Some of our favorite Garnets in the Studio:
Our Spectrum Award winning “Taj” Enhancers that feature rare teal-to-purple Color Change Garnets, Our Mandarin Garnet and Yellow Sapphire “Ball Flower” Tops, and a selection of spectacular loose Mandarin and Tsavorite Garnets in our collection… waiting for some inspiration!

For more on Garnet, refer to Terra Garnet, a gorgeous reference and coffee table book written by our friend Vladyslav Yavorskyy.

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We love celebrating commemorating our favorite mothers on Valentine’s Day. One of our favorite details for sentimental gifts is engraving. In addition to intricate patterns and images, engraving names, dates, or messages on jewelry is a fun, beautiful way to make a gift more intimate. This is one of Deirdre’s Platinum and Diamond Bangles – it is engraved with both Wilson and Catherine’s names, and she wears it everyday. The engraving is not only stunning, but it makes the bracelet completely hers.

This ring celebrates a mother’s three children, with each child’s birthstone and all three of their names engraved on the interior.

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In the first century AD, Pliny the Naturalist stated, “Diamond is the most valuable, not only of precious stones, but of all things in the world.” As colored-gemstone addicts, we believe he had this half right.  Over the years, the diamond has been both culturally important and industrially significant.  For many centuries, the wearing of diamonds and valuable gemstones was restricted to royalty and unlawful for commoners.  The concept of the diamond as the engagement stone grew exponentially in popularity during the twentieth century as the result of a very strong marketing campaign by De Beers, a legacy that has allowed us to produce some killer engagement rings.  Here at Featherstone, we use diamonds both as the footlights to reflect light on our painstakingly selected colored gemstones and industrially: many of our drillbits are diamond-coated, which insures both accuracy and precision in our work.

Since diamonds and stunning gemstones are perceived as formal, they don’t get worn nearly as often as we wish! We like to enhance our everyday style with a little sparkle, and diamonds make every day more special. Denim makes room for diamonds in casual wear, while the jewelry lends jeans a little bit of sophistication.

The post April’s Birthstone – Diamond appeared first on Featherstone Design.

Look around the Featherstone studio on any given day and you’ll see at least a few – the signature “To thine own self be true” bangles. Beyond being a beautiful, strong piece of jewelry, the bangles are a constant reminder for us to follow our own paths. One of the things we love about our collection is that it lets us do just that – recreate our look to reflect the most current iterations of ourselves. We haven’t grown tired of these bangles yet – though maybe that’s because they have gone through so many iterations themselves!

It means a lot to us that the Featherstone line helps our clients feel unique and beautiful in a way that reflects their true selves. This bangle is a shout-out to all of you, an appreciation of the one-of-a-kind people we get to build for. Your individuality is what inspires us! To thine own cool, special, spirited selves – stay true!

Our To Thine Own Self Be True Bangles. Available in 18K Yellow & Rose Gold, Platinum and Sterling Silver.

An example of a hand engraved 18 Karat Gold Bangle.

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Featherstone was lucky enough to host the final lecture and workshop in the much-anticipated NJI @ Parsons series – a weeklong luxury jewelry and timepiece intensive, taught through morning lectures and afternoon excursions. Kevin Reilly from Platinum Guild International started the afternoon with a lecture on the history of platinum before Deirdre took the floor to discuss the Featherstone Fine Jewelry line. Following the presentation, the students came down to the benches to watch a platinum welding workshop – Deirdre and our two bench jewelers, Pavel and Sergey, demonstrated how we would build a pair of platinum bellies for our collection. Finally, the students had an experience to examine our collection firsthand. It was so great to have such a great group of jewelry enthusiasts so excited about our collection. We hope to have you all back in the studio again soon – and we’ll have our new platinum bellies to show you when you come!.

Pavel gives a demonstration on his bench.

Deirdre and Kevin Reilly, Vice President of Platinum Guild International giving a presentation on our favorite metal, platinum.

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TUCSON GEM SHOW & SPECTRUM AWARDS CEREMONY 2015

This past February, Featherstone escaped from the NYC Winter’s clutches for another beautiful Tuscon Gem Show.  This year, Deirdre brought home not one (motorcycle)… not two (puppies)… not three (pairs of boots)… but FOUR awards from the AGTA for her bright designs in platinum, including two First Places.

We also brought home SO MUCH beautiful material!  Some of our favorites this year were the Pearls and the Rough Emerald – we couldn’t wait to use them!

Extraordinary pearls in so many colors! Deirdre selecting the perfect pearls for the collection.

Stunning skies in Tucson.

One of our biggest highlights this year though was a reunion of the Australian Opal Tour – it was the first time since the trip that many of us got to see each other.  We love the opportunity to connect with our industry friends!

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HONG KONG  INTERNATIONAL GEM & JEWELRY SHOW

Last September, we decided to go global with our jewelry!  We took off to show our jewels at the 2014 Hong Kong Jewelry & Gem Fair. It was our first foray into the Asian Market, and we had such a blast.  Going to “The World’s Number One Fine Jewelry Event” was just as exciting as it sounds.

Featherstone was more than a hit.  Deirdre was invited to speak on Chinese television about her designs and even had to say a sentence in Chinese – such an honor!  With nearly 4,000 Jewelry Designers and Gem Traders present, Deirdre was one of a select few chosen to participate.

We also loved the opportunity to explore a little bit of Hong Kong – the bright colors and shapes around the city were such an inspiration.  Next stop – Australia, for a tour of the opal fields!

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MIKE & THERESA

            When Featherstone first moved to Washington Street in 2010, there was a wonderful wine store on the corner:  Vestry Wines.  It was here that we first met Mike.  Soft-spoken, thoughtful, and kind (and incredibly helpful!), it was hard not to love Mike.  We were so excited when he asked us to design a ring for his girlfriend, Theresa.

            Mike wanted to represent his relationship with Theresa and have architectural references from New York City in the styling of the ring.  He mentioned that the Gothic Bridge at 94^th Street in Central Park was one of their absolute favorite places, and Deirdre decided to use the bridge as the inspiration for the rest of the ring.  Comprised of ninety-two platinum components, the intricate diamond and filigree design is absolutely stunning, with the shank recalling the shapes and lines of the bridge.

            When the ring was complete and the engagement made official, Theresa made us beautiful stationery and Mike gave us the most beautiful typewritten thank-you note – one of our most prized mementos at Featherstone.  And, of course, we celebrated with champagne from Vestry Wines!

Initial sketch of the ring shank.

The gothic bridge at Central Park, the inspiration for the ring design.

Deirdre presenting the ring to Mike for the first time.

The post Mike & Theresa – An Engagement Ring Story appeared first on Featherstone Design.

NICOLE & JOSH

Nicole found us rather unexpectedly – after a yoga class, she overheard Deirdre talking about jewelry.  She immediately came up and introduced herself, seeking an answer to a “question about jewelry.”  She pulled something out of her pocket to show to Deirdre: an engagement ring.  To be frank, the ring was rather a travesty.  It didn’t fit, the workmanship was appalling, and the quality of the metal was atrocious.  Nicole was devastated; she was over the moon about her engagement, but could not bring herself to wear what can be best described as the wire cage on a champagne bottle.  The ring did, however, have one major boon – the center stone was a breathtaking star sapphire.

This project was special for Deirdre in that she got to work with both halves of the couple –Nicole and Josh’s desires are both represented in the ring.  Since there was no sentimental value attached to the mounting, we decided to start from scratch.  The light blue star sapphire had a gorgeous lavender overtone.   Since Josh’s favorite color was purple (something that led Deirdre to decide that she would marry him if the ring didn’t work out!), we decided to emphasize that subtlety – a band of lavender spinels surrounds the diamond-silhouetted star sapphire.  The stones are all set in a gorgeous, broad 18 Karat Gold band, the warmth of the metal matching Nicole’s friendly character.  We love, love, love that this ring was the result of bride and groom together.

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