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Nak Armstrong, Texas designer

Published on December 1, 2023

Orecchini in oro rosa con tormaline watermelon

The jewels of Nak Armstrong, which celebrates its first 25 years of activity.

Austin, Texas: in the city that in everyone’s mind is populated by people with big Stetson hats, decorated leather boots and Caddillac, there is a jewelry designer who has won the heart, aesthetically speaking, of the First Lady. He’s called Nak Armstrong, and his jewels, have seduced Sandra Bullock and other Hollywood stars as well as as Michelle Obama.

Bracciale in oro rosa e diamanti — Bracelet in rose gold and diamonds

The Nak jewels are quite original. It’s as the earrings, rings and necklaces were passed through the images of a kaleidoscope and then reassembled. The designer makes no secret of loving tissue intricacies, shadows and the architectural volumes: these elements, like a mosaic, are combined with the help of precious stones and gold or silver. Among other things, Nak Armstrong is also known for his skill in working metals, which allows him to create jewels that look so geometrically unusual, somewhere between aztec engravings and extraterrestrial graffiti. Nak began designing jewelry in 1990, but debuted with his collection only in 2011, after founding Anthony Nak.

Anello con spinello rosso e spinelli multicolori — Ring with red spinel and multicolored spinels

Orecchini Stem con tormaline e opale — Stem earrings with tourmalines and opals

Orecchini Bahia Banana, con tormaline verdi — Bahia Banana earrings, with green tourmalines

Anello con tormaline rosa e verdi — Ring with pink and green tourmalines

Collana rivière con pietra luna — Rivière necklace with moonstone

Anello con diamanti — Ring with diamonds

The colors of Texas with M.Spalten

Published on May 15, 2023

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Anello Lunar in oro bianco18 carati, perle e opale

Texas: wide-brimmed hats, boundless spaces, oil wells. And the colored gems of M. Spalten, a small Maison in San Antonio, a city in south-central Texas and the seventh most populous metropolis in the United States. Melissa Spalten lived in Texas, where she still makes her jewelry, although she often resides in California. She discovered her passion for the arts as a child: sculptures, paintings and then the beaded jewels created from clay with her hands accompanied her childhood. Before jumping headlong into jewelry, she attended the Fashion Institute or Design and, later, the Gemological Institute of America, which gave her the scientific basis for the choice of stones.

The designer loves very colorful stones: opals, sapphires, tourmalines, emeralds, peridot are the kind of material she uses as colors on the painter’s palette, supported by silver and 18 and 14 carat gold. Her jewels are also sold on some large online platforms, such as Moda Operandi.

Three Gemfetti Ring, Blue Topaz & Peridot

The Mini Gemfetti 14K Yellow Gold Ruby, Amethyst and Diamond Earring

The Large Double Heart 14K Yellow Gold Opal, Chrysoprase Earrings

Gem ID 14K Yellow Gold, Turquoise, And Tsavorite Bracelet

Hi-tech and jewellery, all in the family with Ila

Published on March 15, 2023

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Anello Leonelle in oro 14 carati con smeraldi

The combination of technology and jewelery is not usual. But it is the marriage that undersigned Vikas Sodhani founder and CEO of the start-up Stealth Startup which deals with automation processes, but also with Ila, a Texan jewelery brand. The name Ila, however, is that of her sister (who has a degree in economics) with whom she shared the initiative. Born in Rajastahn, India, they have an unusual history behind them. His father, Vasu, a nuclear engineer, took the family to the USA, Houston and then New Jersey. But the most surprising aspect is the decision to become diamond traders.

Orecchini in oro con diamanti, zaffiri e smeraldi

In short, the combination of technology and jewelry was already a family affair. In 2007 the two brothers decided to launch their own Maison. With good success, given that the jewels are sold in stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue or on online platforms. Despite the different backgrounds, both brothers are engaged in creative activity, without losing harmony. Also because Vikas, before dealing with hi-tech start-ups, was an apprentice in a diamond cutting factory in India, where he learned the arts of jewelery design.

Anelli impilati in oro bianco, diamanti e zaffiri

Anelli impilati in oro bianco, diamanti bianchi e neri

Anello Harper in oro giallo 14 carati e zaffiri

Anello Karina in oro giallo 14 carati e zaffiro

The rounded world of Susana Vega

Published on July 2, 2022

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Anello Phiro con ottone placcato oro 24 carati, perle di vetro, resina

She was born in Venezuela but lives and works in Houston, Texas. If Susana Vega started creating jewelry, however, it is because she observed the work of her father, an established goldsmith, from an early age. In 2008, Susana attended the Industrial Design and Art course at the University of Los Andes, in Mérida, Venezuela. Instead, she learned the ability to create jewelry at home and in 2015, she moved to the United States, where she created her own brand. And she has created a very personal style of hers, a fashion jewelry with rounded and consistent volumes.

Earrings, rings and bracelets are composed of small porcelain tiles, glass beads, semiprecious stones, golden threads, while the jewel is made of 24 carat gold plated brass. What matters, however, is not the material with which the jewels are made, but the original shape with which they are presented. So much so that in a few years Susana Vega, almost the same name of the musician very popular in the eighties and nineties, has landed up to the large online marketplaces.

Orecchini a bottone con legno del Maine e resina, perline di vetro, filo in oro 24 carati

Orecchini con perle di vetro e resina, decorazioni a goccia in ottone placcato oro 24 carati

Anello Phiro nero con ottone placcato oro 24 carati, perle di vetro, resina

Flowers and colors by Nak Armstrong

Published on August 27, 2020

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Anthony Camargo and Nak Armstrong had founded the Anthony Nak jewelry brand. It seemed like a perfect match. And, instead, the two partners separated in 2010: things that happen. That was the starting point of Nak Armstrong, a designer who cultivated a passion for fine painting. In particular, Nak painted beautiful patterns on silk, which he then turned into fancy scarves. Until the launch of his brand, which became a success and was awarded numerous awards.

Orecchini in oro rosa 20 carati riciclato, con smeraldi, opali, tormaline, zircone brown, topazio imperiale, andalusite

At the beginning of 2011 the first jewelry collection arrived, suspended between architecture, design and fashion. The choice of gems reflects a rare sensitivity in the combinations of shades, and they take the form of floral compositions. In fact, before becoming a designer of precious objects, Nak Armstrong studied architecture: a background that he uses in the composition of the volumes of his jewelry collections. He has also developed his own techniques for making jewels and setting stones. For example, with a special technique that serves to fix wavy baguettes and tapered baguettes in a ruched pattern that he calls plissé stone. It goes without saying that Nak’s new life in Austin, Texas also includes a new partner, indeed, husband.

Orecchini ispirati agli elmi degli antichi romani in oro, con amazzonite e diamanti

Anello Eternity in oro rosa e diamanti baguette

Orecchini San Juan in oro rosa 20 carati, smeraldi e tormalina verde

Anello in oro bianco rodiato nero, zirconi blu, acquamarina e labradorite

Collana in oro rosa 20 carati e diamanti

Orecchini in oro rosa, zircone brown e acquamarina