Warm weather and longer daylight hours are two things that make summer sweet, and Marrow Fine founder Jillian Sassone is adding a third treat to that list: Summer Fridays jewelry.

Beginning today and continuing through Aug. 30, Marrow Fine will make weekly drops of exclusive designs featuring gemstones from Sassone’s personally sourced collection. If you can’t wait till the end of the week and need a sneak peek, the brand will offer early access to some of its Summer Fridays pieces via the new Marrow Fine app, starting June 20.

Summer Friday jewels will range from white diamond engagement rings to colorful statement cocktail rings with Zambian emeralds, sapphires from Sri Lanka and Montana, Australian opals, and more, Sassone says.

She and her business partner and husband, Tim, have collected the gems you’ll see in the Summer Fridays series over the past eight years, and Jillian says they had fun going through the vault together and remembering where they were when they found each stone. She tells us more about the summertime special in this Q&A.

Why did you want to introduce Summer Fridays?

Summer is such a great time to refresh your jewelry collection, so we thought this would be a fun and unique experience for people to see and shop some new designs. We also wanted to really give each of these one-of-a-kind pieces its moment and lean into some storytelling around what makes the stones featured in these designs so unique. It all felt perfect for a summer launch, especially since many of these rings feel unexpected, playful, and embrace vibrant colors.

How did you decide how to use each gemstone you’d collected?

I gave myself permission to play and let the stones dictate where the design should go. Some of the specimen and color combinations feel unexpected, and those are probably the ones I’m most excited about.

Tell me about why we should all wear colorful gemstones during these warmer months.

Summer is synonymous with vibrant colors, and I’m all about experimenting with different shades, patterns, and combinations during the season. You can also rely on your accessories to introduce these pops of color for you—think a neutral outfit with mixed-colored gemstone jewelry. You can expect to see some bright-colored designs featured in our Summer Fridays series. We will introduce a special stunner every week.

I love seeing our clients embrace color during the summer months. The vibrant blue-green hues of sapphires and emeralds are reminiscent of the water, which is so perfect for the season, and these are definitely gemstones our clients can expect to see in this collection. Playful designs, like ballerina and petals rings, can add some visual interest to a simple summer outfit, especially if they highlight different-colored stones. It feels fresh and fun.

Which Summer Fridays jewels are standouts for you?

One of my personal favorites is a petals ring highlighting a 1.04-carat Zambian emerald surrounded by turquoise and diamonds. For those that gravitate towards warmer shades, I designed a pink spinel petals ring that features opals and Montana sapphire rounds with the most stunning orange hues. I really love this as a statement summer ring.

Lastly, some of our toi et moi pieces incorporate pops of color in a more subtle way—a 1.13-carat antique French-cut diamond set alongside a 2.56-carat sapphire with vibrant blue hues, or a bezel-set old European diamond complemented by a natural light orange sapphire pear. These two-stone designs feel playful enough for summer but timeless enough to be worn year-round.

What gems do you consider most suitable for wearing in summer? 

Opals are other gemstones I’m really gravitating towards for the summer season, and they appear in a handful of our Summer Fridays pieces. Another personal favorite of mine is a stunner opal and diamond petals ring. I designed a very similar version with a marquise opal as well. Opals display such a unique range of colors that often reminds me of sunsets and summer skies; they add a touch of iridescence to an outfit, which I love.

In addition to all the color, diamonds are always desirable. I designed a handful of all-white diamond pieces that will be featured in this collection as well: some statement makers, like our white diamond petals rings, to daintier pieces like toi et mois featuring smaller carat weight diamonds, and even some classic solitaires. Many of the colorful statement rings in this collection can be further accentuated with white diamond stacking rings, for an even more mega summer look.

Top: A one-of-a-kind ring featuring a 2.4 ct. Australian opal encircled by 12 diamond rounds ($6,500) is an example of the Summer Fridays drops by Marrow Fine. (Photos courtesy of Marrow Fine)

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