Treasure Chests: Trendz to Host 7 Jewelry Designers at Trunk Shows
Sunshine on the water won’t be the only thing sparkling in Stone Harbor this summer. Trendz fine jewelry and art boutique will be hosting seven trunk shows, featuring a dazzling lineup of acclaimed jewelry designers.
“We are excited to bring a summer full of jewels and gems to the island,” says Trendz owner Amy Hardy. “We are augmenting our everyday selection with seven relevant collections ranging in style from timeless classics to functional hardware to one-of-a-kind gems to updated diamond styles.”
While Trendz always represents a wide variety of jewelers, the trunk shows provide a showcase for each featured jeweler and allow for an in-depth exploration of their creativity, style, and craftsmanship.
Trendz will be hosting a trunk show every weekend from the end of June through the middle of August. And a few of the designers will appear in person, offering a rare opportunity to meet the artist behind the brilliant designs.
Read on to learn more about each of the featured jewelers, their artistry, inspiration, and the exquisite jewelry they create.
Monica Rich Kosann
June 29-July 5: Monica Rich Kosann
Old becomes fresh and demure becomes bold with Monica Rich Kosann’s modern twist on classic pieces. Inspired by old-fashioned lockets she found at flea markets and antique stores, the portrait photographer created her own take on lockets, making them contemporary and alluring.
“I loved the mystery behind vintage lockets, who wore them, what did they hold?” Kosann has said. “I wondered, ‘Why is nobody making lockets that are young, contemporary, and sexy?’” So, she filled the void with a gorgeous array of sleek lockets that range from boldly classic to whimsically modern.
Her collection naturally evolved with a focus on storytelling and now boasts a full assortment of rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and necklaces designed to evoke a story, and empower the person who wears them. Incorporating words, images, symbols, gems, and brilliant tones of gold, silver, and steel, Kosann’s jewelry captures moments in time, yet remains timeless.
Jade Trau
July 7-10: Jade Trau
“Jade modernizes the way we wear diamonds,” Hardy says. With an eye toward wearability and comfort, Jade Trau is a sixth-generation diamantaire who believes the most beautiful piece of jewelry is a piece that is worn. As a mother of twin boys, Trau’s artistry is grounded in an understanding of modern lifestyles and technical expertise. She breaks the rules of fine jewelry with meticulously crafted pieces that celebrate the beauty of diamonds while withstanding the rigors of daily living.
Though brimming with diamonds, Trau’s designs are anything but fussy. In brilliant gold tones, the jewelry is edgy, fresh, and fun. Rings and necklaces are designed to be stacked and combined, allowing customers to highlight their own style and individuality.
Suzy Landa
July 15-17: Suzy Landa (in person)
“Suzy Landa has a brilliant eye for selecting extraordinary gems and creating iconic designs,” enthuses Hardy. “She sources her gems from all over the world and composes a flow of complementary dynamic colors and fascinating geometry.”
Raised in a vibrant, artistic household by parents who valued creativity as much as pragmatism, Landa creates jewelry that reflects her unique background. Saturated colors take center stage, surrounded by inventive designs that offer equal parts enchantment and practicality.
Her designs evolve from the gems themselves and every effort is made to showcase the natural beauty of the stones. Much of the gold surrounding the stones is in muted, matte tones, to further highlight the gems’ brilliance. With unexpected color combinations set in quirky shapes, Landa’s jewelry plays with layers, movement, dimensions, and space, resulting in pieces that are often one of a kind.
Each piece is meticulously handcrafted in New York and infused with Landa’s philosophy that fine jewelry can still be fun jewelry.
Marla Aaron
July 21-24: Marla Aaron (in person July 21)
“Marla Aaron is a jewelry innovator who thinks very differently,” Hardy says. Known for her hardware and “locks,” Aaron creates a line of jewelry in New York City that is unlike almost anything else.
With an affinity for hardware, bridges, and jewelry, Aaron created her first collection in 2012, featuring functional gold locks resembling a carabiner. Today, she has a collection of shapely interchangeable locks, chains, earrings, bracelets, and rings that can be worn in infinite combinations, providing an inventive way to revive and wear well-loved pieces.
While her jewelry appears streamlined and industrial at first glance, Aaron’s aesthetic is actually rooted in the Victorian and Gregorian eras. Solidly hand-crafted, the locks range from functional to playful and can be worn together, alone, or in combination with chains.
Irrepressibly creative, Aaron approaches her jewelry with a rebellious spirit and was the first fine jeweler to sell jewelry through a vending machine, with her 2017 installation at the Brooklyn Museum.
Pamela Froman
July 28-30: Pamela Froman (in person)
“Pamela Froman puts her heart and soul into each piece she creates,” says Hardy. “She feels strongly that individuality is the underlying theme of beauty, which is one reason jewelry lovers collect her work. Whether the jewelry piece is minimalistic or elaborate, the intricacy of her work makes it all appear effortless.”
After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Froman moved to Paris and designed for top couturier salons. These years of experience led to the development of her design aesthetic and her signature “crushed gold” finish. She begins by creating her own gold alloys and manipulates the metal by hand to create an irregular surface “crush” that creates a backdrop for her natural, rare gemstones to shine.
Froman believes individuality is the hallmark of beauty and has said that “the more a piece is worn, the more beautiful it is because it becomes part of the person’s essence.”
The recipient of some of the world’s most prestigious jewelry and design awards, Froman was labeled a “Rising Star” in 2006 and has gone on to more than fulfill her early promise. She has won the Town and Country Couture Design Award for Best of Gold (often referred to as the “Oscar of the jewelry industry”), the WJA Award for Excellence in Design, and became a member of the invitation-only American Jewelry Design Council, to name a few honors.
Mollie Faith Good and Stephanie Walters Abramow
Aug. 4-7: Walters Faith
“Walters Faith is a fresh classic force within the jewelry world” says Hardy. “Their tagline, Bold & Fine, accurately describes their work. It’s solid, chunky, beautifully made, yet feminine.”
Founded in 2013 by designer Mollie Faith Good and her business partner Stephanie Walters Abramow, Walters Faith has become a favorite of stylists and celebrities including Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez. Pairing modern design aesthetics with timeless silhouettes, the collection has appeared on the pages of many high-fashion and lifestyle magazines including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Town & Country.
Sapphires and diamonds are used liberally in sharp designs that marry classic gems with unexpected details, such as origamis, hexagons, and chain links. Walters Faith jewelry is designed to embody luxury in an effortless way. Ring designs include wide bands, stackable shapes, and diamond-edged bands. Bracelets, chains, and sleek cords can be worn alone or combined in myriad ways. Earrings range from classic studs to sapphire drop earrings to lush pave chain link hoops.
Stephanie Albertson
Aug. 12-14: Stephanie Albertson (in person)
Glistening blues, shimmery greens, and cool aquamarines evoke crystal water and clear skies in Stephanie Albertson’s jewelry designs. Influenced by her love of color, flowers, and water, her jewelry collection feels particularly apropos for a trunk show in Stone Harbor.
“Stephanie is a trained goldsmith working in 22k gold with her hands involved in each piece she creates,” says Hardy. In fact, no two pieces of her jewelry are ever the same. Carefully choosing each gem, and handcrafting each piece, Albertson ensures that each piece is truly unique.
With a minimalistic approach that blends raw elements with refined style, Albertson sets vibrant colored stones against bright yellow gold, allowing the size, dimension, depth, and luminosity of the stones to shine through.
Yet, for all that is precious about her jewelry, Albertson makes each piece to be worn, and worn often. “Everything that comes out of my studio is in some way inspired by how I live,” she has said. “The colors, the materials, the textures are all about luxury, yet the vibe is relaxed and totally comfortable, livable, and most importantly, wearable.”
Trendz is located at 209 96th Street in Stone Harbor and open daily 10am-5pm. For more information about this summer’s trunk shows and in-person jewelry designer events, call Trendz at 609-368-3313.
