6 Designers Making Their Couture Debut
Every year, jewelry designers and industry professionals from around the world gather in Las Vegas at the COUTURE Show for an exceptional jewelry showcase of craftsmanship and innovative design. COUTURE is known for hosting renowned heritage brands, and premier retailers, and celebrating emerging design talent. We spoke to six designers about their upcoming couture debut and a sneak peek at their natural diamond collections
Below, get to know Francesca Villa, Pamela Zamore, Sara Bassan of Type Jewelry, Tini Courtney of HOWL, Fie Isolde, and Karina Choudhrie.
Francesca Villa
Founding her brand in 2007, Francesca Villa is known for her designs that are set with and inspired by objects trouvés. The vintage and antique treasures are given a new life in each piece of jewelry. Francesca values storytelling and the art of connecting with people through these special objects, art, and decoration. Her latest collection which will debut at COUTURE, is called “Change Your Stripes,” and is inspired by a set of resin cameos that were made in Japan in the 50s and designed for a man’s cufflink. One of the cameos featured Janus, the god of duality and new beginnings, and influenced Francesca to utilize these cameos for a new collection with reversible jewels.
“Some days we are more fun and frivolous, and others we are a little more serious. The one-of-a-kind reversible rings and pendants capture these changing moods; hence changing your stripes,” Francesca said. You can flip the central disc in the ring or pendant to reveal a joyful striped miniature painting–done by hand–featuring natural diamonds. One of them features a radish on a picnic cloth, to invoke the feeling of summer and nostalgia.
Pamela Zamore
Pamela Zamore was a lifelong vintage jewelry collector and was inspired by architecture and fine art. She began her career as an interior designer and felt the call to create her own jewelry, drawing from these inspirations, Pamela created a jewelry line that is elegant, wearable, and powerful.
The collection is designed in Boston and handcrafted by a family-run workshop in Rhode Island. She uses a minimal selection of materials, such as 18K gold that is illuminated through texture, dimension, and finish. The idea for each design is to be an heirloom piece, meant to be worn now and for several years to come.
Type Jewelry
Sara Bassan, the designer of Type Jewelry, grew up in Panama and was surrounded by unique and high-end jewelry. With her love of fashion and all things luxury, she channeled her creativity into her own jewelry line, creating one-of-a-kind pieces that tell a story.
Each piece empowers the women who wear it, reminding them of their inner strength and beauty. Family is important to Sara and her business–she is a mother of five and works alongside her husband, utilizing his architectural eye to bring her designs to life.
HOWL
HOWL, an acronym for “Handle Only With Love,” is a Los Angeles-based jewelry brand founded by Tini Courtney, who draws inspiration from history and past eras of jewelry. Her designs are bold in scale but with a refined touch, making them both effortless to wear and genderless. Each piece is made from hand-carved wax. “Carving waxes is how I can physically manifest my imagination, knowing my best work comes when I can stay in the flow and not try to control the final product,” Tini said.
Her latest collection, “Royal Renegade,” features natural diamonds and pearls, including statement cocktail rings, elegant drop earrings, and link necklaces. “I was excited to fuse the delicate and feminine nature of the pearls into my existing work–bold and heavy gold–and discover the harmony,” Tini said. We can’t wait to see her epic natural diamonds on display at COUTURE.
Fie Isolde
Fie Isolde is a Danish-born fine jewelry designer based in Los Angeles, who has mastered the synergy between Scandinavian sophistication and West Coast cool. Each of her pieces is hand-made in LA, using 14K gold and natural diamonds, her signature raw gold finish is meant to resemble waves and give each jewel a one-of-a-kind touch. “To me, jewelry embodies much more than mere material possessions; it encapsulates genuine emotions and irreplaceable memories,” said Fie. Adding, “My precious pieces embody the souls who, each day, weave everlasting memories in the tapestry of life.”
At COUTURE, she will debut “Secret Note,” which is a customizable collection of pendants and rings that allows the wearer to have a personal note inscribed. This collection is intimate and romantic, juxtaposing Fie’s signature heavy metal designs with a poetic backstory.
Karina Choudhrie
Karina Choudhrie is a London-based jeweler, who is meticulous in her craftsmanship while honoring the beauty of earth’s magic: natural diamonds and gemstones. She grew up in Dubai and decided at a young age that she wanted to be in the jewelry industry and headed to GIA in San Diego to pursue gemology. After she began working for a private jeweler in Beverly Hills for two years, she decided to start her own company. In 2008, she held her first private jewelry event in Abu Dhabi and sold a Basra pearl sautoir to a member of the royal family and the rest was history. For the next 15 years, Karina designed pieces for a bespoke clientele and created her own line. She focused on creating one-of-a-kind pieces, and now, she will introduce a series of fine jewelry collections that incorporate the same meticulous craftsmanship and materials as her high jewels.
At COUTURE, Karina will reveal two new signature collections of fine jewelry, “Icon” and “Vitamin Pink,” in addition to some of her high jewelry. “It has been a dream for me to be a part of COUTURE since I began designing, but I never felt quite ready,” Karina said. “This year we were destined for Vegas, with my creative juices flowing, our collections incredibly strong and the business in a position to be marketed to the American audience,” she continued, adding “COUTURE is a global platform that connects the world’s most elite group of designers, retailers, and press, and being a part of this community marks a major milestone for my brand.”
