What do you love most about jewelry?
“I think that jewelry itself is something you have forever. I think some people think of fashion like that as well, but jewelry has a different weight to it. Not just a technical weight, but it has a different emotional weight to it. It’s something you have, and you hold. Fashion I love to wear, but jewelry I appreciate. I feel like jewelry is something to be appreciated as an art form with a capital ‘A’. And that’s why I gravitate towards it.”
How does jewelry design inspire your work?
“I’ve worn many hats. I worked in lifestyle journalism for a long time and have covered travel, food, art, and design. I’ve been lucky to cover all those different categories and to go see high jewelry and couture in Paris. The thing about jewelers that really fascinates me is that they have to know so many things. They have to appreciate beauty, obviously, but they have to appreciate natural beauty, understand color, know science like the technicalities of how a diamond is made, and they have to understand geopolitics. They’re some of the most well-traveled, global people I’ve met. I think we’re living in a moment of really amazing independent jewelry designers, like Lisa Eisner, Beth at Foundrae, Sid at Gem Palace, and Anita Ko. I am also really obsessed with this Shay bracelet right now.
Tell us about your personal relationship with jewelry.
I started collecting from Sidharth Kasiwal, my friend at Gem Palace, who is like a brother to me. I have many pieces from him like a beautiful tourmaline ring and a diamond that I wear around my neck. I’ve been collecting jewelry and honing the collection for the past ten to fifteen years. A lot of the jewelry I’ve purchased has been when traveling to those designers’ studios. When I was in Turkey on a shoot in Istanbul, I went into Sevan Bicakci’s studio, and I got this ring that is a pinky ring with the face of a man, and the top of the ring was a turban.
What are you feeling right now in terms of jewelry?
“For myself, I think a great gold bangle is a classic, but just one. I love the idea of a simple gold chain, but longer, and it should be worn below the t-shirt line. I love a simple gold band for a guy. It could be rose gold or white gold, but I like a ring on a guy. I think less is more right now. What’s on my wishlist besides the Shay bracelet? I think a diamond tennis bracelet too.”
