The Enchanting Botanist: Lene Vibe

Lene Vibe’s imagination knows no bounds. Her collection reminds one of the youthful joy and fantasy of fairytales—a traipse through the forest or woods and stumbling upon the magic of nature. I first met Lene when she launched her collection in the U.S. in 2002 and was mesmerized by the way in which she transformed the image of pearls into alluring pieces with wit, whimsy and a fresh approach. She achieved this by scattering ladybugs, snails and hummingbirds around the most lustrous of South Sea, Tahitian and baroque pearls and accenting them with old cut diamonds, and multi-color sapphires.

When she is not at her bench creating her enchanting pieces, she is working in her garden where influences abounds – a bird landing on a tree, tiny creatures crawling on the petals of the flowers she has planted and grows herself.

I’ve shopped flea markets with her in New York City, where she finds inspiration as well as antique props for her own store and studio. It is captivating to be around her and see her creativity in action. I will never forget watching her wrap gold wire around popsicle sticks which became the base for her handmade chains.

Her eyes light up as she describes her process, “I do not sketch any of the pieces first; it seems to all take place in my head and comes out in the way in which I approach the metal. My pieces are three-dimensional and I only use the best quality Tahitian and South Sea pearls in my collection, selecting each pearl myself. I then choose my diamonds and colored gemstones due to their inherent beauty—the way they capture the light or how a slight inclusion gives a stone its character.” Lene has most recently has added sea life and celestial motifs in the metalwork and the gemstones to the collection, an extension of her wonder with the organic world and affinity for nature.

The Artistic Rebel: Nak Armstrong

The self-taught jewelry designer Nak Armstrong has long defied the constraints of fine jewelry making by continuing to experiment and develop new techniques in settings and proprietary gemstone cuts.

His work is a creative tapestry of his influences: his travels to Italy, his affinity for Art Deco pieces and his first career in textile design. His collection is ever-evolving and he has continually pushed the boundaries into alluring realms by creating intricate designs that have resulted in some of the most profound medleys and mosaics of single and multi-gemstones.

He launched his eponymous label Nak Armstrong in 2011 after closing his prior company which he co-owned with a partner. Although I covered his first venture, Nak’s 2011 designs and beyond have struck a responsive chord with me as I have a passion for textiles, tiles, flowers and the Art Deco period. The way he interprets these inspirations into jewelry has me entranced and I probably stay long past my welcome whenever I visit, asking questions, trying on and marveling at the ingenious way he translates some of my favorite things.

His Ruffled Hardware collection of ruched and draped rings, hoop earrings and pendants feature shapes that combine the movement and fluidity of fabric by working with undulating and tapered baguettes and other exclusive cuts so that they also impart mosaic-like patterns. “Next, I designed pieces suggestive of the ancient architecture I saw in Rome—the splendor of the facades and ceilings and how they revealed these amazing patterns of different tilework”

For as long as Nak can remember, he has also been attracted to Art Deco. “The mix of difficult cuts in gems and diamonds to form geometric shapes in wide bracelets and other pieces was revolutionary. My goal is always to capture my inspirations in concept and interpretation—pieces that give a nod to the aspects I love yet are unexpected and modern.”

 He has also ingeniously created flowers in a variety of proprietary cuts and construction and pixelated colorways.

“For my most recent collection, I went back to my brand’s roots. The fold over ring is a modern twist on mosaics. These pieces are more sculptural with bolder edgings of gold and more dramatic versions of my signature use of baguette cuts.” He concludes.

The Witty Surrealist: Rachel Quinn

Based in Los Angeles, Rachel Quinn’s jewelry combines ingenuity and wit with the heartfelt emotions in pieces that are as eye-catching as they are fun to wear. Her often whimsical pieces in her collections tell their own stories—they hold your attention and draw you into want to know more about the inspiration, the designer and the meanings behind each piece.

Upon first viewing her line, I couldn’t help but think back to Elsa Schiaparelli in the 1920s-30s and her collaborations with the surrealist group of artists and poets such as Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau who invented a movement that sought to venture into the unconscious mind and dreamlike scenes and ideas. Quinn’s approach is similar in a modern context.

Her most recent collection is entitled “Crazy Love” and was designed in collaboration with Gemfields. Ten pieces set with Gemfields’ Mozambique rubies and Zambian emeralds comprise the collection. She has constructed a short poem with each line describing the creations, which is a treat to read in her lookbook.

“For this collection, I wanted to distill the array of emotional experiences found in the early stages of love. 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.” Says Rachel. Five of the 10 themes of the pieces include Wagering on Love with a lucky # 7 pendant, Flirting and Seduction, a perfume bottle and a keepsake vessel, both referencing lips, “which are the center of seduction both in kissing and words,” Rachel explains. Vulnerability is displayed through the Lover's Eye Brooch, “which illustrates the bittersweet nature of love.”

Joy and elation is reflected in a ring “which from the top we can see a ruby heart with a starburst of sapphires and then from the sides there is a floral motif that signifies “the heart is blooming” describes Rachel. “Gemfields’ rubies and emerald not only enhance each design’s beauty, but also deepen the collection’s narrative: rubies, the gemstone of the heart, symbolize passionate love, while emeralds represent loyalty, harmony and new beginnings.” As a hopeless or hopeful romantic, I was immediately taken in by the thoughtfulness of every aspect of this collection from the designs to the poem to the different meanings Rachel had created.

The Edgy Minimalists: Borgioni by Rhonda and Tiffany Bartolacci

The mother and daughter team of Tiffany and Rhonda Bartolacci create jewelry that successfully combines a refined elegance with a rock and roll edginess. Prior to the duo’s launch of Borgioni in 2006, handcuffs, spikes and snakes were not pieces one would think of as streamlined or chic. They were more the style of the ‘80s punks, and those who preferred a tougher look in jewelry.

But the Bartolaccis turned these designs into signature pieces that are modern, minimalistic and cross multiple demographics and generations. “We are drawn to versatile, wearable styles that can be stacked and layered with those already in our clients collections,” Tiffany explains, “We are fans of combining different colors of gold and adding accents of different cuts of diamonds as well as colored gemstones,” She adds.

When they created the first handcuff bangle, which has now taken on dozens of iterations, they set out to design a bracelet that didn’t require any locking mechanism but instead are crafted with a pressure hinge so they could be taken on an off easily yet still have a weighty feel to them. Available in different widths with myriad cuts of stones including baguettes, micro pave and pyramid shapes in diamonds and also precious gemstones, Tiffany cites the Skinny Baguette Handcuffs as her best sellers.

Another best seller are the Snake Huggies. “When we first designed them there were no small huggies in the shape of a snake that would be comfortable and could be worn as the main pair of earrings or in different lobe piercings,” she explains.

As a collector of antique serpent jewelry, I was attracted to the contemporary earrings and and have worn the 18K rose gold with champagne diamonds in my third hole, left ear since 2013. In essence, I have been doing a test run for the past 12 years and am still as happy as the day I click it in. I sleep in it and have never taken it out except for an MRI.

The Borgioni Spike Collection is available in stud and other style earrings, bangles and cross over rings which are equally current as the other signature pieces.