Turkish jewelry house Molu, the brand behind this ring, has been in business since 1956, but is making its Couture debut this year.
Las Vegas--This year, 71 new booths will populate the ballrooms of the Wynn during the annual Couture show, taking place June 2 to 6.
While a veteran attendee may think they’ve seen it all, there’s no dearth of creativity from the following Couture newcomers whom we recommend meeting (and that’s not even counting the new class entering the Design Atelier; stay tuned for a future article on that.)
Some of the designers highlighted are early on in their careers, while others are industry legends. Both will have plenty to offer buyers and press come June.
Designer Sinork Agdere honed his craft over years of both design study and practical application in Istanbul, Turkey. In 2002, he founded Lord Jewelry in Los Angeles.
Agdere’s work reveals his fascination with antique and vintage jewelry, as well as his love of vivid shades of enamel.
Lord Jewelry’s 18-karat yellow gold, diamond and enamel pendant (price upon request)
Lord Jewely’s 18-karat yellow gold, diamond, sapphire and enamel earrings (price upon request)
Lord Jewelry’s 18-karat white gold, diamond, sapphire and enamel pendant (price upon request)
Two storied American jewelry houses are making Couture debuts in 2017, one is David Webb and the other is Oscar Heyman.
Oscar Heyman has been a trade show fixture for years, but is making the leap from JCK to Couture this year, reacquainting a different audience with the spectacular gems for which the house is known.
Fresh off a book charting the brand’s history, consider this a time of elevation for Oscar Heyman.
Oscar Heyman’s platinum, bi-color tourmaline and diamond ring ($36,000)
Oscar Heyman’s 18-karat gold and platinum necklace set with padparadscha sapphires, blue sapphires and white diamonds ($350,000)
Oscar Heyman’s platinum bracelet with aquamarines, sapphires and white diamonds (price upon request)
A couple of noticeable multi-brand showroom booths are missing at this year’s show but sales and public relations agency For Future Reference is filling that void with its very own space.
Sarah Hendler will be showing for the first time among For Future Reference’s clientele. The eponymous brand combines antique glamour, like a Victorian star motif, with a modern insouciance via enamel and gemstone pops of color.
Sarah Hendler’s 18-karat yellow gold ring with amethyst and enamel ($3,675)
Sarah Hendler’s 18-karat yellow gold earrings with pearls and enamel ($2,626)
Sarah Hendler’s 18-karat yellow gold, rhodium and diamond earrings ($6,195)
Joining Hendler is new brand-to-know, Retrouvaí by designer Kirsty Stone. Stone’s vivacious multi-stone drop earrings and elegant medallions have made a big splash in the industry since the designer won the inaugural edition of “The Next Now,” an emerging designer competition from Ylang23.
Couture seems like the logical next step for the designer, who offers pieces at a variety of price points sure to please retailers.
Retrouvaí’s 14-karat yellow gold and multicolor tourmaline earrings ($5,545)
Retrouvaí’s 14-karat yellow gold and diamond pendant ($2,500)
Retrouvaí’s 14-karat yellow gold and lapis lazuli earrings ($3,910)
Bryant delivers a refined and elegant take on everyday fine jewelry that is conversely wearable and bold.
The California-based designer, who has been in business over a decade, manages to make major amounts of gold and diamonds feel relaxed and unfussy.
Julez Bryant’s 14-karat yellow gold pendant with diamonds ($5,716)
20170518_COUTUREPreview-julezbryant2 Julez Bryant’s 18-karat rose, yellow and white gold bangles with diamonds, sold separately (from top to bottom: $18,696; $12,976; $13,196; $11,656)
Julez Bryant’s 14-karat white gold pendant with blue topaz, grey diamonds and aquamarines ($12,536)
Established in 2005 in Santa Monica, California, Hoorsenbuhs’ signature tri-link design has caught the attention of cultural influencers across industries. The brand, helmed by Robert Keith and Kether Parker, has partnered on projects with everyone from Jay-Z to Damien Hirst.
Last year, they opened a flagship store in New York City. The best thing about the buzzy brand? Most of their pieces can be worn by women or men.
Hoorsenbuhs’ 18-karat yellow and rose gold rings with Gemfields’ emeralds, rubies and sapphires in collaboration with Mellen and Son New York ($9,500 each)
Hoorsenbuh’s 18-karat yellow, white and rose gold bracelet ($14,000 each)
Brazilian designer Yael Sonia has exhibited at Couture before but is making her return this year, equipped with her signature kinetic, graphic jewels.
Sonia’s oeuvre exemplifies the idea of “wearable art.” There are strong ties to sculpture throughout her work, and pieces that move just beg to be played with.
Yael Sonia’s 18-karat yellow gold, quartz and diamond ring ($7,400)
Yael Sonia’s 18-karat yellow gold cuff with citrine, rose quartz, lemon quartz, onyx, smoky quartz, amethyst, onyx and rutilated quartz (price upon request)
Yael Sonia’s 18-karat yellow gold earrings with onyx, smoky quartz, rutilated quartz and diamond ($9,600)
Bayco is well known for its handling of exquisite and rare gems, such as the “Muzo Spectacular” emerald necklace or the “Crimson Ruby” ring.
Run by the Hadjibay family, who collected gems prior to producing their own jewelry in New York in the 1990s, expect to see numerous iterations of “the big three.” Their emeralds, in particular, are a must-see.
Bayco’s platinum ring with sapphire and white diamonds (price upon request)
Bayco’s platinum necklace with emeralds and white diamonds (price upon request)
Bayco’s platinum earrings with rubies and white diamonds (price upon request)
New York-based Karma El Khalil has a diverse body of work, but the young designer to watch is most known for her sophisticated geometric designs that give femininity an edge.
El Khalil has successfully done what every young brand must do to survive in the long-run--develop a signature. She moves seamlessly between her more wearable works and stunning, one-of-a-kind masterpieces.
Karma El Khalil’s 18-karat rose gold and blackened gold ring with opal, black spinel and white and black diamonds ($15,000)
Karma El Khalil’s 18-karat blackened gold earrings with white diamonds ($9,000)
Karma El Khalil’s 18-karat white gold customizable choker with white diamonds ($8,000)
Pamela Huizenga’s background in the lapidary arts overwhelmingly informs her eponymous fine jewelry line.
Officially launched in 2009, Huizenga incorporates interesting gem elements into her otherwise classic collections; think traphiche emeralds and fossils.
Pamela Huizenga’s 18-karat yellow gold ring with carved aquamarine and white diamonds (price upon request)
Pamela Huizenga’s 18-karat yellow gold earrings with aquaprase, aquamarine and diamonds (price upon request)
Pamela Huizenga’s aquaprase and aquamarine bead necklace with handmade 18-karat gold spiral knots (price upon request)
VanLeles is the brainchild of Vania Leles, a GIA graduate and former employee of Sotheby’s jewelry department, Graff Diamonds and De Beers.
Focused on using responsibly sourced materials, VanLeles doesn’t forfeit glamour for ethics. The brand specializes in high jewelry pieces that utilize an abundance of diamonds and color gemstones.
Van Leles’ 18-karat white gold bangle with Gemfields’ emeralds and white diamonds (price upon request)
VanLeles’ 18-karat white gold earrings with Gemfields’ emeralds and white diamonds (price upon request)
A graduate of the famed Central Saint Martins University of the Arts in London, Leyla Abdollahi creates technically intricate pieces that seem to defy the human limits of design.
Abdollahi’s work features flowing, curving abstractions as well as pieces inspired by nature. In the vein of a Wendy Yue or Wallace Chan, Abdollahi is a designer to keep an eye on.
Leyla Abdollahi’s 18-karat white gold and yellow gold necklace with emeralds and white diamonds (price upon request)
Leyla Abdollahi’s 18-karat yellow gold ring with emeralds and white diamonds (price upon request)
Leyla Abdollahi’s 18-karat white gold earrings with onyx, emeralds and white diamonds (price upon request)
As a child, Page Sargisson was taught wood carving by her grandfather, which later inspired her to continue working with her hands at the jeweler’s bench.
Based in Brooklyn, New York, Sargisson’s organic-feeling and tactile designs are all made using recycled materials.
Page Sargisson’s 18-karat yellow gold brooch with multicolor sapphires ($9,500)
Page Sargisson’s 18-karat yellow gold rings with diamonds ($2,000 to $6,500)
Page Sargisson’s 18-karat yellow gold rings with rubies and multicolor sapphires ($3,300 to $3,800)
Turkish brand Molu is making a U.S. push with their presence at Couture this year. Like several Middle Eastern brands of note, they deftly handle magnificent gemstones and diamonds in innovative ways.
Their Ballerina ring, pictured below, is reason enough to stop in and see what other creations they have to offer.
Molu’s one-of-a-kind 18-karat white gold ring with emerald and diamonds ($120,000)
Molu’s one-of-a-kind 18-karat white gold earrings with emeralds and diamonds ($85,000)
Molu’s 18-karat white gold ring with sapphire and diamonds ($48,500)
Since Gaia Repossi, the fourth generation designer of the heritage brand, took the creative reigns in 2007, she has sculpted the brand into one of the most influential in contemporary jewelry today.
Playing with scale, proportion, asymmetry and even how and where jewelry can be worn, Repossi manages to make luxury cool for a generation that eschews it.
Repossi’s 18-karat rose gold ring with diamonds (price upon request)
Repossi’s 18-karat rose gold ring with diamonds (price upon request)
Celine D’Aoust cites nature as the influence behind her namesake line of jewelry.
The Belgium-based designer lends an elegant touch to organic slices of colorful gemstones. Tourmalines in particular seem to be D’Aoust’s number-one muse.
Celine D’Aoust’s 14-karat yellow gold bangle with tourmaline and diamond slices (5995 euros or $6,679 per current exchange rates)
Celine D’Aoust’s 14-karat rose gold ring with rough tourmaline and tourmaline slice (1,645 euros or $1,833 per current exchange rates)
Celine D’Aoust’s 14-karat yellow gold ring with grey diamond slices and white diamonds (2,995 euros or $3,338 per current exchange rates)
Maria Canale spent decades designing behind the scenes at Tiffany & Co., Harry Winston, Richard Krementz and Carvin French.
Now, she creates elaborate pieces under her own moniker. Expect to see major one-of-a-kind pieces that carry the thread of classic glamour Canale inherited during her tenure at renowned design houses.
Maria Canale’s 18-karat yellow gold ring with onyx and diamonds ($6,900)
Maria Canale’s 18-karat white gold and diamond cuff ($72,500)
Maria Canale’s 18-karat yellow gold and diamond earrings ($8,250)
Ashley Davisis the senior editor, fashion at National Jeweler, covering all things related to design, style and trends.
