Compressed Spring 2026 Issue - Flipbook - Page 13
A JEWELERS MUTUAL® PUBLICATION
Editor’s Letter
BIG
COLOR,
BOLD
JEW ELRY
S
VESILIND: PHOTO BY ARIELLE LEWIS
olid gold. Pearls. Diamonds. Platinum. Fine jewelry materials
are inherently valuable. Which is why so much “classic”
fine jewelry design is made and sold. It’s unlikely that our
gold hoops, platinum diamond stud earrings, and curb chain
bracelets will ever go out of style (good news when we’re investing
significant sums in future heirlooms!).
But somewhere between the canonical and the covetable, a new current in fine jewelry is
emerging—one shaped by fiercely creative designers who treat humor, irreverence, and exuberant color
not as embellishment, but as ethos.
Leading that pack is Italian-born designer Amedeo Scognamiglio, who—with his late partner, Roberto
Faraone Mennella—single-handedly brought back Italian cameos in the early 2000s by using the ancient
(and very traditional) art of shell carving to create offbeat depictions of salty housecats, monkeys wearing
headphones, skeletons taking selfies, and so much more. We’re thrilled to introduce you to Amedeo and his
boundary-pushing work in this issue’s Rock Star column (page 26).
Back to bold color: Colored gemstone jewelry has been popular for years. But this season designers are
playing with stones (and gem hues) that have been sidelined for decades. We’re talking lime-green peridot,
purple amethyst, tomato-red fire opal and carnelian, and fuchsia-tone
stones including rubellite and tourmaline. We adore rubies and emeralds (see our “How to Buy…Emeralds” guide on page 66), but we’re
excited to see these underappreciated gems back in the spotlight,
bringing fresh vibes to opulent jewels. So much so, we made
them the focus of our jewelry photo feature. Shot by New
York City–based photographer Alain Simić and starring
Ukrainian model Anastasiia Koval, we hope you’ll find
jewelry and styling inspiration in the dynamic images
(beginning on page 34).
Enjoy exploring this issue, which is positively
bursting with gorgeous, innovative fine jewelry
and luxury watch design. Let us know if something catches your eye or sparks a question!
We create Gem + Jewel for you and would
love to hear your thoughts on all things
jewelry and watches at editorial@
gemandjewel.com.
(Clockwise from
top l.)
KIL N.Y.C. 18k yellow
gold Sadboy pendant
necklace with
briolette-cut garnets;
$2,200; kil-nyc.com
Lori Francescutti
22k yellow gold,
dendritic agate, and
lilac chalcedony
earrings with sterling
silver; $2,900;
lorifrancescutti.com
Single Stone 18k
yellow gold Leda
bracelet with 0.89 ct.
t.w. diamonds;
$23,000;
singlestone.com
Emili Vesilind
Editor-in-Chief
GEMANDJEWEL.COM
SPRING 2026
9
