Time and Again
What W’s Jewelry and accessories Director, Claudia Mata, is fantasizing about this month.
Those of us who covet Elizabeth Taylor’s jewels are in luck: David Webb is reintroducing this double-head diamond-and-emerald-clasp, which was originally created for Taylor (and purchased by Richard Burton) in 1965. (David Webb, price upon request, David Webb, Beverly Hills, 310.858.8006)
Featuring a double strand of brilliant diamonds cascading in dangling lengths and ending in four pear-shape diamonds, this bracelet from Harry Winston’s new Water collection oozes glamour: It looks like a beautiful tidal wave on your wrist. (Harry Winston, price upon request, Harry Winston, 800.988.4110)
The actor and designer Waris Ahluwalia teamed up with the diamond company Forevermark to create a piece for the brand’s Center of My Universe project. He incorporated one of Forevermark’s diamonds, surrounded by a pavé of stones, into an exquisite jewel and named it Light Emanating From the Heart. Romance is in the air indeed. (House of Waris for Forevermark, price upon request, forevermarkdiamond.com)
It is understandable why the Taiwanese designer Cindy Chao considers her jewelry works of art: Pieces from her Black Label Masterpiece line take two or more years to complete. Little surprise then that she plans to display her collection gallery-style in her new Beijing boutique, opening this month. I particularly love her creative use of gemstones: On the butterfly (below), the antennae are made of varying sizes of briolette diamonds. (Cindy Chao, prices upon request, cindychao.com)
For its New York Style collection, Verdura is relaunching archival pieces popularized by elegant ladies in the forties—around the same time that the brand’s founder, Duke Fulco di Verdura, opened a Manhattan salon. My dream ones (they’re a fortune!) are these enamel, amethyst, and aquamarine cuffs inspired by the fashion legend Diana Vreeland, who was often seen wearing a similar pair of Maltese cross versions. (Verdura, $128,000 each, verdura.com)
On my vacation to Istanbul, I popped by Gilan’s workshop, where I got to watch master craftsmen carve wax molds. I was even given the chance to experiment with the process of setting stones. Of all their collections, my favorite is the Heritage line, where rose-cut diamonds are set in oxidized silver, then mounted on yellow gold (like the earrings at left). (Gilan, $71,900, gilan.com)
