CFDA Showcase

CFDA Showcase: Nicholas Varney

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We've had the pleasure of meeting Nicholas Varney exactly once and that was plenty. Obviously, we're kidding, but that's precisely the kind of humor that would make Nicholas laugh. So, if you're reading this (you'd better be reading this), that was for you, NV. Besides being a man of many jokes, he is among the most talented jewelry designers out there and renowned for his use of natural pearls, precious stones, and incredible color palettes. Gem heavy and impactful, this CFDA member's collection is full of pieces to entice any rabid jewelry collector (present company included.) Supposedly, we're also supposed to ask him for a weekend in the country to shoot guns and ride horses, so consider this our request. Perhaps with a fire opal as a parting gift? Read on friends, this is Nicholas Varney.

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What's your idea of ultimate luxury? 

Time and space.


The gemstone you’re currently lusting after is . . 

Natural pearls.


If you could have dinner with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why? 

Luciano Pavarotti. He was immensely gifted and I admire the love he had for horses and food.

 

Where is the last place that inspired your creativity? Give us some details! 

Cappadocia, Turkey. 
It has a beautiful sense of freedom that I have only encountered in few places in my life.


If you could buy any piece of contemporary jewelry from another CFDA member, what would it be? 

Anything from Simon Alcantara.


If you could sit front row at any fashion show, which would it be and why? 

Alexander McQueen show 10 years ago because he was an extraordinary iconoclast. 


If you could be anything other than a jewelry designer, what would it be? 

Professional surfer. 


Be honest: Who is your celebrity crush? 

Monica Bellucci


What’s your spirit animal? 

Crab


What does it mean for you to be a member of CFDA? 

Being a member of CFDA is important to me as it is an open dialogue between artists in the jewelry field.

CFDA Showcase: Sharon Khazzam

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Raise your hand if you've been to Mecca. No? Raise your hand if you've been to Sharon Khazzam's showroom. Same thing. The FIT and GIA grad, and former sole in-house designer for Asprey, granted us the pleasure of visiting the Manhasset, NY wonderland a few weeks prior to showing her collection in Paris last month. It was everything. EVERYTHING. We're talking museum cases filled with the most exquisite one-of-a-kind pieces we've ever feasted our beady little eyes upon. When asked whether she'd sell said pieces, the CFDA member quickly responded, 'Maybe.' Cut to handmade wooden tables and floors with Mexican fire opals and semi precious gems burnished into the old beams and a spiral stairway (to heaven) leading us to her drafting table of watercolors (she renders each piece...in paint..with a brush...yup), vision boards, and drawer upon drawer of loose stones. We admittedly buzzed through the rest of the day, a little high on Khazzam and pledging our allegiance to everything SK. 

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“The mosaics and inlaid floors, the music and the color, the people and their effervescent culture – it fed my soul.”
— Sharon

What's your idea of ultimate luxury? 

Ultimate luxury is being able to do what you enjoy, each and every minute. Ultimate luxury is knowing how to enjoy beauty, knowing how to appreciate it and also knowing how to share it. 

 

The gemstone you are currently lusting after is...

I lust, and have been guilty of this lusting for many years, after Paraiba Tourmaline. 

 

If you could have dinner with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why? 

I would love to have had dinner with Salvador Dali because, aside from his incredible talent, I am sure his whiskers could have told me many a tale! 

 

If you could buy any piece of contemporary jewelry from another CFDA member, what would it be? 

I cannot pick a favorite fellow CFDA member nor a piece of their jewelry, because each one has their own unique beauty and voice. Like food, or hats, one can have respect for more than one.

 

Where's the last place you visited that inspired your creativity? Give us some details! 

Greece was my last most inspiring place. The mosaics and inlaid floors, the music and the color, the people and their effervescent culture – it fed my soul.

 

If you could sit front row at any fashion show, what would it be and why? 

I suppose I would like to sit at the front row of a new talent, possibly even a student, whose ideas are unique and untainted by the laws of their land. 

 

If you could be anything other than a jewelry designer, what would it be? 

Should jewelry design not have knocked at my door, I would have liked to be a classical concert pianist. 

 

Be honest – who is your celebrity crush? 

Sting is my celebrity crush: smooth and elegant Sting, with his beautiful sound. 

 

What's your spirit animal and explain why.

I am driven by color, so I would say a peacock. This elegant creature can see more color than humans can. 

 

What does it mean to you to be a member of CFDA? 

Being a part of the CFDA is being immersed in a group that has passion. We all speak a common language and sing like tunes. 

CFDA Showcase: Coomi

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It's VERY hard not to be totally enamored with jeweler Coomi Bhasin. One look at her photo, below, and you'll start to get it: The wild, dark curly hair speckled with strands of grey; the affinity for draping herself in layers of large-scale adornments; the use of rich gold and eye-catching gemstones...she's truly her own muse (at least we think so!) and it's a beautiful thing to behold. (Plus, she throws a mean party and is not afraid to tear up the dance floor.) Born in India and settled in the US in 1977, Coomi tried her hand at various creative endeavors including landscape designer, textile artist and architect before settling upon jewelry in 2002. Although you can see various inspirations in her designs – religion, anthropology and Eastern culture among them – every piece embodies an almost innate heritage that speaks to our souls. (We are serious, no snark here.) If you like the mix of old and new as much as us, scroll down immediately to see some epic pieces from her Antiquity line that contain seriously ancient finds like key locks, bronze shields and Egyptian lotus beads  alongside 20k gold, diamonds and precious gems. Be prepared to want to start your own collection. 

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“I find cooking as creative as designing. ”

What's your idea of ultimate luxury? 

My idea of ultimate luxury is to be able to spend time with my near and dear ones. 


The gemstone you are currently lusting after is...

Fancy vivid orange diamond – because orange is my favorite color, as you can tell with my brand colors =)


If you could have dinner with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why? 

Leonard Da Vinci. Personally, I love his mind and the courage he had to do the things he did in those days. 


If you could buy any piece of contemporary jewelry from another CFDA member, what would it be? 

I would buy over-the-top-earrings. 


Where's the last place you visited that inspired your creativity? Give us some details! 

Bali, Indonesia: Because of its spiritualism and creativity.


If you could sit front row at any fashion show, what would it be and why? 

I would sit for a Chado Ralph Rucci show – He is the one designer whose clothes I would live in. The workmanship, the aesthetics, and exclusivity of those designs are the best that I have ever seen. 


If you could be anything other than a jewelry designer, what would it be? 

I would be a chef. I find cooking as creative as designing. 


Be honest – who is your celebrity crush? 

Richard Gere


What's your spirit animal and explain why. 

I don't have a spirit animal, every animal that lives and breathes is my spirit animal. 


What does it mean to you to be a member of CFDA? 

Being a member of the CFDA to me is a great honor. I feel that being recognized by the CFDA gives me a lot of confidence in my talent .