California Archives | gioiellis.com

Rosa Van Parys between architecture and jewelry

Published on March 18, 2024

Collana in oro giallo e brunito, perle di Tahiti, diamanti

Often jewelers are inspired by architecture, especially for art deco jewels. But it is quite rare for a jeweler to also carry out the profession of architect. And this is precisely the story of Rosa Van Parys, who reached the final in the Best in Pearls category at the Couture Design Awards. Yet jewelry was not a casual choice nor a forced one. The Rosa Van Parys architecture and design studio was successful when she decided to launch her Maison in 2017 and her first high jewelery collection.

Collana con perla di Tahiti e perle Akoya, tsavoriti e zaffiri rosa

The Ecuador-born designer studied in Europe, graduated in architecture and in the United States from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and now lives and works in Westlake Village, a suburb north of Los Angeles. It goes without saying that her jewels retain an inspiration linked to geometry and architectural design. The focus, in fact, is on composition, balance, shape, symmetry and color. Pearls are a key element for the designer, who has also launched pieces of a line of men’s jewelry, which also includes elaborate dagger-shaped pendants. Also because, even though she designs jewelry, Rosa Van Parys has not abandoned the activity related to architecture: she, together with her husband, directs a ten-person studio.

Anello Anaconda, in oro giallo e brunito, tsavoriti, zaffiri rosa

Collana in oro giallo con pavé di diamanti

Collana dedicata al tennis in oro giallo, con pavé di diamanti e di zaffiri rosa

Collana in oro giallo e brunito, perla di Tahiti, zaffiri rosa

The jewels of Carlo and Kiki with A & Furst

Published on November 11, 2023

Showroom

Collezione Dynamite, orecchini con ametista rosa, zaffiri orange e rubini su oro annerito

Pleasant and classic jewels those of the couple Carlo Antonini and Kiki Furst, who created A & Furst in California ♦ ︎

In Milan the name Antonini is associated with the history of jewelry. But also in California. In fact, after studying in the Lombard city, Carlo Antonini moved to St. Helena, a town not far from San Francisco. Here, together with his wife, Kiki Furst, continued the family tradition, now in its third generation: Carlo’s grandfather opened his precious stones company in Milan in 1919. But also Kiki Furst has a history behind it in the world of precious : Kiki’s family started making jewelry in 1850.

Bracciale in oro rosa 18 carati con prasiolite e tsavorite — 18k rose gold bracelet with prasiolite and tsavorite

In short, leaving the family traditions behind, the couple started a new life in Napa Valley, famous for its wine production. It is a small paradise where you can continue to work and create jewelry. Thus was born A & Furst, a jewelry brand that has found its place on the American market. The different stories of Carlo Antonini and Kiki Furst have come together in a synthesis: pleasant jewels, easily wearable, without eccentricity, but with a solid aspect of color and well-being.

Anello cocktail in oro con ametista e tanzanite — Gold cocktail ring with amethyst and tanzanite

Orecchini in oro e topazio Blue London — Blue London gold and topaz earrings

Orecchini con tormalina rosa e opale rosa su oro giallo — Earrings with pink tourmaline and pink opal on yellow gold

Orecchini Bonbon con peridoto e agata bianca su oro giallo — Bonbon earrings with peridot and white agate on yellow gold

Anello Bonbon con acquamarina milky e topazio blu su oro bianco — Bonbon ring with milky aquamarine and blue topaz on white gold

Orecchini con topazio blu e zaffiri blu — Earrings with blue topaz and blue sapphires

Collana Lilies con topazio blu e diamanti su oro bianco — Lilies necklace with blue topaz and diamonds on white gold

Jennifer DeMoro, California dreamin’

Published on September 11, 2023

Showroom

Color Wave Rectangle Pendant necklace, with emerald, tanzanite, blue sapphires

California. Sun, beaches, waves. And a fashion that loves comfort and the informal. In this context Jennifer DeMoro found inspiration for her jewels, which have the seventies as their ideal, when California was the dream of young people all over the world. But Jennifer DeMoro’s jewels are not necessarily to be attributed to a hippy atmosphere or the current Coachella Festival. The designer’s brand is based in southern California, in San Clemente, a seaside town just below Los Angeles. The beach lifestyle in her jewels is transformed into many colored semi-precious stones, which adapt to shiny gold and which remind the designer of the sunsets and intense shades of her territory.

Anello in oro 14 carati con topazio azzurro, smeraldo, ametista, zaffiro arancio e rosa, granato, citrino — 14k gold ring with blue topaz, emerald, amethyst, orange and pink sapphire, garnet, citrine

The stones often have special cuts and the colors are chosen to express strong contrasts, with clear geometric shapes: sapphires, rubies, garnets, spinels, emeralds and amethysts are worked with cuts that include baguette, princess, round and marquise. Jennifer DeMoro also finished a Jewelry Design course at Gia.

Pendente in oro 14 carati con topazio azzurro, smeraldo, ametista, zaffiro arancio e rosa, granato, citrino — 14k gold pendant with blue topaz, emerald, amethyst, orange and pink sapphire, garnet, citrine

Anello in oro 14 carati con ametista, zaffiro rosa e arancio, smeraldo, topazio azzurro — 14K gold ring with amethyst, pink and orange sapphire, emerald, blue topaz

Orecchini in oro 14 carati e zaffiri rosa — Earrings in 14 carat gold and pink sapphires

Orecchini in oro 14 carati e smeraldi — 14k gold and emerald earrings

Orecchini in oro 14 carati con ametista, zaffiro rosa e arancio, smeraldo, topazio blu — Earrings in 14k gold with amethyst, pink and orange sapphire, emerald, blue topaz

Anello con 4 pietre taglio baguette: topazio, ametista, citrino, zaffiro rosa — Ring with 4 baguette-cut stones: topaz, amethyst, citrine, pink sapphire

On the beach with Renna Jewels

Published on March 17, 2023

Showroom

Ciondolo Venus in oro 18 carati e diamanti

Who on the beach, at least once, hasn’t collected shells? However, it is unlikely that this passion has turned into a profession like for Renna Brown-Taher. In truth, the designer no longer only collects shells but she creates them in the form of jewels. Perhaps her luck was to be born in southern California, near the sea. Two shells collected as a child, many years later, were used by Renna’s mother for a bracelet, a gift for her art degree.

The bracelet was followed by a gemology certificate and a master’s degree from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, where she worked for five years, not to mention her passion for dance, which she practiced for a long time. In 2017 the big leap with her own brand Renna Jewels, made with 100% recycled 18-karat gold in New York, where the designer moved. And the shells? They have not disappeared from the horizon. Indeed, they are represented in a large number of jewels, even if they are not the only source of inspiration. 18-karat gold, but also hand-carved gems, such as labradorite or agate, are transformed into jewel-shells, and allow you to stay at the sea all year round.

Collana Caspian con pendente in oro 18 carati e diamanti

Ciondolo a forma di conchiglia in oro 18 carati e diamanti

Orecchini con morganite e agata intagliata, oro e diamanti

Orecchini con labradorite intagliata, oro diamanti

Anello in oro, zaffiri, smalto, diamanti

Sophie Monet and California wood

Published on January 8, 2023

Orecchini in legno di pino, serpentina e sunstone

In Venice (California), the designer Sophie Monet has chosen the path of nature with fine wood jewelry and stones.
The collection is called Bella Italia and it is produced in Venice, California, a little town so named because it is crossed by some channel and offers views with few houses that do not exceed two storeys. But, probably, the Venice beaches inspire Sophie Monet, a designer can boast a commendable desire to propose jewels that have two advantages: a very orderly form, clean, simple, and being absolutely environmentally friendly. And the sustainability of the jewelry to the environment is not a minor issue, both for the impact on the area where are the mines, often with processes that have a profound effect on the ground, both for the employment of labor.

The jewelry line Bella Italia, however, is in fine woods, such as mahogany. Well yes, but it is not simple cheap jewelry. The pieces are made with care and also have the air of being resistant over time. In some cases they are combined with gold-plated metal or stones such as agate. The price is pretty affordable. They are also sold online, with prices ranging between 100 and 250 euro.

Collana in oro 14 carati, con gemme e legno di pino

Anello Confetti in legno con malachite, avventurina, rodocrosite, onice, agata

Lugano Diamonds, the official luxury

Published on December 27, 2022

Showroom

Spilla Butterfly con 44 carati di opale, 27 carati di tsavoriti, 5 carati di diamanti

From California, Orange County, Lugano Diamonds luxury jewels. No, the city of Switzerland has nothing to do with it ♦

Born in Israel, Moti Ferder served four years in his country’s army as a captain in a combat unit. A Spartan life, on a tightrope and with little free time. A very unusual premise for a luxury jeweler, one of those who sell necklaces, rings and bracelets that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Yet it is the story of the founder of Lugano Diamonds, a Californian brand that has become famous for its ability to offer jewels with stratospheric quality precious stones.

Anello con diamante fancy yellow taglio cuscino di 9 carati

His first military life was very useful, according to the jeweler: “I was 19 and the responsibility of 400 soldiers: an indelible experience, which taught me the importance of getting things done”. Actually, there is another thing that was useful to Mr. Ferder: his father was a diamond dealer. In short, from an early age, he had direct experience with precious stones. Teachings that since 2005 he has put to good use in Newport Beach, with the Lugano Diamonds brand. It is not known (to us) why the former army officer chose the Swiss city as the name of his brand. It is known, however, that his extra-luxury jewelry continues to offer particularly sumptuous pieces, such as those you see on this page.In 2021 Lugano Diamonds was acquired by the investment company Compass Diversified for 256 million dollars, but the founder has remained at the helm of the Maison.

Orecchini con zaffiri blu e diamanti — Orecchini con zaffiri blu per 18 carati e diamanti

Anello flessibile con opale e diamanti verdi

Anello Riccio di mare con diamante rosa di 1,4 carati

Orecchini Siren con tanzanite per 30 carati

Jared Lehr, jewels for the stars

Published on December 10, 2022

Showroom

The jewels of the stars was signed by Jared Lehr, a designer who is takeing off in Hollywood ♦ ︎

He looks like an actor, lives in Hollywood, attends the world of cinema. Yet it does not participate in films and television productions. Jared Lehr, in fact, is a jeweler. Although he offers his work a broader definition: “I do not make jewels, I make art to wear”, he says without false modesty.

His style? Strong, irreverent, with jewels with irregular shapes, with large stones in bold colors.

The son of a jeweler-architect, Sam Lehr, after attending the Fashion Institute of Technology, in 2015 Jared gave life to his very exclusive brand. It produces a few pieces, but very precious and sold at a consequent price (sometime its jewels exceed 100,000 dollars). Also because he himself often goes to Africa, South America, Asia to select and buy the stones to use. In particular, he loves the family of tourmalines: green, blue, red and pink. In particular, those of the variety indicolite (blue-green): considers them more beautiful than emeralds. His ability to reveal himself sympathetic, his undoubted good looks, together with the ability to enhance the great stones of color that he uses for his jewels have made him rise in the ranking of the favorite jewelers of many stars.

Cathy Waterman, proudly Californian

Published on December 4, 2022

Showroom

Anello ion oro, diamanti e tormalina rosa

The jewels proudly made in California by Cathy Waterman ♦ ︎
California is not only a place dreamed by millions of people, the land of Hollywood and the residence of many stars of the show, but also a place where many jewelery designers reside. Being close to potential buyers of their collections is a good idea. So, if you do not know Cathy Waterman, you may have seen his jewels worn in some movies, or worn by a star who walks on a red carpet or, finally, on the cover of some fashion monthly magazine.

Orecchini in platino con topazio blu e diamanti

Born in California, she lives near Los Angeles, married, with a daughter, Cathy Waterman has chosen the way of the traditional jewel, especially what she likes to America that likes. In fact, its jewels are distributed throughout the US, as well as in Paris. 22-carat gold, platinum, precious stones that are shipped from around the world are the traditional elements for the same traditional jewelery, albeit with the unmistakable signature of Cathy Waterman. Rings with leaves motifs, echoes of travel around the world: everything is handmade in the Santa Monica lab.

Anello in oro 22 carati, platino e diamanti

Bracciale a catena in oro rosa e diamanti

Pendente con diamanti fancy dipinto a mano

Rachel Quinn’s pop touch

Published on November 15, 2022

Showroom

Anello in oro 14 carati, rubini e rodio nero

As often happens in the United States, moving from one city to another, often even changing the time zone, is not unusual. Rachel Quinn, however, has made a lot of moves. Born in a small town in the deep south of the USA in contact with nature, she moved to Scotland to study at the School of Art The Glasgow School of Art. Back in America, she continued her art studies in Boston, and then Metal and Jewelry Arts in the Bfa of New York, the city where he followed his apprenticeship in jewellery. Finished? No, because she now lives and works in Ojai Valley, Southern California, where she has founded her jewelry brand since 2011.

Orecchini a cuore in oro 14 carati, zaffiri rosa e onice

Her premise on her school curriculum serves to explain why Rachel Quinn’s jewelry seems inspired by pop art and surrealism. Lips, hearts, skulls: 14-karat gold, together with mother-of-pearl, or precious and semi-precious stones are used to create modern jewelery with a special creative touch. Her jewels are also sold through online platforms, such as Moda Operandi.

Orecchini con perle keshi e topazi bianchi

Orecchini in oro 14 carati, diamanti neri, perle di acqua dolce, rubini, argento

The Lush Lips 14K Yellow Gold Ruby Earrings — Orecchini in oro 14 carati, rubini

Anello rollercoaster, in oro 18 carati, diamanti, zaffiro blu e rosa

The new dreams of Jaquie Aiche

Published on September 22, 2022

Showroom

Anelli in oro 14 carati con pietra luna e diamanti

New-signed Jaquie Aiche collections: the California dreamer who cherishes freedom ♦ ︎
The new jewels by Jaquie Aiche remain faithful to the creative philosophy of the designer who from California proposes those atmospheres and those dreams that enchanted during the sixties and seventies. A little Coachella, a little Power Flower, for free and liberated women. This combination combines the brand image choice that combines jewels with a sexy atmosphere, with models in sensual, very provocative poses.

Gioiello per polso e dita in oro 14 carati e tre diamanti

his desire for transgression or, better to be a bit maverick, Jaquie Aiche has also acquired it thanks to a youthful past in a multi-cultural environment with Egyptian and American parents. An unusual cultural fusion, which is at the basis of the cool mix of symbols and styles used for her collections: turquoise, fossil and precious gemstones, Middle Eastern influences with hammered gold, amulets and images of gods. Her simple and eye-catching jewelery has brought it to the fore in a few years and she is now favored by a host of Hollywood stars and not only. Here are his latest proposals.

Anello in oro 14 carati con labradorite e diamanti

Collana in oro 14 carati con opale, tormalina verde, diamanti

Collana in oro 14 carati con opale milky e opali rossi, diamanti

Anello in oro 14 carati con tormalina rosa e diamanti

Anello in oro 14 carati con pietra luna e diamanti

Svetlana Lazar, Ukraine in California

Published on August 24, 2022

Showroom

Anello in oro con pietra luna rainbow e diamanti

From Ukraine to California, but well before the eastern country was invaded by the Russian army. Svetlana Lazar moved to San Francisco when she was only eight, then she graduated from high school and attended courses in sculpture and jewelry, to learn the goldsmith technique needed to start her own business. But she, before her, she had a lot of practice: for 11 years she worked at the counter of a jewelry retailer, with the carving and setting of stones. A hard work which, on the other hand, has endowed Svetlana with precision and awareness in her own means.

Anello in oro 18 carati con tormalina e piccoli diamanti

As with many other American designers with roots in distant countries, it is legitimate to ask whether Svetlana Lazar’s jewels also reflect her history and culture of origin. The answer is no. The jewels are made of 18 karat gold, with the addition of stones such as tourmaline, or opal, aquamarine or sodalite, together with small diamonds or sapphires. Some stones are set in such a way as to suggest movement across the translucent surfaces of the gems.

Orecchini in oro 18 carati con sodalite a goccia, tormaline rosse e zaffiri

Orecchini The Moth in oro 14 carati e diamanti

Orecchini in oro con pietra luna rainbow, zaffiri e diamanti

Collana in oro con pietra luna rainbow, diamanti e zaffiri

Anello con opale etiope, su oro 22 carati e argento annerito

The cultural bridge of Sethi Couture

Published on July 22, 2022

Rings/Showroom

Anello impilabili in oro e diamanti bianchi e neri

Sethi is a common surname in northern India and Pakistani. The word derives from Sreshta which means pure or superior in Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language. Following (perhaps) this principle, the two Californian sisters Pratima and Prerna, with their Sethi Couture, have tried to reunite the jewelry made in the USA with its roots in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Rajasthan, in particular, is famous for its goldsmith tradition. The combination of Indian gold and minimal western style has turned into many stackable rings, earrings and bracelets.

Anello in oro bianco 18 carati e diamanti

As often happens, the two young Indo-Californians tried different paths before finding their way into jewelry. Pratima, after an MBA he started his career in a luxury brand. Prerna studied architecture and then worked for the clothing industry. But another detail must be added to the story: the Pratima and Prerna family trades in diamonds and precious stones. In short, the landing in jewelry is part of the roots of the house. In short, diamonds are not lacking in the collection of Sethi Couture. In addition, alongside motifs inspired by the nature of California, references to traditional Indian architecture also appear in the Maison’s jewels. In short, a bridge that crosses the ocean.

Orecchini pendenti in oro giallo 18 carati e diamanti

Orecchini a forma di foglia in oro giallo 18 carati e diamanti

Anello impilabili in oro giallo e diamanti

Bracciale Ombé in oro e diamanti bianchi e fancy

Surfing with Tara Hirshberg

Published on July 7, 2022

Rings/bracciale

Anello in oro 14 carati, smalto, topazio

Art and economics, post-war painters and market trends: what does all this have to do with jewelry? This question can be answered by Tara Hirshberg, who studied at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) and then in Mancherster, England, before taking her first steps in an art gallery. Indeed, the most famous, the Gagosian Gallery, with an activity as a sales clerk. Another step forward: in 1998, together with other partners, the designer opened an art gallery, the Sandroni Rey Gallery, which was active for 12 years. And the jewels? We get there.

Tara Hirshberg had two children and in her spare time she started making some pieces for herself. From one thing another is born. A trip to India was the event that triggered the desire to try out a new adventure: Tara Hirshberg Jewelry. She uses recycled gold and diamonds, enamels, California atmospheres and beaches, a yoga mood and the result is collections such as Costellations (14-karat gold, zodiac symbols) or Surf (gold, enamels, sapphires). The geometries of the colors, in fact, are reminiscent of those of certain abstract paintings, probably a legacy of the designer’s first activity.

Anello in oro 14 carati e smalto, collezione Surf

Anello in oro 14 carati e zaffiri rosa, diamanti

Orecchino Capricorno in oro 14 carati e diamanti

Orecchino Vergine in oro 14 carati e diamanti

Shimmering Shay

Published on April 25, 2022

Showroom/bracciale/Rings

Bracciale Rainbow in oro con diamanti e gemme multicolori

The glitzy jewelry by Shay, a Californian brand specializing in jewelry with many zeros (in the price) ♦
One of the songs that have characterized the sixties was California Dreaming. Those who know this lyric, knows that nostalgia of colors, the bright sky, scented air has infected around the world. But the colors of California are not only in the sky: they are able to enter the soul. So in 2002 Ladan and Tania Shayan, mother and daughter, have brought the colors and the clear outlines of the Californian landscape inside of Shay, luxury jewelery that combines a sophisticated design with that a little bling of the rich citizens of Los Angeles County.

Handmade and without making economy with stones, gold and platinum jewelry, the jewels are quite showy, but without falling into excess (with minor exceptions). Maxi chains of gold studded with diamonds are imagined to wear at wrist of high and haughty ladies at a party on the terrace of a five star hotel. Multi-layer rings surround fingers capable of supporting their size. In short, dreaming California you can imagine the world of film productions, men in tuxedos and women with jewelry designer Shay. If you like baguette diamonds and jewelry that does everything to not be invisible, take a look at their collections. Prices, of course, are also Californians.

Anello in oro giallo, diamanti e smeraldo

Orecchini in oro giallo con pavé di diamanti

Anello in oro 18 carati con pavé di smeraldi

Anello in ceramica, oro rosa e zaffiri rosa

Michael Kneebone, the jewels of the desert

Published on February 26, 2022

Showroom/Design

Anello in oro 18 carati con smeraldo cabochon

From the California desert to Coachella’s atmospheres: the jewels of Michael Kneebone ♦ ︎
Withdraw to live in the desert, to draw jewels and (presumably) count the cacti from the window. This is what Michael Kneebone did, who together with his partner, interior designer Herbert Smalley, left Illinois to take refuge in El Paseo, California, not far from the Coachella Valley, where the famous festival takes place. The city is located in the Palm Desert, which in reality is not too desert, but a popular tourist destination.

Michael Kneebone designs jewels that are sold in his laboratory, or can be bought online. They are traditional jewels, unique pieces often with large stones, sometimes even sold to finance non-profit organizations.
Michael Kneebone’s career began in 1970 with a jewelery course in Deerfield, Illinois. An apprenticeship with the designer Harriet Dreisiger followed. The jeweler has therefore founded his brand, Michael K. Jewels, with a style that finds its proper place in the Californian atmosphere of Coachella and surroundings, but also well introduced in the high Californian society. Gold, but also semi-precious stones like citrines, amethysts and opals are flanked by emeralds, sapphires.

Anello in oro con tormalina verde e ametista

Orecchini con crisoprasio, topazio, perle South Sea

Orecchini con perle dorate South Seas, berillo

Anello Dragon Saddle con giadeite scolpita

Collana con conchiglie Paua e gemme incastonate

Orecchini con corallo, cristallo di rocca, diamanti e rosalina, una varietà cristallina della zoisite minerale contenente manganese

Sara Weinstock, California dreaming

Published on February 9, 2022

Showroom

Anello a tre bande in oro giallo e diamanti

The California sun, the yellow of gold, the white of diamonds like the foam on the edge of the waves. These are the three elements that accompany Sara Weinstock, a jewelry designer who works in Malibu, near Los Angeles, even though her jewels are distributed all over the world, including Russia, Azerbaijan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. Her career started late, after graduating in communication, acting as an actress and modeling, getting married, having two daughters and having separated from her husband. At that point, about 15 years ago, she decided to free her creativity (a family gift: mother and grandmother were painters) and to devote herself to jewelry.

Orecchini pendenti in oro e diamanti taglio brillante

She studied at the Gemological Institute of America and then worked with a jewelry designer, who taught her the practice of the trade. Her first collections were based on gold, colored stones and symbolic shapes, from hand to lucky eye. But in the end she chose the path of jewels unrelated to symbols and icons. Gold and diamonds have also attracted the attention of the celebrities who populate that area of California, such as Amy Adams, Priyanka Chopra, Lupita Nyong’o, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, Olivia Munn, Christina Aguilera, Crissy Teigen and Jennifer Lopez.

Anello impilabile in oro giallo e diamanti

Collana girocollo con revière di diamanti

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by SARA WEINSTOCK (@saraweinstock)

Why the jewels of Dena Kemp are aprecieted by Hollywood’s stars

Published on January 22, 2022

Rings/Showroom/COLLANE

Orecchini in oro giallo 18 carati con tormalina bicolore

Dena Kemp jewels shine in gala evenings. They appear on the Oscar night, or on the red carpet of the People’s Choice Awards, but also in some episodes of Dancing with the Stars. Dena Kemp is a designer from Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California. And that is where most of the actresses who work in the great world of entertainment reside.

The jewelery brand has the name of its founder, the designer Dena Kemp, who for over 25 years has been offering high-end jewelry, unique and in a limited edition. The designer also boasts the classic diploma of the Gemological Institute of America and was also the first woman to be invited to join the International Diamond Club. In short, unquestionable professional seriousness. Many of his jewels are unique pieces designed specifically for the glittering world of Hollywood stars. But it was precisely the passion for old black and white movies that prompted Dena Kemp to open her boutique in Beverly Hills. And maybe it’s also the designer’s passion for cinema that touches the hearts (and portfolios) of so many stars.

Anello in oro rosa 18 carati con calcedonio

Orecchini in oro bianco 18 carati con diamanti

Orecchini in oro giallo18 carati con peridoto, iolite, granato, ametista, citrino, topazio — Orecchini in oro giallo 18 carati con peridoto, iolite, granato, ametista, citrino, topazio

Orecchini in oro giallo 18 carati con tormalina e ametista

Anello in oro 18 carati con acquamarina milky

Vahan, the returning baroque

Published on January 12, 2022

Showroom

The processed bracelets, baroques, golden, of Alwand Vahan: jewelry for Americans designed by a Frenchman.
He won the Choice Awards 2016 JCK. Vahan has gained recognition thanks to the bracelet Le Cercle, he came in first place, while Knot Love finished second in the respective category. The award was the culmination of a story that has its roots at the beginning of the last century.
Alwand Vahan was founded by Leon Calousdian, Sacha for friends, Parisian landed in New York at age 19. The father of Sacha, Arsene Der Calousdian, was a jeweler, and is therefore in the family that Sacha has learned the goldsmith’s art. After the design school at the Chambre Syndicale de la Bijouterie, in Paris, he also studied architecture, fashion, painting, sculpture, vintage car restoration. And, finally, he collected exotic trips, which have been a source of inspiration for his works.

But in the US he has been fine, and so he became an American citizen and has served in the Armed Forces. The style of the Maison, in fact, is very American and Baroque. Maybe could be loved by the new president Donald Trump, who has decorated his house with gold and baroque stucco. The specialties of the brand are the bracelets in gold, finished with twisted wires, with rocks at each end, a bit ‘as rococo capitals in the Spanish churches of the eighteenth century. They are jewels for the Americans, and are perhaps a bit too rich for a European eyes. How jewelers very successful, however, Alwand Vahan boasts a number of celebrities who have chosen its collections, as Bette Midler, Linda Evens, and Hillary Clinton.

Bracciale in oro 14 carati, argento, onice — Bracciale in oro 14 carati, argento, diamanti, onice

Bracciale in oro 14 carati, argento, topazio Blue London — Bracciale in oro 14 carati, argento, diamanti, topazio Blue London

Anello in oro 14 carati, argento, diamanti, topazio Blue London

Orecchini in oro 14 carati, argento, diamanti, topazio Blue London

Orecchini in oro 14 carati, argento, diamanti

Anello in oro 14 carati, argento, diamanti

K.Brunini between Sicily and California

Published on December 6, 2021

Showroom

Bracciale Twig Talon con perle di Tahiti e diamanti

The nature of Sicily and the air of California are in a mix by K. Brunini Jewels.

The Katey Brunini jewels are conceived in California. But their birth is not only tied to the West Coast of the United States State. Katey launched her jewelry design company in 1998, K.Brunini Jewels. But, she says, the desire for “a bath of history” brought her first to Europe, where she lived from the Middle East, Belgium, Israel, and the Canary Islands.

But, at the end of her wanderings, she was established in Sardinia and, later, in Sicily. After canoeing in the sea of Sicily, paragliding above Taormina, nights spent watching the constellations, in Catania Katey has decided to study the craft of the Sicilians goldsmiths. And the Etna volcanic landscape has inspired his style. Back in California, the designer has thus embarked on her personal road to the jewelry brand, where there is a mix of nature and of strong colors of Sicily and California. Opals, vivid colors and simple shapes sometimes characterize its works as Skipping Stones collection, they refer to the pictures on this page.

Orecchini in osso tagliato a goccia, oro e diamanti

Anello Beloved in oro e diamante taglio rosa

Orecchini in oro, diamanti, con opale e legno

Orecchini a forma di conchiglia Nautilus in oro giallo e diamanti

Anello a forma di vertebre in oro giallo e diamanti

Freedom and jewels by Victor Velyan

Published on November 6, 2021

Rings/Showroom

Anello in oro 18 carati con tormalina Paraiba, diamanti e perle

If you meet him on one of California’s wide roads, riding his powerful Easy Rider-style motorcycle, you would never say Victor Velyan is a renowned jeweler and fine jewelry designer. But the appearance is deceiving. It is true, however, that the designer has an unconventional life behind him by jewelry standards. As a boy he played in a rock band, then spent 12 years in Africa as a safari guide. But in 1984 he returned to his homeland and started working as a diamond setter and then an apprentice jeweler. Having learned the techniques necessary to attempt a new adventure, he opened his own company, but with the idea of producing on behalf of third parties. Also because, as he says, it must be frustrating to have won over 27 awards, but under the name of other designers.

Until he decided, as often happens, to put his experience with one of his Maison to good use. Victor Velyan’s jewels, however, also hide past lives in the design. Large stones, sometimes juxtaposed in clusters, with often fancy or cabochon cuts, diamonds, paraiba tourmaline, emeralds, opals and lots of gold. Jewels that combine luxury with a musical rhythm, with the vivid colors of Africa, with the freedom of motorcycle travel.

Orecchini in oro 18 carati con smeraldi colombiani e diamanti

Anello in oro 18 carati con smeraldi colombiani

Collana in oro con opale, diamanti, tormalina Paraiba

Bracciale in oro con acquamarina e diamanti

Pendente in oro con opale nero e diamanti

1 2 Next