NYNOW: Variety in bloom among Independent Designers
From Jo Hayes Ward’s basket weave textured bands to Alex Monroe’s romantic take on the birds and bees in pendants, true talent blossomed at one of the major trade shows in Manhattan. Although NY NOW features categories from home décor to personal accessories, it has become the New York-based show, for US fine jewelry retail stores to discover fresh talent and shop their favorite independent designers for what’s hot off of their work benches.
The twice yearly show features a strong UK representation of creativity, including Polly Wales, a recent transplant to the US but whose brand has become recognizable on both sides of the pond. Polly creates a mosaic effect of color, texture and shape in her bridal rings—newest of which are wide shield styles in multi-color sapphires and diamonds (a few of which were show in our own Technicolor story). Polly recently added a spinner necklace of a circular pendant, which displays vivid hues of sapphires on one side and more subdued pastels on the other. She also has created a pair of fan-shaped earrings within her newest series that stand out among the must-have earrings of the season.
Polly Wales’ multi colored sapphire and diamond fan shaped earrings
Among the other UK designers are Jo Hayes Ward, whose hand for intricate texture and detail results in varying widths and silhouettes of tactile wedding bands and statement rings with diamond accents in a range of gold and palladium styles and Alex Monroe’s current takes on sentimental and symbolic Victorian motifs, Ruth Tomlinson showed juicy colored and rose diamond bridal and stacking rings as well as easy to wear jewelry in studs and small pendants; while Jacqueline Cullen’s ultra modern and brilliant rejuvenation of Whitby Jet (the material of Victorian mourning Jewelry) shapes up in purely architectural and geometric silhouettes. What these UK designers all have in common is their nod to their roots while being true to the current climate of jewelry. Nothing feels like a redo of something old. All is designed for today’s woman.
Jo Hayes Ward’s rings in various colors of 18K gold
Alex Monroe’s birds and bees pendants
The bridal category is exploding in general. If you are planning an engagement in the near future and want anything but a conventional ring , you have plenty designers’ styles from which to choose, including: Marian Maurer’s texture and bold new color and Megan Thorne’s feminine heirloom quality vivid gemstones and old cut diamonds. Lauren Wolf’s creates inverted grey diamonds and new pear shaped engagement rings; Katie Diamond’s filigree style bands are finely studded with diamonds and Page Sargisson’s offers chunky, perfectly irregular and weighty bands with colored stones, These were just a small range of the highlights for brides-to-be.
- Marian Maurer’s emerald ring
- Katie Diamond’s filigree and diamond wedding band
- Megan Thorne’s Sapphire and Diamond engagement ring
- Page Sargisson’s chunky gemstone bands
- Lauren Walf’s grey diamond engagement rings
- Ruth Tomlinson’s colored gemstone and rose cut diamond rings
Color continues to impact many collections, from the rough-hewn to the perfectly polished. Some of my personal favorites are Variance Objects, Tura Sugden, Robin Haley and Adel Chefridi, who also brings symbolism and meaning into each of his collections. The rose shaped opal heart at Just Jules romanced me—even with my superstitions about wearing opals. And, one of the queens of color and sustainability, Melissa Joy Manning gives us her update on the 70s through the bolder 80s with a rounded wire from which three shapes and types of gemstones dropped down; chrysoprase agate an Boulder opal.
- Variance Objects Tourmaline earrings
- Tura Sugden’s opal earrings
- Robin Haley’s Chalcedony and labradorite earrings
- Just Jules opal heart
Adel Chefridi’s ‘flame’ pendant with yellow polished rough diamond
Melissa Joy Manning’s tri-stone necklace
Speaking of color, Ananda Khalsa (shown in top featured image) continues to create artful combinations, the beauty of which comes from her combinations of a pretty and lively palette of gemstones and her delicate detailed porcelain natural motifs set into gold and silver. The porcelain pieces should be added to your wish list
The natural world continues to inform designers such as Zoe Chicco, Sarah Swell and Rebecca Overmann from the woods to the ocean and leaves to fish scales
- Sara Swell’s Gold Bracele
- Rebecca Overmann’s gold bracelet
Zoe Chicco’s diamond and 14K gold bracelet
Thank you to all the designers who allowed me to style the photos in their booths and for borrowing your floral arrangements that ranged in meaning from ‘the blush of first love” to fidelity, truth, regard, majestic beauty and a host of other symbolism based on the Language of Flowers, which began with the Victorians.
For more on the flowers to which each meaning is attached— please see the reading list coming soon.
