From the Desks Of Three Diamond Jewelry Designers

In the latest installment of the series “From the Desk Of,” three natural diamond jewelry designers Brent Neale, Maggi Simpkins, and Dezso designer Sara Beltrán brought Only Natural Diamonds into the room where it happens to see their designer workspaces and the personal touches that make it their own.

A designer’s workspace is where ideas become realities. It’s where a pencil sketch becomes a memorable red carpet moment, thanks to the sparkle and allure of natural diamonds. Symbolic diamond designs are first given shape at a jewelry designer’s desk. It’s where loose diamonds become an engagement ring to be treasured as an heirloom for generations.

A jewelry designer’s desk is a place where you can find all sources of inspiration, collaborations in process as well as tools of the trade and personal passions.

Brent Neale

The sense of joy and wonder that defines Brent Neale’s jewelry collections extends to her Midtown Manhattan office space which functions as a place to meet with clients, a showroom and studio. “I wanted it to be a warm and welcoming space,” explains Brent who designs in the office every day. “I have a running sketch list of stuff I am supposed to work on that my team organizes for me, highlighting priorities from custom projects to collections I need to finish.”

The jewelry designer, who launched her company in 2017 after years of working behind the scenes in the jewelry world, surrounds herself with art as well as books about inspirational 20^th century masters. She also has the supplies she uses to design by hand, the old fashioned way. It’s a mode that harkens back to fine jewelers of yesteryear who, like Brent, worked side-by-side with clients to realize their most personal pieces. The wide range of custom jewels Brent has created extends from a ring set with family gems to gold and gem-set pendants commemorating children’s drawings.

The desk

It’s a mid-century partners desk from a Danish architect with enough room for me to cross my legs in the back. And I love all the cubbies in the front where I put books and some pottery that my children made in kindergarten.

The flower vases

They are Murano glass from the 1960s and carry through the color theme.

Your collection of pencils

I use Faber Castell pencils and store them in cups from a company called Glass Baby. They are actually handmade for votive candles, but I just use them to hold pencils and brushes.

The design materials on your desk 

I draw everything on vellum over graph paper to scale. Then, I put it on paper and that gets a date, collection name or a client’s name. When I am working with stones, I take the dimensions and lay them on top of the drawing to make sure what I have sketched is to scale. The green stencil has cutouts in the size of gem carat weights. Someone asked me what I would take if the office was burning and it would be that stencil. I can’t find them anymore and I only have one.

Mushroom on the wall 

It is modeled after my Magic Mushroom pendants like the one I am wearing in the picture. The gem accents are mirrors and the surface is hand painted to look like malachite.

The ivy painting 

When I was thinking about how to get green into the office, I thought of the artist Jason Bereswill’s ivy paintings. We took measurements for a huge panel and he made the work.

Dezso Designer Sara Beltrán

For almost 20 years, the sea has been a source of inspiration for Sara Beltrán’s collection named Dezso, which means desire in Latin. Real seashells and gems hand-carved into shell shapes form pendants. Shark fins painted in black enamel cover gold bracelets and necklaces. Sara’s selfies on glorious beaches around the globe punctuate the jewelry posts on her Instagram. And the jewelry designer has perfectly sun-kissed skin year-round. All of these details might lead you to believe the collection is bohemian. “It’s not a beach line,” was Sara’s direct response to that concept from her by-appointment-only 750-square foot boutique located in the Soho neighborhood of New York City.

So what is it? It’s a sophisticated reflection of Sara’s elevated and meticulous style and her passion for researching techniques and crafts. It has roots in 19^th century jewelry. And, it expresses her love of the sea and practice of shell collecting, which goes far beyond a way to pass time. It’s an obsession with the artistry of Mother Nature.

The wax and stamps

My mom is an artist and she used to have a store. She would make a little card and sign with her signature for every purchase. I thought it was elegant. So every order from my website is packaged and wax stamped. My stamps have my initial and a little shark fin motif.

The carved rock crystal shell paperweights with one polki diamond 

Not every man wears jewelry, so I started making those objects in India as a special gift for men.

The gold, diamond and black enamel cuffs 

I am obsessed with cuffs. I normally wear five at a time. They were inspired by gold Victorian memorial cuffs that often have black enamel. I only make them in my rose gold which is an alloy I spent 18 months creating to get just the right color. It is soft without too much red.

Tray of pendants

Many of them are gem pendants I have specially carved in India. I go there to work with the craftsman to make sure the pieces reflect the natural beauty of shells. They are in perfect order in the trays because I am super OCD. I am not a person of paperwork. I am visual, so everything is in perfect order.

The genuine shells and books of shells 

I do collect shells at the beach, but I also spend a lot of time sourcing vintage shells or other styles I find in books. I search for hours online and at some places in Paris.

The chokers

I really like the choker length. I wear around four at a time. I feel like it looks strong sitting together.

The notebook

I call it my magic notebook. It’s from India with artisan handmade paper and a black matte cover. I keep notes on prices and meetings. I draw things after they are created. I do paint but I usually design on the spot with the craftsmen in India. A lot of my design process happens through the materials I collect.

The drink

Throughout the day, I always have an iced coffee with a splash of oat milk in a hand-etched glass from India next to me. I should be drinking water, but it’s always the coffee.

Maggi Simpkins

A creative free spirit, Los Angeles-based jewelry designer Maggi Simpkins doesn’t typically make collections. Instead, she focuses on one-of-a-kind jewels. That’s how her design career began over 10 years ago when one of her first commissions came from Will.i.am. Since then, she has built a reputation through word of mouth, social media and some creations that have gone viral, like the Bose earbuds she reimagined with marquise diamonds and gold last May when she teamed up with the audio company. The jeweled accessories were worn by Kenzie on the red carpet at the Billboard Women in Music Awards and an image of the earbuds alone received over 750,000 likes on Maggi’s Instagram.

While Maggi clearly has the design talent to create just about anything in jewelry, she primarily focuses her attention on engagement rings. The designer brings all kinds of imagination to the jewels, embellishing diamond center stones with glorious frames of colorful gems or making strong minimalist signet-style rings. “I enjoy designing engagement rings because it’s something that lives on someone’s hand every day,” Maggi explains. “I put everything I have into it.”

Ring trays

I have a ring sizer in the tray on the bottom. The black tray has gemstone signets featured on my website. And there are diamond bands I keep around so people can try them on to see how a band stacks with their engagement ring. A handful of settings without center stones are in the blue tray.

The caliper and gems 

I love gemstones and try not to prescribe to any rules about how I use them, but setting them is a work of precision. The caliper is for measuring every little thing down to .01 millimeters. Scale is really important and half a millimeter can make a difference.

The flowers and eucalyptus 

I am always gardening, love nature and try to have some flowers in the office. The eucalyptus clippings just smell so good. They are in a vase by Rachel Saunders. My friend at Glo Flo here in Los Angeles did the flowers.

The candle

The name of the brand is D.S. & Durga. It creates an ambiance.

Polaroid camera

We like to have fun in the office and I am always experimenting with how we can take pictures of things.

The cross on the wall 

I am inspired by vintage crosses. They remind me of falling in love with my great-grandma’s jewelry as a kid. I designed the emerald one I am wearing as a passion project and blew it up to 14 inches in brass and put a mirror behind it. It’s the first large scale item I made from metal.

The sketchbook 

I don’t leave home without a Moleskin sketchbook and mechanical pencil. I am always taking notes.

The drink

I usually have a kombucha but that’s an Erewhon rose water