Style Setters: The Jewelry Brief Interviews Evelyn Huang

Evelyn Huang is the talented jewelry visionary behind the designs of evelynH. Jewelry. Initially exposed to the world of gems and diamonds through her father’s fine jewelry business business, Evelyn left her family company and earned a degree in Economics from UC Irvine. After spending a few years in Asia she returned to the US and to her love of jewelry. Evelyn earned her Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of American and began work as a brand ambassador for De Beers in Beverly Hills. For the delight of jewelry collectors everywhere, in 2006 evelynH. was launched. And the accolades have not stopped.

The focus of evelynH. is fine, custom, one-of-a-kind pieces. Working under the motto “Everything is considered and nothing is overlooked”, unique pieces are crafted incorporating precious gemstones with breath-taking attention to detail.  Shown here is evelynH’s 2009 award-winning necklace from the Rio Tinto’s Champagne Diamond Design Competition. The “Bulles de Champagne Collier” is an attention grabbing whimsical neckpiece featuring champagne colored diamonds set in a design that mimics bubbles. The creative, daring neck piece is one which we might expect to see from the finest French jewelry houses. But Evelyn Huang’s scope of work is very vast. The architectural and edgy ring which won the 2010 International Red Dot Jewelry Product Design Award proves that brilliant design is her trademark, not one particular style.

evelynH. produces several thoughtful, well designed collections. The bridal line is especially noteworthy with its “his and hers” wedding bands which capture the essence of various design themes in masculine and feminine versions. The Infinity rings (shown here) won a Women’s Jewelry Association 2007 award for Platinum and Diamonds Design. My favorite is the Trellis, where one design is at the same time a heavy and masculine band and a diamond-set elegant ring that would make any woman smile (every day).

What is the main source of your design inspiration?

Everything around me can inspire my designs.  The experiences in my life, the people I meet, the places I visit, and things I see in my day-to-day life.  There is not one particular source for inspiration.

Who has been the most influential in your life?

Different people have been influential at different points in my life. On a personal relationship level it would be my family, friends and colleagues.  On the other hand, I have been inspired by public figures with different point-of-views and who are currently pushing or have pushed the boundaries in different aspects of design, including fashion.  It might sound cliché, but I find a figure like Coco Chanel inspiring.  She was willing to push certain boundaries during her time.

What do you see as up and coming trends in jewelry design?

Jewelry design is such a broad category, we have high-end couture jewelry at one end and mass produced costume and fashion jewelry on the other end.  This makes identifying trends more rigorous to classify.  For example, fashion jewelry can be very wild and over the top, however with fine jewelry’s high intrinsic value, you wouldn’t want to purchase a piece at $100,000 and have it look out of fashion in a year later. In general as a custom designer, I have found the fine details have become very important to consumers. The little things found on a piece of jewelry make it different and more personal, as well as implementing textures and the utilization of new materials in jewelry.  I think uniqueness, customization, value and alternative materials all have become major trends in the fine jewelry industry.

How would you describe your own personal [jewelry] style?

I am a chameleon…I would like to think I don’t have an exact personal style.  I know it might seem strange since most designers have a certain design aesthetic, but I’m always open to new ideas and love trying new things.  Everything around us is always changing; trends come and go, so I don’t want to hold myself back by sticking to one specific style. Of course, there is a link between all of my designs, and after looking at a few pieces you can find a common thread or feeling.  I would never consistently feature something very obvious and concrete such as swirls or flowers, or anything else limiting like that.  The only common links you may see in my creations are things like movement, textures and intricate ornamentations.  It is my goal 30 years from now, to be able to still create pieces that are fresh and different and will continue to surprise people.

What is your favorite luxury in life?

Time with loved ones.

The Wonderful Jewels of Etienne Perret

I was recently introduced to the creations of Etienne Perret with the promise of being inspired, and I was. So, I am passing on the inspiration that comes when one sees an object of particularly high design made with great care and attention in the execution.

Mr. Perret, born of Swiss parents, has been working for the past 30 years in Camden, Maine, an area of the country whose beauty and tranquility has fostered artists of many genres. His body of designs, as his website states, “ranges from refreshingly playful to strikingly elegant” with a common design element running through all of the pieces.

Mr. Perret works extensively with diamonds and colored diamonds, which are used in his collection of high-tech ceramic pieces. The ceramic, Zirconia Ceramic, which is extremely hard and durable comes in a variety of colors including black, white, and various pastels. Etienne Perret has created a line of ceramic rings with colored diamonds set in gold bezels, which are breath taking. Shown here is an example of the bezel set colored diamonds in black ceramic. My personal favorite is a black ceramic band centered by a row of bead-set diamonds…timelessly elegant.

I encourage you all to visit www.EtiennePerret.com to see his full line of jewelry, learn more about colored diamonds and the jeweler himself.

Brown Diamonds: The Other Colored Diamond

If the mystique of colored diamonds intrigues you, but you find the price tag is keeping you from broadening your collection; take a look at brown diamonds.

A jewelry connoisseur should recognize the rarity and value that colored diamonds bring to any piece of jewelry. Brown diamonds, while not rare like blue, pink or even yellow, will receive a fancy color grade in a GIA Certificate. Brown diamonds come in a wide range of hues; these warm and neutral colors make brown diamonds very easy to wear. A beautiful brown diamond’s color adds more visual interest and a curiosity factor to your jewelry. The depth of color pops when placed next to white diamonds.

Stack Them High

Stacking bands…we love them!  These bands are a wonderful accessory. Today it seems like every manufacturer from the lesser known to the very high end are making bands that can be worn together in a multitude of combinations.

Some of the more playful bands are manufactured by Hidalgo, who has created enamel bands with every motif imaginable!  Whether you have pugs or want to show off the names of your four children, they make the bands for you.  Bands are also available in nonfigurative designs or in solid colors that can be dropped into plain or diamond-set jackets, or spaced by unadorned bands or various eternity bands.

Tiffany & Company also has an extraordinary collection of diamond and gem-set bands in many sizes and shapes and settings.  These bands make great gifts.  Collect them and stack them up to commemorate the birth of a child, an anniversary or birthday.

Alex Sepkus (shown here), Martin Katz, Penny Preville and Cartier also produce some of our favorite lines of stackable bands, which incorporate fine detail and color options for everyone!

Cocktail (Rings) Anyone?

Big, chunky, colorful rings have always been a favorite of mine but more and more they are popping up on the pages of all of the top fashion magazines. Best of all, they are not just for evening any more. Many oversized rings have a very casual and playful appeal to them.

Perfect for day, oversized rings most often feature cabochon or fancy cut semi-precious stones alone or in a bold combination of colors, in gold mountings. Bulgari, whose signature look is easily recognized and often copied, popularized this look for day. Another great look for day is big cabochons of coral or turquoise; both work in simple or heavy gold mounting and are a stylish and economical way to incorporate color.

For evening, many of the rings we are seeing today recall the glamorous cocktail rings of the 1940s. Like the period example in the photograph, these rings often boldly feature a large emerald-cut, or square-cut center colored stone. Most often these are semi-precious stones such as a beautiful, golden tone citrine or an eye-catching pink tourmaline, grass green peridot or aquamarine. For evening these stones may be accented by diamonds or by diamonds together with another pop of color such as ruby. Don’t be afraid to wear these rings on your middle finger, which is where they often look best.

Remounting Your Diamond

Engagement rings are the ultimate in sentimental jewelry! Remounting the original diamond that your love picked for you is a great option for keeping a ring that you wear everyday up to date. And if that big anniversary is approaching this year, it is also a more economical way to up-grade your diamond ring. While a solitaire might never fall from fashion, many other styles will come and go. Today, a multitude of different styles of ring mountings exist, and one will be perfect for your dress and lifestyle. A new mounting may let you display a level of sophistication that was not there at the time of your nuptials, one that was not a financial option, or one that is comfortable to golf in.

I would never recommend altering an heirloom or antique ring, or re-cutting a diamond that falls into the same category. But if your engagement ring gives away your anniversary, try looking at the new trends in micro pavé mountings, colored diamonds or simply adding side stones to your original ring.

Do You See Red?

Red is a very emotionally charged color. It is the color of fire, but also of love and passion. Rubies have every bit of the allure as the color they bear.

Rubies are a variety of the corundum species, the same as sapphire, so they are relatively durable, scoring a 9 on the Mohs scale of hardness (diamond scores a 10). Rubies are red, ranging in color from an orangy-red to a purplish-red. The very finest rubies come from Burma, although the US government has put a trade ban on these stones. These are the stones that earned the now outdated, but descriptive, term “Pigeon Blood Red”. Rubies are also found in Thailand, Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and parts of Africa.

Throughout history Kings, Queens and even the King of Diamonds, Harry Winston, have sought to assemble and exhibit the finest color rubies. Red has long symbolized courage, which is why is present in many national flags; and energy, which are the pure emotions drawn from the color itself. Red jewelry is very vibrant and attracts attention. Rubies “pop” right out of a piece when put next to diamonds.

So, if your red nails are not enough, why not invest in a ruby that will be a showstopper for generations to come.