This past weekend, the Peridot girls made their way through the Javits Center jungle to visit some of our favorite designers at the New York Gift Show (a.k.a. New York Now). It's easy to get lost in a maze of tightly knitted booths, woven together with streaks of harsh overhead lighting (anticipate hand selfie photo quality disclaimer in three... two...), illuminating glittery cases of fine jewels and precious metal. Thankfully, we had our very own retail guru Dawn Hendricks to lead us through the fray, and lead us she did, straight to
Anne Sportun,
Adel Chefredi,
Yasuko Azuma,
Jamie Joseph and Peridot newcomer Ruth Tomlinson. Here are some of our favorite new items hand picked by Dawn to debut at Peridot in the coming months, and don't worry, the lighting in our designers' campaign photography is far better than the trade show. Without further ado:
Anne Sportun knows exactly what alternative brides are searching for today, as evidenced in her Vintage Collection of pre-set engagement rings in art-deco inspired settings. Just like our store, each design is on trend but with an old world twist- nodding to a forgotten era that makes every new piece feel like a modern heirloom. We love how diamonds and cornflower blue sapphires seem to be interchangeable depending on personal style, and as Barb (Anne's business partner) pointed out, brides today have the freedom to personalize their ring with individuality in mind, and to venture (just a little bit) off the beaten path. On that note, the AS team is seeing lots of grooms-to-be propose with "presentation rings" and then come back to reset center stones later on. After getting acquainted with the Vintage Collection however, we imagine many of our alternative brides keeping these sparklers on their fingers for years to come!
Adel Chefredi understands women. We have it on record from Adel that the one thing jewelry aficionados today must have in common is
courage. Courage to steer off the course of traditional pendants and requisite eternity bands. Courage to express themselves through their personal selections based on emotion and not what's expected or specifically on trend. Deep dark sapphires, while not a thing of the past, are no longer preferable to the cool cornflower blue because of
perceived value. You like it?! Then wear it. Wear what speaks to you. Oh Adel, we do. We so do.
Yasuko Azuma. You know you're a fan of someone's work when you can look at 50 rings on a tray, make your selection, and then remake it over and over. Every single band is so beautiful and unique, we don't envy Dawn having to pick but a few! Yasuko's relationship with natural diamonds is akin to a botanist and her orchid farm. Each gem is thoughtfully selected, each design developed with respect to a carefully arranged pairing between setting and stone. YA's collection is filled with natural beauty, and we can't wait to fill our cases with more of their work!
Jamie Joseph, our go to for oversized and everyday statement rings, introduces the "Joinery" collection. Breathing new life into broken rough from gem journeys past, Jamie rejoins the opal, labradorite and tourmaline (among others!) shards with 18k gold hand hammered bezels, then finishes each band with dark rhodium plating. The result reads like an anthropological dig for the modern era- each ring presenting as if a very small earthquake had divided the jewel into pieces, then the artisan (A descendent of Nefertiti's private jeweler? We bet...) carefully unites the halves with metal and the occasional well placed diamond, healing the earthern wound forever. We're Jamie obsessed. Place your dibs on these up-cycled items soon, before the staff eats up every one!
Peridot is ECSTATIC to bring our clients something very storied, romantic, and just plain delightful all the way from London. Ruth Tomlinson will be making a grand arrival at Peridot this Fall and we are just swooning for her delicate, deep-sea-inspired collection. To tell her whole story in this post would not be a proper introduction, so trust we will follow up with a Ruth justice-worthy editorial very soon. For now, we will say that her appeal is both that of curiosity and wonder. She nails the "imperfect perfect" vibe with superb precision- meaning that each seemingly organic detail is highly intentional and every design element premeditated. Each tiny earring is precious, magical and a treasure to behold. Every band a trove of stones, with coral-like prongs and diamonds that grow like barnacles upon handcrafted gold bands. Her style is unconventional, yet well suited for traditional Mother's of the Bride or mysterious jewelry maven alike. She's creative and original. We'll take it all.
Adel Chefredi understands women. We have it on record from Adel that the one thing jewelry aficionados today must have in common is courage. Courage to steer off the course of traditional pendants and requisite eternity bands. Courage to express themselves through their personal selections based on emotion and not what's expected or specifically on trend. Deep dark sapphires, while not a thing of the past, are no longer preferable to the cool cornflower blue because of perceived value. You like it?! Then wear it. Wear what speaks to you. Oh Adel, we do. We so do.