W
e love envisioning our designers when they get “in flow,” when an idea starts to form and they pick up their notepad or sit down at their computers or grab a cocktail napkin and begin to bring the ephemeral into tangible form. Each is driven by their own personal, unspoken motivations, their inspirations are varied and their worldviews are unique, yet there are threads of commonality that unite them.
Header image courtesy of Fullord
For the first installment of this story featuring COUTURE Coconut Grove brands, we’re going to focus on the designers that consider us, meaning the people who connect with and respond to their jewelry, their biggest muse.
Emily P. Wheeler
Image courtesy of Orogami
Not only do they share a passion for the materials with which they work, lauding the natural beauty of their chosen medium, when asked what their favorite part of being a designer is, the designers exhibiting at our inaugural COUTURE Coconut Grove event this November shared sources of joy that run deep and that underscore the transcendental powers of the artform.
Image courtesy of Rosmundo
We learned that for many of these brands, it’s the seemingly magical ability to transform an idea into a tactile object that pulls at them to design. For others, it’s the community involved in building their collections, from the artisans they entrust with their vision to their internal teams and the sales associates that represent their brands on a daily basis. And of course, as expected when working with the biggest talents in the world, some of our designers are continually energized by new techniques and pushing the boundaries of the craft.
For the first installment of this story featuring COUTURE Coconut Grove brands, we’re going to focus on the designers that consider us, meaning the people who connect with and respond to their jewelry, their biggest muse.
Image courtesy of Alessa Jewelry
Alessa Jewelry:
COUTURE: What three words describe your brand DNA?
Yuvraj Pahuja: Architectural, Bold, Craftsmanship
Image courtesy of Alessa Jewelry
C: What is your favorite part about being a jewelry designer?
YP: The most rewarding part is turning an idea into something people connect with emotionally and confidently wear as part of their everyday lives. I also value the relationships this industry creates with retailers, collectors, and clients around the world. Seeing someone discover a design that truly resonates with them, and knowing those relationships continue to grow over time, is what makes this business so fulfilling.
Image courtesy of Alessa Jewelry
C: What is your favorite material to work with?
YP: 18K gold. It offers the perfect balance of luxury, durability, and versatility, allowing us to create bold architectural forms with exceptional precision. Combined with brilliant diamonds, 18K gold provides the ideal canvas for expressing Alessa’s modern design language, whether through sculptural geometry, hand-painted finishes, or innovative settings.
Image courtesy of Circa 1700
Circa 1700:
COUTURE: What three words describe your brand DNA?
Susan Cohen: Mechanical-imagineering, Love Letter
Image courtesy of Circa 1700
C: What is your favorite part about being a jewelry designer?
SC: To have a piece resonate with someone on a visceral/personal level – a connective thread that evokes a place in time or a sense of empowerment or a reminder to believe in one’s self all while being tactile – that the piece is not just static but dynamic and interactive.
Image courtesy of Circa 1700
C: What is your favorite material to work with?
SC: Antique gemstones
Image courtesy of Emily P. Wheeler
Emily P. Wheeler:
COUTURE: What three words describe your brand DNA?
Emily P. Wheeler: Color, Craftsmanship, Individuality.
Image courtesy of Emily P. Wheeler
C: What is your favorite part about being a jewelry designer?
EPW: My favorite part of being a jewelry designer is creating pieces that become part of someone’s personal story. Fine jewelry has a unique ability to hold emotion and meaning. It celebrates milestones, reflects individuality, and often becomes something that is passed down through generations. I love that every design decision, from color to composition to the smallest detail, comes together to tell a story and make a piece truly personal.
Image courtesy of Emily P. Wheeler
C: What is your favorite material to work with?
EPW: That answer shifts with the seasons, but right now I’m especially drawn to wood and carved stone. I’ve always loved incorporating carved gemstones and petrified wood into my designs, but lately I’ve been exploring more wood species and the beautiful textures they bring. There is something incredibly special about the contrast between organic materials, vibrant gemstones, and warm 18k gold. I love the balance of thoughtful detail with unexpected elements because it creates pieces that feel warm, distinctive, and connected to nature while still feeling elevated and luxurious.
Image courtesy of Fullord
Fullord:
COUTURE: What three words describe your brand DNA?
Sandrine Thibaud: Transformation, Audacity, Ingenuity
Image courtesy of Fullord
C: What is your favorite part about being a jewelry designer?
ST: Creating jewelry that carries meaning. Every piece begins with a personal memory, an emotion or a life experience, but it only truly comes alive when someone else recognizes a part of themselves in it. That connection is the most rewarding part of what I do.
Image courtesy of Fullord
C: What is your favorite material to work with?
ST: Gold is my canvas, but diamonds remain my greatest fascination. They are born under immense pressure over billions of years. There is something deeply inspiring about transforming such extraordinary material into jewelry that becomes part of someone’s own story.
Image courtesy of IDORO
IDORO:
COUTURE: What three words describe your brand DNA?
Sergey Izmestiev: Sculptural, Precise, Alive.
Image courtesy of IDORO
C: What is your favorite part about being a jewelry designer?
SI: My favorite part is transforming an idea, a natural form, or the character of a stone into something that can be worn and lived with. A piece becomes complete only when it enters a person’s life.
Image courtesy of IDORO
C: What is your favorite material to work with?
SI: Natural gemstones. I’m drawn to the individuality of each stone — its structure, color, and inner character. The design develops from the material itself rather than from a fixed idea imposed on it.
Image courtesy of Loquet
Loquet:
COUTURE: What three words describe your brand DNA?
Sheherazade Goldsmith: Storytelling, Personal, Playful
Image courtesy of Loquet
C: What is your favorite part about being a jewelry designer?
SG: Creating jewelry that becomes part of people’s lives and preserves their most meaningful memories. I love that a piece can mark a milestone, celebrate a relationship, or carry a personal story that grows richer over time. Designing isn’t just about creating something beautiful, it’s about creating something people will treasure, wear every day, and eventually pass on to the next generation.
Image courtesy of Loquet
C: What is your favorite material to work with?
SG: 18k solid gold. It has a timeless warmth, exceptional durability, and the ability to become even more beautiful with age. It’s the perfect material for creating heirloom-quality jewelry designed to hold life’s most precious stories.
Orogami:
COUTURE: What three words describe your brand DNA?
Angelica Aloisio: Creative, Handcrafted, Symbolic.
Image courtesy of Orogami
C: What is your favorite part about being a jewelry designer?
AA: What we love most is watching a piece complete its journey; it starts as a feeling, a message, something we want to share and express, and only once we’ve found the right form for it does it come to life. The best part comes after, when a client walks into the atelier, hears the story behind a piece they’ve fallen for, and gets emotional because it touches something present in their own life, that moment never gets old. It’s a way of working I learned from my parents, Tiziana and Massimo Aloisio, who trained in the Roman bottega tradition alongside master goldsmiths, and who still today try to bring together tradition and innovation in every collection we create; pieces made entirely by hand, each one carrying a message.
Image courtesy of Orogami
C: What is your favorite material to work with?
AA: 18k gold, without question. It’s the material on which the Italian goldsmithing tradition has always been built, and even as the industry around us changes, that’s the tradition we choose to stay loyal to. For us, gold isn’t just a material, it’s a way of staying connected to a centuries-old craft.
Image courtesy of Rosmundo
Rosmundo:
COUTURE: What three words describe your brand DNA?
Rosmundo Giarletta: Art, Quality, Family
Image courtesy of Rosmundo
C: What is your favorite part about being a jewelry designer?
RG: The privilege to discover people on an emotional level and connect with their stories through our creations, and doing all of this in the context of high quality, beautiful gemstones and crafting alongside our close family.
Image courtesy of Rosmundo
C: What is your favorite material to work with?
RG: Yellow gold and precious gemstones.
Image courtesy of Stoned Fine Jewelry
STONED Fine Jewelry:
COUTURE: What three words describe your brand DNA?
Eve Gay: Whimsical, Bespoke, Fun
Image courtesy of Stoned Fine Jewelry
C: What is your favorite part about being a jewelry designer?
EG: I love bringing whimsical ideas to life and creating pieces that you simply can’t find anywhere else. Whether it’s turning someone’s beloved dog into a diamond heirloom or designing an alligator with a Paraíba tourmaline on its head, every piece tells a story. We have so much fun at STONED, and I think that joy shines through in everything we create. Our jewelry is playful, incredibly unique, and deeply meaningful, designed to become future heirlooms that make people smile every time they wear them.
Image courtesy of Stoned Fine Jewelry
C: What is your favorite material to work with?
EG: Without question, Paraíba tourmaline. I recently visited one of the mines in Brazil that I work closely with, and seeing these extraordinary gemstones at their source made me love them even more. As a Florida-based designer, Paraíba perfectly captures the vibrant blues and greens of the ocean, giving every piece that unmistakable Miami, sun-soaked energy. It’s electric, rare, and unlike any other gemstone in the world.