Top Up & Coming Jewelry Designers
We recently took a look at the world’s highest rated designers/design conglomerates, and their heart-stopping pieces. This week, we turn focus to some of the most promising and stylishly precocious young designers in the land. Here are ten of the most gifted and inspiring originators currently rocking the American jewelry scene.
Sophie Monet – This designer embodies several quite enviable traits. She not only comes up with innovative designs on the reg, she often crafts them out of totally sustainable materials too. Her interest in textured wood and its interplay with alternative gemstones and metals has fostered one incredibly unique, sophisticated and highly wearable collection. Anyone who fancies natural substances in their jewelry will love this crafty Californian’s brilliant conceptions.
one standout piece: THE HOWLITE CUFF
Rhianna Cooper – Our next rising star got her start selling her winsome wares on the endlessly colorful and vibrant Boardwalk of Venice Beach, CA. She states that her pieces are inspired by “Indian, Ancient Egyptian, and Native American culture,” and one can truly see the internationally zesty melange of time tested styles mingling with entirely modern, ground breaking and fun concepts. Her brand is named Vida Kush (translated to “Live Gold” in Spanish/Ancient Egyptian, obviously) and her bold gold aesthetic is truly transcendental.
one standout piece: Rose Quartz Body Choker
Jennie Kwon – Trying to pin down the exact definition of a 21st Century Renaissance Woman? Look no further than Jennie Kwon, a virtuoso violinist turned shrewd corporate lawyer turned loving mother (of twins!) turned dynamic designer of elegant and endlessly classy pieces. Her style is simultaneously simple and gallantly defined. She utilizes clean lines and diminutives gems in a way that makes each piece pop in an utterly refined yet daring way. She also doesn’t shy away from getting creatively cute at times.
one standout piece: GRAY DIAMOND DROP NECKLACE
Scosha Woolridge – Hailing from the land down under, this dashing designer navigated the better part of the globe before finding an inspiring nest in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg. The Scocha brand is actually quite established (with locations in high end stores all around the world), but still makes this list as visionary creator Woolridge seamlessly blends the beautiful with the thought-provoking, in a manner that is entirely fresh and new. Each of her pieces is a singular work of art, often encapsulating ruggedly asymmetrical precious metals and imaginatively structured gemstones.
one standout piece: LOLLI STUDS WITH MIXED STONES
Haim Medine – With roots firmly grounded in the upscale jewelry industry (his NYC based family is entrenched in the business), Haim desperately needed to break free and let his own ingeniously different ideas flourish. His jewelry focuses on gold items, fashioned primarily to represent the everyday turned magical. His pieces make you look at things with a wide-eyed perspective; a youthful eye. He deemed his line “Khai Khai,” which was his childhood nickname and symbolizes the nascent wonder inherent in his work.
one standout piece: Starsplosion Ring
Julia Kharitonova – No jewelry artist out there is able to meld sheer imagination, the natural world and the spiritual realm like Kharitonova. Another designer that draws inspiration from all corners of the planet; her work is bolstered by recent soul expanding trips to India, the splendorous opulence of her native Russia’s Moscow, and the pulsing heart of New York City. Her line “Queensbee” unabashedly showcases an incredibly vast array of eye catching items, which include the brazenly colorful and sensationally sparkling to the subtler, more muted and naturally derived. The internationally diverse Queensbee certainly accommodates all manner of existing tastes, and can awaken you to entirely new ones.
one standout piece: KALI EARRINGS
Eddie Borgo – Post-modern; skeletal; fascinating; irresistibly magnetic; these are just some of the words that spring to mind when viewing one of Borgo’s creations. He describes his delightfully outré collection as a “study in geometric classicism,” and his knowledge of architectural design is evidently deep. His jagged, beautifully bleak pieces can somehow be ethereal and fundamentally grounded at the same time. The sleek and shimmering outlines of a megalopolis meet the savagely sensual contours of a rose’s thorn; Borgo is nothing if not a fecund master of the obscurely original.
one standout piece: FROND CUFF
Madyha Farooqui – When someone has a true, heartfelt appreciation for the natural beauty intrinsic to gemstones, you can vividly see it in their work. New York based Farooqui is the perfect example of just such an individual. Many of her designs intentionally take second fiddle to the precious stones featured, in a deliberate attempt to let the gems’ resplendency take center stage. That’s not to say that this designer isn’t exquisitely capable of conjuring up some highly inventive and whimsical creations. Her starkly fabulous Art Deco themed Chrysler building ring and her Olive Branch knuckle ring (which literally extends the olive branch along one’s finger) are objects of sublime invention.
one standout piece: NOLITA COCKTAIL RING
Barbara Campbell – Certain creators are blessed with an insurmountable entrepreneurial spirt that works in tandem with an overflowing portmanteau of talent. This is precisely the case with Campbell, whose stunning collection of exclusively hand-made jewelry just begs to be worn. A true Brooklyn-ophile in every respect, her design studio (which is accessible to the public at select times via reservation) is a Crown Heights mainstay, giving a lucky few a first-hand look into the inner workings of an agilely creative mind. Her jewelry incorporates a lot of gold and black mixtures, which can range from classically sophisticated to trail-blazingly rock ’n roll. Oh, by the way, she also produces “Accessories, Handbags, Clothing, Hair Accessories, Beauty Designs and Products,” as if running a highly successful jewelry line wasn’t enough.
one standout piece: Organic Luna Bracelet
Jennifer Fisher – Having a signature look can be the defining factor that separates you from your peers, and Jenna Fisher is certainly no stranger to this concept. Having originally conceived ‘golden dog tags’ (with her son’s name on them, specifically intended for her own use; a creation that actually helped launch her into the design business), she promptly found her niche. Jewelry which clearly spells out messages is simply her thing. Her other key items are gold cuffs with diamonds inlaid that proudly broadcast dates, names and witticisms to the world. Add to this a fervent assemblage of gold skulls, safety pins and a host of wildly inspired accruements and you’ve uncovered the alluring essence that is Fisher’s trademark.
one standout piece: CUFF WITH 4 SLAY FONT BURNISH LETTERS
-Joe Leone