Rachel Quinn: From L.A. With Love
Traditionally I do a roster of women jewelry designers from around the globe for International Women’s Day each year and have included some of the top international independents. (see here)
But this year I have chosen one designer with whom, I have increasingly become enamored. I am enchanted by her wit, her soul and her ability to not only invent her own distinctive voice but allow it to resonate among so many. Rachel Quinn has won my heart once again as she evolved even further. Her most recent jewels in collaboration with Gemfields tell a true tale from the poem she wrote to accompany and the collection to the imaginative way she translated them. The collection is called “Crazy Love.” Rachel explains, I wanted to distill the array of emotional experiences found in the early stages of love in 10 unique pieces. I first made a list of what I thought were universal highs and lows, then chose my favorites and started to play around with imagery that best captured them.” And therefore we celebrate her on March 8, 2025 as creator who is fast becoming known internationally
But this year I have chosen one designer with whom, I have increasingly become enamored. I am enchanted by her wit, her soul and her ability to not only invent her own distinctive voice but allow it to resonate among so many. Rachel Quinn has won my heart once again as she evolved even further. Her most recent jewels in collaboration with Gemfields tell a true tale from the poem she wrote to accompany and the collection to the imaginative way she translated them. The collection is called “Crazy Love.” Rachel explains, I wanted to distill the array of emotional experiences found in the early stages of love in 10 unique pieces. I first made a list of what I thought were universal highs and lows, then chose my favorites and started to play around with imagery that best captured them.” And therefore we celebrate her on March 8, 2025 as creator who is fast becoming known internationallyHere she talks about each of the 10 pieces in the collection which starts with a piece of the poem she wrote to accompany each piece. She also was cognizant of the meaning of each gemstone and explains, “This collection showcases Gemfields responsibly sourced rubies and emeralds, not only enhancing each design’s beauty but also deepen the collection’s narrative: rubies, the stone of the heart, symbolize passionate love, while emeralds represent hope, harmony and new beginnings—all the elements we seek in the flush of new love.”
Falling in love is a gamble
“The feeling of new love being a risk and gamble was the easiest as my mind immediately went to Vegas and the multitudes of imagery it offers. the wager (the love token). “I put a lucky #7 on the back in classic Vegas style to bring much needed added luck into the wager.””
It’s a roll of the dice
“I wanted to show the act of playing/gambling (the dice)”
we put our best face forward
“Flirting: I knew I wanted to use imagery that one uses to pretty themselves up – there’s a level of self-consciousness in the beauty world that I thought paired nicely with this stage.”
and make sure to smell nice
“Seduction: A perfume bottle with lips at the top and ruby hearts as part of the three dimensional jewel.
But my goal for these pieces was to be more than just a pretty piece of jewelry. I wanted them to serve a purpose, so I made them functional: a perfume bottle and a keepsake vessel, both referencing lips, the center of seduction both in kissing and words.”
yet doubts are a plenty
“Doubts: the simplest and universal motif for questioning is simply a question mark. I doubled down on that but added an Alice in Wonderland vibe, alluding to falling down a rabbit hole into the unknown.”
when trepidations begin to grow
“Fear: The Spiderweb earrings are inspired by this quote from Alain de Botton: “Our societies focus relentlessly on the upsides of the start of love; we would do well to have some sympathy for the terrors.”
as our heart becomes more tender
in the face of vast unknowns
“Vulnerability: the Lover’s Eye Brooch illustrates the bittersweet vulnerability of love. The eye is looking at its beloved and overcome with emotions of tenderness and vulnerability.”
parting, a torment of longing
“Yearning: to capture the sense of longing, I revisited a motif that has been in my line for years – my Lovesick heart. It’s a playful take on illness spots covering an ailing heart.”
sweet reunions set the heart alight
“Joy and elation: I wanted these pieces to have a sense of action – radiating with love, floating on air, being on cloud 9, these are the phrases that inspired these pieces.
The Radiant Love pinky ring: from the top it looks like a ruby heart with a starburst of sapphires, but from the side there’s a floral aspect to it – the heart is also blooming.”
falling in love is thrilling yet scary
as the heart lifts to new heights
“The Heart Air Balloons design came through my listing of things that float or are in the sky, “Hot Air” easily and playfully became “Heart Air” and I loved the idea of the ruby hearts themselves being lifted into the sky.”
More International Women’s Day stories:
Eight Woman Jewelry Designers Talk About Navigating Their Businesses In Tough And Triumphant Times
