There are times, as a member of the jewelry community, when I take for granted the fact that those inside of my bubble (namely jewelry designers) are not always known by name to shoppers in the outside world. While in conversations with longtime friends, I’ll sometimes find myself wondering why they have a puzzled look on my face when I mentioned names like Fernando Jorge or Arman Sarkisyan and the beautiful designs they create. Thankfully, because they’ve known me as a person who’s been in the industry her entire adult life, they often want me to elaborate and educate them on what makes these people and their work so special and what separates them from some of the more mainstream names in the jewelry business– which is also what I’m going to do here in this very article.
Here are five jewelry designers whose names you may not know, but who create works of wearable art and uniquely designed adornments worthy of your research.
Peter Schmid of Atelier Zobel
It is safe to say that Peter Schmid does what no other jewelry artisan even comes close to doing. Born in Ostrach, Germany in 1971, Peter Schmid completed a three-year apprenticeship with a master goldsmith in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany in 1995 before joining the team at Atelier Zobel as a goldsmith the same year. In 2005, he became the head designer of the jewelry house, before taking over the company as the owner. With extraordinary works that have been displayed in fine art galleries around the world, Peter has formed a following within the art community who see his contrasting patterns and unusual shapes for what they are: creative, substantial, and one-of-a-kind.
Nancy Badia of Buddha Mama
Bold, beautiful, and brave, Nancy Badia opted for as more creative way to make a living after working alongside her husband for twenty-five years building their family business. With the help of her daughter Dakota ( who is also a jewelry designer), Nancy launched Buddha Mama, a line of finely crafted handmade jewelry inspired by Buddhism and Eastern traditions. Nancy and her team travel the world in search of stones, carvings, and artisans who are able to help her to bring her spiritually-inspired ideas to fruition.
Daria de Koning
A graphic designer-turned-graduate gemologist and metalsmith, Daria de Koning is a born and bred New Yorker of Dutch and American descent. Inspired by her love of painting and attraction to cabochon-cut gemstones, Daria’s designs play with a mix of colors, creating pieces that use clusters of stones in a way an artist would when painting, thus giving the pieces she creates an organic feel that comes off as both easily wearable and eye-catching. Daria, unlike a handful of designers, is also extraordinarily comfortable at the bench because of her background in metalsmithing.
Emanuela Duca
A native of Rome, Italy, the contemporary designs of Emanuela Duca are a reflection of the ancient history of her homeland and the modern New York City, where she now partially resides. Through her use of textured sterling silver and 18K yellow gold surfaces which often resemble the look of volcanic ash, Emanuela pays homage to the ruins of Italy. Her unique designs come off as both primitive and sophisticated, and the metals she uses to create them allow her pieces to be affordable for the woman looking to start a substantial collection.
Moritz Glik
Originally from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Moritz Glik, a shoe designer-turned-jewelry artisan, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and advertising before moving to New York City in 1991 where he quickly found his true calling in the jewelry universe. Loving colored gemstones and diamonds alike, Moritz found mastery in precious metals as well, learning the world of goldsmithing which he put to use in his mesmerizing works. His playful nature is apparent in his Kaleidoscope collection which uses multiple loose gemstones housed between panes of white sapphires to give the appearance of shimmering, shaking gems behind glass– a design that has earned him numerous awards over the years.
While the jewelry world is home to a plethora of extraordinary, talented designers, craftspeople, and artisans, these are five designers who standout for me because of their uniqueness and wearability of their work. And like any industry, with each passing day, new superstars are born, and so the design world has no shortage of talent, nor do I suspect that it ever will. This is likely why it’s easy to get lost among the big names if you’re a designer, but take it from the five above: doing things differently and thinking outside of the box will most certainly get you noticed.