Resplendent Rings

From 2001 to 2008 my atelier was located in far west Chelsea at 547 West 27th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues. It was my first public space for DDL. Before that I was working from the basement of an Italian restaurant on West 23rd Street (more on that in another post). It was during this time period, before the High Line and twelve years since incorporating DDL that my Resplendent rings were born. Many mothers of invention were commissions, jobs I’d take on that weren’t exactly my classical goldsmith forte. Out of necessity I’d say yes first and then I’d figure it out later.

Cocktail party!

End result of just saying YES: the Lynn ring in platinum and diamond. Featuring top view, side view and front view diamond accents along with tiny granules and delicate scrollwork, these rings have been a mainstay in my collection for nearly 20 years.

The first of the series, the Lynn ring has a special place in my heart because I designed and handmade it for my cousin’s diamond in 2006. She asked me to design a square setting for a round stone using her beautiful 2 carat brilliant cut diamond. When I think back on crafting the first one, I remember how and why I moved those details into place. I wanted those scrolls to act as a platform with alternating granules.

By adding ornaments of design that we see in antiquity but not typically designed into a modern-day pave-halo style was what I felt would keep the ring relatable to my style. What I didn’t realize at the time, and this part is really important for artists who feel they are straying from their passion, this ring was exactly my style. I might have been frustrated and unsure of what I was doing; trying to balance the top with the bottom and fitting it together like a puzzle, but then suddenly it made sense. I wanted to make a monumental mounting so I built a platform with height that would not diminish or take away from the stone. I also felt that seeing rows of diamonds from the top, front and side was essential as long as I could hold onto that a vibe of antiquity. My prototype worked and we rebuilt the model to perfection.

I name my pieces after the first to commission them or people I am inspired by or places I love. In this case the namesake is my cousin’s middle name. Lynn was immediately favored by bridal magazine editors. It made its way to InStyle Weddings “50 Most Glamorous Engagement Rings”, “82 Rings You’ll Love” and even a morning television show. Lynn was a bad ass right out of the gate.

Lynn is styled here by InStyle Weddings in their “82 Rings” story, Published on December 27, 2007

Lynn soon became a tipping point for me to create a family of Resplendent rings. I call them resplendent for lack of a better word!  These styles enjoyed additional editorial coverage in InStyle Weddings in 2009, in New York Weddings Magazine in 2014, on a Time Square Billboard in 2014 and in a 2018 New York Times feature about me and The Met.

And so it goes, others began bringing me their center stones for remounting. Many requests came from married couples commissioning symbolic remakes. The second of the Resplendent series was the Christine ring. This time, a couple brought their brilliant cut diamond and left everything up to me so I made it in a round version of Lynn. Again, with the top, front and side view stones and a twist of antiquity. While making Christine (named for Christine) in platinum and all diamond it occurred to me that I should do another color way at the same time and put it in the collection. My goldsmith inner voices were calling out as I was at the bench. I visualized a deep yellow gold. Using some rose cuts I had set aside for another project, I put a round pink sapphire in the center and surrounded it with all white rose cut diamonds. (Ahhh). 

Christine in 22 karat gold, ruby, and diamond.

Once again, the reaction was overwhelming from the bridal press. Christine in pink was featured in InStyle weddings and became a wish list item for future brides.

The Christine ring, 2009 InStyle Weddings

Next stop Savannah. A gentleman who loves jewelry and knew what he wanted commissioned the Savannah without ever consulting his future bride. (Round of applause for valiance and fearlessness). He wanted a large red stone, rectangular and in platinum with lots of diamond accents. Do you mean a giant emerald-cut ruby?  When he told me the tiny ring size of his future betrothed, I wondered how we’d get all that stone he wanted on such a tiny hand. This called for a Resplendent ring in a new shape. Happy to report as of this 2023 writing the couple is 10 years married with a beautiful family. We recently had the ring back to retip, clean and marvel at again. As with its predecessors, Savannah inspired a remake in solid diamond and platinum for a client who brought me her emerald cut diamond. See both showstoppers here.

She’s Mighty Mighty. Resplendent number 4 needs a drumroll to announce.  The Lesley Ann (now a fan favorite) was brought to me by a client who inherited a 5.0 carat brilliant cut that needed a giant setting.  She loved Lynn and Christine and voila! The brick house that is Lesley Ann was born. And as with the first two that started out colorless, I quickly did a 22-karat yellow gold version with aquamarine.

Lesley Ann in 18 karat yellow gold and aquamarine on Block Island.

 The colorways were important. Even when doing the high karat yellow versions with color center stones I felt like I had to mix it up to make it more edgy or unexpected. The pattern repeats in many of the color versions. For example, the Lesley Ann in 22-karat gold has a white diamond halo, a diamond band and an outer wall of tiny faceted aquamarines.

Photo credit Sean Younger Thomas.

Funny how these rings started as white diamond-white metal but later became so popular in 22 karat gold and so much color.

Speaking of color. A few years back, a trusted gem specialist talked me into getting a cushion cut natural ruby (my birthstone).  I loved the stone so much that I made the decision to finally name a ring after myself and keep it! The Donna ring is based on the Lynn ring only with a square shaped cushion, 22 karat gold, in between the scrolls there are rosettes instead of granules, and the colorway has a diamond top halo and solid pave ruby walls and band. Just a few of my favorite things. This ring keeps me in balance. It made history when it was on a billboard in Time Square. The photo of my dad smiling up at the billboard upon seeing it for the first time is more precious than the ring.

The Donna ring on a billboard in Times Square 2014.

Donna in 22 karat gold, blue sapphire, and diamond.

It’s a family affair, now 29 years in business I can count my spinoff versions of these special rings. Following Lynn, Christine, Savannah and Lesley Ann, there was the Melissa (a one carat center stone engagement ring), the Michelle, Lizzie, Diana, Judy Ann, Jada, Tiffany, and Candice, in several colorways and each with their own very special stories deserving of feature blog posts. Engagements, jewelry makeovers, birthdays, an homage to a friend, repurposing inherited gems, symbolic transformations, or just because.  Each of these styles has meant the world to me to create. It heartens me that so many of my family members have one and it all started with a family member!

And then came Trina. Maybe I’m a sucker for romance because I make engagement rings for a living. Or maybe I’m a sucker for romance. Just looking at this ring Trina tells story of big wow love.  And nothing could be truer about the special couple it was for. He surprised her (round of applause), oh did I mention “to match her eyes” and worked with me every step of the way with the aquamarine color shades and proportion.

Trina in 22 karat gold, pink tourmaline, and diamond.

Saving the best for last or is this just the beginning?  The most recent addition to the Resplendent series is the Sabrina. Named for my Atelier Manager and Goldsmith in training who arrived during the peak of the pandemic like a miracle. Together in 2020 we re-built, re-branded and created jewelry every day. While the city emptied out, we stayed. The Sabrina ring represents a renaissance and features the finest gemstone in my collection. A 5.8 carat natural, no heat, pink spinel surrounded by diamonds and more pink spinels, all meticulously set into 22 karat gold. The Sabrina ring symbolizes beauty, dedication, history, loyalty and above all Metal, Fire and Love.

Pow!