The Design Challenge
Every year MJSA (Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America) presents nine designers with a fictional story about a customer, Sarah, and a selection of amazing gemstones; from those elements, they agree to render a piece of jewelry. Every month from January through September, MJSA features the design of one of the participating designers. You can read the full design inspiration story here.
My Inspiration
When reading Sarah’s story, the part that stood out the most to me was the connection between Sarah and her parents. I wanted to honor her parents’ desire to celebrate their daughter’s achievements by showcasing all of the gemstones they so thoughtfully selected for her gift. I loved the idea that these stones came from many different places around the world and I wanted the emphasis of the piece to be on the gemstones.
Sarah lives a very busy life, so I needed to create something that wouldn’t get in her way. Rings and bracelets can be clunky, and I wanted this piece to not be a burden—something she could wear every day. I settled on a necklace that would be appropriate for her to wear both in her professional life and during some of her weekend museum trips. Since the gemstones were all responsibly sourced from different countries, the necklace would be a great way for her to open up and chat about what she does when people ask about her necklace.
To make it easy to wear, I kept the necklace design simple. The focus is on the stones: The rubies and chalcedony are set in simple bezels, and the beryl baguettes and sapphires are set within the marquis shapes. All of the gem-set components are moveable to make the necklace comfortable to wear. For a bit of flair, I added an Art Deco-inspired beaded fan shape to the base of the necklace.
This is the necklace that I created for the 2019 challenge!
Now, it’s your turn to pick a winner, and the votes must be in before October 31st. You can vote through this link!