screen-shot-2016-09-18-at-2-35-16-pm

Everything about New York City dazzles us, especially the new crop of young jewelry designers who not only have chosen to make the city their home base, but who process every step of their creations here. Which means they think, hire, and manufacture locally while building a brand with a more global following. As more consumers shop for made-in-the-USA goods, we’re all for that. We were also delighted to meet three rising stars of the New York jewelry scene at the prestigious Designers & Agents spring ’17 show. And we applaud the city’s Made in New York” initiative, which lends financial support to local jewelry and fashion brands to help reinforce NYC’s status as a working fashion capital and widen its creative talent. Now, get ready to be dazzled and meet the designers.—Sue Perry

 

 

 

screen-shot-2016-09-18-at-2-38-18-pmscreen-shot-2016-09-18-at-11-47-08-am

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Xiao Wang

The jewelry designer/actress/model says her love for pretty baubles is in her DNA.  Her great grandfather was in the mining business and her father is a recycled metal dealer. She also loves her country: “Even though the labor is more expensive, I believe 100% in manufacturing in this country,” she told us. “You save on shipping and have no import-export problems.” In a reverse twist, Xiao Wang exports her NYC-made couture gem creations to Hong Kong. She also counts Rihanna and Gabrielle Union among her growing fan base.
Our favorite looks:  While we were particularly taken with her ultra-cool rings, bangles, and drop earrings featuring the subtle sparkle of gray and black diamonds, Wang tells us that she also likes to work with untreated natural colorful gemstones like tourmalines, fancy color diamonds, and emeralds. Check out the gorgeous designs, above. Oh, and everything is made of recycled gold. Wang’s pieces are also shown at the top of this page against the NYC skyline.

 

 

screen-shot-2016-09-18-at-2-44-12-pmscreen-shot-2016-09-18-at-2-23-41-pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lana Ogilvie

Sabre jewelry designer and founder, Lana Ogilvie, also hand makes her line in New York City, where she has enjoyed a successful modeling career for many years. The Toronto-born fine arts major says, “I think of myself as an artist and jewelry is my current medium.” We’re glad of that because we found the organic shapes and natural forms of her line to have the look of one-of-a-kind sculpture—like spills of molten metal as it hardens in place. When we asked her how she approaches her work, she told us: ” ‘I try to work with wax in unconventional ways, and design pieces that are more individual, almost as if the metal had been worked by hand.”
Our favorite looks: Those gorgeous cuff bracelets win hands down. We also love the statement rings, she’s wearing, and were totally charmed by her signature nugget necklaces. We can’t wait to see what’s next for this exiting designer.

 

 

screen-shot-2016-09-18-at-2-50-27-pmscreen-shot-2016-09-18-at-11-36-53-am

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Danyell Rascoe

Danyell Rascoe’s fascination for gems began as a young child who collected rocks and stones at the gift shop at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.  During a business trip to India, that love was rekindled.  Curves in space and ancient cultures are often present in her work but India, she told us, remains the biggest influence in her jewelry. Her pieces, sold under the brand Dan-Yell, are hand carved and fabricated using gemstones with intense saturation and her favorite, flawed stones with natural imperfections.
Our favorite looks: We were drawn to Danyell’s bangles, earrings  and other pieces featuring gray diamonds. We thought they seemed to be the perfect stone to interpret New York City, and she agreed.  “I like the way the muted sparkle calms things down” she said. Shown: Dan-Yell’s signature Celah medium gray diamond earrings.