lost wax casting technique to create her pieces by hand in her New York studio.
Emilie Shapiro’s 14-karat yellow gold ring with tanzanite and rough diamonds ($1,045) Shapiro’s affinity for rough stones and hand-crafted pieces ring loud and clear in her eponymous collection.
Alexandra Gunn Designs’ 14-karat rose gold and silver ring with white sapphires ($3,299) The Wave and Splash collection from Alexandra Gunn Designs is designer Alexandra LaValley’s first.
Previously, LaValley worked across several mediums including painting, sculpture, drawing and fashion design.
The artist’s fore into jewelry came about when LaValley couldn’t find jewelry she liked to wear on her wedding day so she decided to make her own, eventually branching into a full-blown business.
Acanthus’ oxidized silver and 24-karat yellow gold ear climbers with opals and black diamonds ($620) The designer of line Acanthus, Minnesota-based Nichole McIver, specializes in exploring the interplay between oxidized silver and 24-karat gold.
She derives inspiration from the moon, stars and planets as well as more macabre symbols, like skulls and daggers.
All 10 designers will be on display at the New Designer Gallery at the JA New York Summer show, which runs this Sunday, July 24 through Tuesday, July 26 at the Javits Center in New York City.
