The snowflake is one of nature’s most magical creations, fascinating because of its uniqueness yet absolutely precise in its design. That mix of qualities is likely why many jewelers love to take inspiration from the snowflake.
How could something that starts as a bit of dust or pollen hit by a water droplet translate so beautifully into jewelry? One designer delighted by the intricate shapes of individual snowflakes, their sparkle and silhouettes, is Sophia Macris, creative director for Verragio Fine Jewelry—which uses the snowflake in jewelry designs and as an image in its marketing.
“I love the recurring patterns in nature, how the same structure of a snowflake—a crystal—also creates diamonds and other beautiful stones,” she says. “Jewelry is a way for me to represent my sense of wonder at the natural world.”
You might not expect Martin Katz, the Beverly Hills–based designer to Hollywood’s elite, to be an ice-falling-from-the-sky fan, yet he also admires snowflakes. And he bejeweled Reba McEntire for the Dec. 3 Christmas in Rockefeller Center broadcast on NBC.
“The snowflake has always been one of nature’s most extraordinary designs—no two ever the same, each a fleeting moment of beauty. I wanted to transform that magic into diamonds,” Katz says. (How often does the guy get to wear mittens and frolic in the snow? But we digress.)
About those breathtaking white gold and diamond snowflakes hanging from McEntire’s ears at the tree lighting, Katz says, “These earrings are crafted to feel ethereal, almost floating, with hundreds of micro-set diamonds that illuminate every angle. Their geometry is quietly dramatic, echoing the elegance of a snowflake caught in winter light.
“They are, to me, a timeless tribute to the season’s most exquisite form—glamorous, modern, and a graceful reminder of the holiday season. They are my ode to winter’s most elegant silhouette,” Katz adds.
Joy Haugaard, founder and creative director of Lionheart, sees snowflakes in her Lumière collection, though it was “inspired by Victorian-era celestial motifs,” she says.
“There’s an effortless harmony between our star designs and the geometry of snow,” says Haugaard. “Stars and snowflakes may emerge from entirely different realms, yet they share the same enchanting traits. Perfect symmetry, luminous radiance, and a magical way of capturing and reflecting light.”
As JCK’s Brittany Siminitz recently wrote, FoundRae has a new winter/holiday collection inspired by “drifting snowflakes and the radiant joy of the season”—and you can see how a snowflake’s purity and baroque geometry is reflected in FoundRae’s Snow Pavé jewelry.
Snowflake jewelry is essential to jewelers based in snowy places like the Midwest and the Western mountain states. Utah’s Park City Jewelers, for example, designed its Snowflake collection so visitors to the brand’s namesake ski resort town can take their memories home in the form of earrings or a necklace.
In chilly Chicago, jeweler Christopher Duquet also created a Snowflakes collection, featuring mini diamond earrings that look like they just fell from the sky. Another Duquet Snowflakes favorite are the Northern Lights earrings: Moonstone mimics the sky’s shimmer during the Northern Lights, and diamonds—in a setting resembling an icy halo—enhance the moonstone’s natural blue.
Additional examples of snowflake jewelry follow.
Top: Tiffany & Co. snowflake brooch ($16,200) in 18k yellow gold with round lapis lazuli cabochon, round ruby cabochons, and round brilliant-cut diamonds (Tiffany and David Webb photos courtesy of The Back Vault; other photos courtesy of the brands)
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