The designers selected for the program are Brent Neale, Harwell Godfrey, Retrouvai, Spinelli Kilcollin, Stephen Webster, Suzanne Kalan, Walters Faith, and Zöe Chico. Each of these designers had varying levels of experience working in platinum prior to this project, and while for some it was a steep learning curve, all found the challenges to be worthwhile given the end results.

Brent Neale:

Designer Brent Neale is lauded for her bright, color-infused 1960’s retro-inspired pieces. Her mantras, signs and symbols are ubiquitous on fashion elite around the globe, and the ease with which her pieces can be mixed and matched make her mushrooms, snails and shamrock charm pendants wardrobe staples for any jewelry enthusiast.

For Brent, who hadn’t worked in platinum before, she saw this project as an opportunity to create one of her staple collections, her Magic Mushroom, in platinum with diamonds. “I approached designing in platinum the same way I do with other metals,” she said. “I prefer certain metal colors with certain types of stones so that played a part in the diamonds I chose for the pieces.”

Brent also created a band in platinum because she wanted to try creating a classic silhouette in a metal she hadn’t used before. She loved the experience of working with a new material, and commented, “It looks lovely paired with and mixed in with yellow gold.”

Harwell Godfrey:

Designer Lauren Godfrey of Harwell Godfrey designs with healing energy in mind. Her immediately recognizable pieces invoke ancient textiles and ethnic patterns, incorporating figurative references to block printing and weavings whose histories are rooted in bygone cultures.

Lauren also hadn’t had any previous experience working in platinum, and she’s excited to see how the introduction of this naturally white metal will fit into her current body of work. “Platinum has a completely different look and feel from 18k yellow gold, which is what I normally work in,” she explained. “I tend to work with a lot of colorful gemstones, but with platinum I thought it was a great opportunity to highlight a diamond as the center stone. With platinum being so cool, any warmth in the diamond would really show up so we had to source one that didn’t have a lot of color.”

When asked if she thinks she’ll work in platinum again, the response was resounding, “I do. I am interested in creating more engagement rings and bridal settings, so I anticipate a lot more platinum in my future.”

Retrouvaí:

Retrouvaí designer Kristy Stone’s deep-seated love for vintage treasures is evident throughout her collection of modern-day heirlooms. Mixing inspirations from the past with decidedly contemporary design concepts, the designer believes in the storytelling power of jewelry. While made to be passed down through generations, Kristy doesn’t take herself too seriously, and likes to say that her line embodies a “whimsical eccentricity.”

While Kristy has worked with platinum in the past for engagement rings and eternity bands, she saw this project as an opportunity to expand upon the trajectory of her overall collection by adding to her popular Magna Collection with a baguette diamond collar. She’d been considering expanding into necklaces for a while, and since she loves the way diamonds look in platinum, this felt like the perfect opportunity to go for it, “I am so pleased with the result,” she enthused. “I held off on expanding the collection into necklaces for years and platinum felt like the right material for the initial foray.”

Spinelli Kilcollin:

Founded in 2010 by husband-and-wife team, Yves Spinelli and Dwyer Kilcollin, Spinelli Kilcollin quickly became known for their innovative series of interconnected Galaxy rings, which are designed to be stacked or worn across several fingers. The brand has continued to build upon this aesthetic foundation with a range of products that embody their core ethos of “clean, conceptual and innovative.” All of their work is created by hand by their dedicated group of expert artisans in downtown Los Angles’ jewelry district.

The brand has had some experience working in platinum prior to this collaboration. In addition to working with the metal for custom pieces, they currently offer two other styles, the Renata and the Virgo Platinum BG, with platinum. The piece they are debuting at COUTURE, the Ceres Platinum, is the first released design in all platinum.

For Dwyer and her design team, working with platinum is a joy, “Platinum offers a fabulous weight and tactility to a piece, but the most unique aspect for us is its sincere uniqueness. As a metal so much more rare than others like gold, platinum offers an undeniable distinctiveness to each piece.”

Walters Faith:

It was while working together for another fine jewelry brand that designer Mollie Faith Good and her business partner, Stephanie Walters Abramow, discovered that they had a shared ideology when it came to both aesthetics and business. The name of their brand, Walters Faith, which they launched together in 2013, pays homage to the level of intimacy they imbue into each of the pieces the brand creates, as well as the passion that each have committed to the collection. With classic silhouettes that contain unexpected design details, Walters Faith has quickly become synonymous with effortless luxury.

While Mollie and Stephanie had worked with platinum in the past, it was only utilized in the creation of bespoke pieces. Their experience working in platinum to create a piece for their new C II collection, which is an extension of their most popular CLIVE collection, has inspired the duo to offer any of their core, Walters Faith pieces in platinum, “Platinum is a beautiful precious metal and this was the perfect opportunity for us,” they explain. “It is wonderful to work with, easy to cast, file and polish, and the consistency in its beautiful white color is amazing.”

Suzanne Kalan:

Suzanne Kalan’s designs are distinctive in their innovation and uniqueness. Most notably, she has taken baguette-cut stones, which have traditionally been relegated for use solely as accent stones, and given them center stage, often in combination with complementary shaped stones. Applied with a contemporary twist to classic silhouettes, her proprietary Fireworks process of setting stones in tilted, seemingly random formations results in pieces that appear to contain an explosion of gemstones and diamonds. With both symmetry and asymmetry infused in each of her designs, Suzanne highlights the beauty in this graceful duality.

Many of Suzanne’s bands are purchased for bridal for those who want something a little edgier to pair with their engagement rings, which means she has worked in platinum throughout the years by special request since, in her words, “Platinum is more durable and couples tend to request it so they have the confidence it will last a lifetime.” For this collaboration, Suzanne designed a wide eternity band with white diamonds, which she points out sparkles in every light and will be a showstopper on anyone’s finger. That finger may be her own however, since she may love the piece too much to part with it, “It’s stunning, in fact, I love it. It’s come out far better than I ever imagined. I‘m seriously thinking of keeping it for myself!” 

Stephen Webster:

While his pieces are anything but traditional, a profound respect for traditional British craftsmanship and goldsmithing is a core tenet of designer Stephen Webster’s approach to design. Well known for his avant-garde, rock n’ roll silhouettes, there is a cutting-edge precision in the fabrication of each of his creations. While Stephen has worked in platinum before, it was typically in the creation of bespoke pieces since he felt his core designs have been, “too voluminous to be practically realized in platinum.”

For this collaboration, Stephen rendered a two-ring concept from his most recent collection, Thorn Embrace, in platinum, which allowed him to make the pieces as fine as possible, a distinction that is integral to the aesthetic of the collection—elegance with an edge. When asked how working with platinum differs from working in gold, the designer noted, “Platinum is more labor intensive to work with. It is tough and requires much higher temperatures to melt, cast and solder. This comes with challenges but it’s something that a skilled and experienced jeweler understands and can accommodate.” In debuting his platinum rings during COUTURE 2022, he hopes that they demonstrate that platinum shouldn’t be reserved for classic design or traditional jewelry.

Zoe Chicco:

Designer Zoe Chicco’s prolific collections are characterized by their chic, effortless style. Her personal, classic pieces are both delicate and modern, sexy and elegant and are infused with Zoe’s passion for art, fashion and the many inspiring women with whom she surrounds herself.

Prior to this collaboration, Zoe had never worked in platinum before and had been hesitant to take on learning how to work with its distinctive qualities. “Platinum is heavier, more dense and harder than gold,” she explains. “One of the things I really like about it is that it is one of the purest metals, it is very durable, and it doesn’t need to be plated to keep its color.” For this project, the designer decided to create a capsule collection in platinum that told a complete story, creating a mix and match pair of earrings, a necklace, ring and cuff bracelet.

“I love how the finished pieces came out,” she enthused. “There is really nice weight to the platinum that just feels luxurious, and it really complements the diamonds so well and makes them the stars of the show.”