From cherished heirlooms steeped in family history to the everyday necklace that becomes a personal talisman, jewelry possesses a remarkable power to enhance our attire while weaving narratives and stirring cherished memories. Likewise, the array of designers crafting these adornments is as diverse as the pieces themselves. As Black-owned jewelry brands work to gain the recognition they rightfully deserve, your support amplifies their visibility, and could enrich your collection with uniquely meaningful pieces. In celebration of black history month, I thought I’d share 10 of my favorite designers to support, now and always.
Lorraine West
Lorraine West has always had an affinity for creating original art. As a wife, mother and artisan, her handcrafted contemporary and fine jewelry pieces are inspired by love and a passion for connecting with people on an intuitive and authentic level. Not only are her elegant pieces striking, but you feel them; they’re designed to reflect your own inner beauty and power. As a self-taught craftswoman, Lorraine pays homage to her Caribbean roots mixing bold and minimalists design sensibilities. Working with her hands comes naturally, thanks to her mother, a baker and her father, a carpenter. Welding and manipulating precious metals is what heals her soul. It’s more than a technique; it’s a spiritual process that’s poured into every design and is evidenced by jewelry that is as much high-end art as it is high fashion. Her symbolic and geometric designs have not only been seen on stars from Zendaya to Beyoncé, but also on countless of everyday people who are drawn to the excellence of her craft. Lorraine graduated from Fashion Institute of Technology with a BFA in Illustration and lives in Brooklyn with her son and husband, who both continue to support her handcrafted creations, all made with Love.
Jade Gedeon ~ We Dream In Colour
We Dream in Colour is a black-owned, self-funded, and independent jewellery line designed and handmade with a focus on sustainability. Founder Jade Gedeon has been designing jewellery that separates itself with bold colours and rich patinas for over a decade: “Each and every piece is assembled by our all-women team in our Salem, MA studio. From small to big we take as many steps as we can to minimise our environmental impact. We use repurposed materials and earth-friendly processes wherever possible and focus on working with socially conscious suppliers. The goal: to craft brilliant pieces that will be well-loved for years to come, and prioritise the quality of life for their entire team over chasing aggressive growth.”
Catherine Sarr ~ Almasika
“My journey across three continents and the years I spent in the luxury and diamond industries are at the heart and soul of ALMASIKA. I worked for various luxury and diamond brands promoting craftsmanship from around the world, including several years spent at DeBeers. As my journey has taken me from Paris, London, Abu Dhabi to now Chicago, my guiding philosophy has been to find what we have in common with others. I believe that cultural craftspeople act both as interlocutors and sources of inspiration, setting in motion an artistic and intellectual dialogue.”
Matthew Harris ~ Mateo New York
Born and raised in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the son of a seamstress. He arrived in the US at the age of 16 to attend college. After completing his studies, he discovered his true passion in New York City – the art of Jewelry making. Mateo New York was launched in March of 2009. The brand began solely focused on men’s jewelry, however in 2014, a strategic decision was made to refocus the brand, and thus the women’s fine jewelry collection was launched. The fine jewelry collections bares our true aesthetic of simplicity and minimalism, drawing inspiration from modern art for the modern woman. Each piece is made from precious metals with a consistent use of diamonds and gemstones. Today the brand is sold in some of the best retailers worldwide including Net A Porter, Matches Fashion, Browns, FarFetch 1stDibs, to name a few. The brand is also featured regularly in reknown fashion publications such as American Vogue, Vogue Paris, W Magazine, The New York Times Style Magazine, Marie Claire,Elle, Allure, WWD and InStyle. Much of Mateo New York’s success is due to a continuous effort in making modern, relatable fine jewelry at an approachable price point.
Lauren Harwell Godfrey ~ Harwell Godfrey
California-born-and-bred Lauren Harwell Godfrey began her design career in the world of advertising, logging 15 years as an award-winning art and creative director in NYC and San Francisco masterminding campaigns for clients including Adidas, Levi’s, and Ray-Ban. After a serendipitous trip to the Tucson Gem Fair, Lauren set her sights on building a brand of her own, teaching herself to craft one-of-a-kind hand-tooled leather and raw stone accessories. This ignited the spark that evolved into her fine jewelry collection, which debuted in 2018 at Paris Fashion Week. With aesthetic roots in the ancient textiles and patterns of the African Diaspora, Harwell Godfrey fine jewelry is handcrafted in 18-karat gold with precious gemstones, colorful inlay, and ethically-sourced diamonds. Designed with healing energy in mind, each gemstone is thoughtfully selected to enhance the wearer’s experience. Incorporating figurative references to block printing and weaving from cultures long ago, the collection brings a sense of history to modern day precious heirlooms. Named Best Whimsical Jewelry in Robb Report’s 2023 Best of the Best issue. Harwell Godfrey was one of the only independant brands recognized alongside Louis Vuitton, Dior, Bulgari, Cartier, Harry Winston, Boucheron, Van Cleef and Arpels and Tiffany and Co.
Vania Leles ~ Vanleles
Vania Leles was born in Guinea Bissau and educated in Lisbon and London. Her 15 year career in high jewellery took her to Paris, New York, and finally to London where she has been living for 20 years with her family. After honing her craft at Graff, De Beers and Sotheby’s, Vania launched VANLELES Diamonds in 2015 from her atelier in Mayfair, London. Vania’s mission is to bring the voice of her motherland, Africa, to fine jewellery. This vision, combined with her unique and bold style, has helped her to become one of the world’s most respected jewellery designers. In 2022, Sotheby’s held a solo exhibition of VANLELES in Monaco for over 6 weeks. Today Vania Leles’ jewellery creations are regularly featured in the world’s top magazines and dress some of the most powerful and fashionable women in the world, including HRH Catherine, Princess of Wales, Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan and Rihanna to name a few.
Ope Omokola ~ Octave Jewelry
For Ope Omojola, Octave Jewelry was the natural outcome of a lifelong creative practice prioritizing materiality, color, and movement. A student of Anthropology, Ope first picked up a soldering torch at a weeknight class at the 92nd Street Y. Years of independent experimentation and exploration led to Octave’s signature style, creating wearable sculptures that speak to personal style, history, and sentimentality. Born in Nigeria, Ope lives and works in Brooklyn, New York: “Octave Jewelry is a modern frame for earth’s ancient works of art. Every raw stone tells a story, and I cut each one by hand to suit its independent character. I create bold shapes that move with you, telling stories through sophisticated colors and playful sculptural elements. Adornment is about more than the material – it is experiential. I design to explore different moods, to capture ephemeral moments, and to inspire wearers to connect to themselves and engage with their surrounding world.”
Shola Branson
London-based jewellery designer Shola Branson creates future artefacts that seamlessly blend contemporary minimalism with rich textures and silhouettes from antiquity. Shola imagines fragments from lost civilisations, exploring our cyclical relationship with time and technology. Discovering his love for creation through self-taught exploration, Shola launched his eponymous brand in 2018, leveraging valuable experience gained in the fashion and antique jewellery industries. Each piece is meticulously handcrafted using only the finest materials, with items created and finished individually. Shola’s work has been exhibited and sold at Sotheby’s and is also available at Dover Street Market London.
Khadijah Fulton – White Space Jewelry
A creative by nature, designer Khadijah Fulton has been bringing beautiful objects of her imagination to life since early childhood – a talent she put to good use at New York’s Parsons School of Design, followed by a decade as a fashion designer for major brands in NYC and Los Angeles. With creative influences hailing from mid-century modernism and minimalist art to modern sculpture and architecture, Fulton distills her eclectic tastes and passion for precious materials into pieces that honor a confident, subtle interpretation of style – approachable yet distinct, with elegance and form at the fore. A marriage of daring dichotomies—organic and sculptural, streamlined and textured, restrained and sexy, delicate and strong—each piece in the White Space collection carries its own unique, dynamic energy. Based in California, the collection is designed and made by hand in partnership with small workshops and individual artisans in downtown Los Angeles.
Gina Feldman Love – Auvere
“I first got into design when I was young – playing with dolls and wanting more and more outfits for them. With help from my mom, who was at one time a clothing designer and who is now a jewelry designer, I made patterns out of construction paper and used scrap cloth that she gave me to make different clothes for my dolls… While in college, I studied political science and history – yet, I spent an inordinate amount of time sketching dresses, jewelry, shoes and bags. In law school, I continued sketching unabated. By the time I realized that I should have done something else with myself, I was interviewing for jobs as a lawyer – well down the path of a legal career having incurred a lot of debt from law school. Finally, after several years of working as a real estate lawyer in Manhattan, I decided to take night and weekend classes at Parsons. I studied handbag design and branding. Those classes were the highlight and joy of my life at the time. They lead to my creating Peryton, a New York-based leather goods brand. And Peryton led to Auvere… We use high karat gold and traditional craftsmanship to make jewelry with a modern aesthetic. Architectural. Uncluttered. Fresh. Linear. Solid.