Looking back on this year, I’ve seen a lot of beautiful pieces. And since it would be an impossible feat to choose just one fave, here are 12 from 2013.
Editor’s note: Collections are listed in alphabetical order.
Bibi van der Velden. I met Bibi at the 2013 JCK Las Vegas show and fell in love with her Kryptonite pieces as well as her affinity for headpieces. Plus, I love the details (see the tiny snail on the bracelet shown) in the delicate works she’s made in collaboration with Vieri.
Carla Amorim. Carla’s pieces are straight-up sexy, which isn’t too surprising considering that the designer hails from Brazil. Lots of color, movement, and interesting textures make this artist’s jewelry super covetable and feminine.
Charmed Circle. I met designer and owner Gina Cartwright just once at a press preview, but the whimsy of her line stayed with me. Lollipop gemstone rings? Snow globe pendants? Yes, thank you! Themes of nostalgia are a staple in her line, as is inscribing notable quotes on other pieces.
Danuta Burczik-Kruczkowska of Kruczkowska. I met Danuta last spring at the Amberif show, and she is as warm and lovely as the beautiful untreated amber jewels she makes. I love the organic gems and styles in her line and appreciate her fun pieces, like giant carved whistle pendants.
Emanuela Duca. Organic-looking designs in karat gold and sterling are her signature style, and I love how each piece looks like it was dug up from the earth, a relic of some past but sophisticated civilization.
Holly Dyment. Fun and color sum up Holly’s works, which I adore! Consider these: an octopus motif with pearls, smiling skulls in colored enamel, and tiny birds dusted with diamonds on the breast. I love all her designs, which most recently include sweet little enamel and gemstone-centered stud earrings. Holly is something of a MacKenzie-Childs for our industry, and I’m delighted to see her call jewelry home.
Jessica Kagan Cushman. The details in Jessica’s jewels are swoon-worthy (look at the carved charms in the necklace shown)! And I love her mix of oxidized (not black rhodium) silver with karat gold mixes. Plus, she also loves whimsy, incorporating funny words like whatever in other styles.
Jewelmer. I adore pearls, but after visiting its farms earlier this year I found a new level of admiration and respect for this pearler. Not only does the firm grow honey-colored and lovely golden pearls exclusively, but its owners also treasure and help care for the Filipino people and the pristine environment in which the pearls are grown.
Martin Bernstein. I swear that Martin makes jewelry for mermaids; his stunningly sexy finished styles comprise delicate gold chains set with lustrous pearls or gems in seaweedesque-inspired numbers that could have washed up on a beach due to their tousled deliciousness.
Mimi So. Mimi makes happy, chic, and memorable jewels: big gemstone pavé bows, electrifying-looking boulder opals set in rings and earrings, and more rugged-looking numbers from her Switch collection. All of the variety in her offerings makes choosing the right jewel for your mood and occasion a bittersweet task because you’ll want to wear multiples across all collections.
Nina Runsdorf. Nina also brings sexy to jewelry in a big way! Her choices in oversize gemstone cuts, signature style of slices, and reliance on bold versions of classic looks enable her to make powerfully contemporary and beautiful numbers bound to please for generations.
Suzanne Kalan. I’ve always admired Suzanne’s super-feminine styling, but her use of baguettes—which debuted at Couture 2013—just blew my mind. She took gorgeous baguette cuts of champagne diamonds and set them in her signature askew manner to create a new covetable diamond classic.
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