Iconic fashion designer Vera Wang, who's most well known for her exquisite bridal gowns, invited members of the press members to her apartment this week to debut her latest Jared Atelier X Vera Wang collection.
The collection—introduced at a private soirée at the designer’s recently renovated Park Avenue duplex—is the third go-round for Wang and Jared the Galleria of Jewelry's luxury fine jewelry division, Jared Atelier. Having worked with Wang on more mainstream jewelry and engagement styles, Jared gave Wang the green light to experiment with a more indulgent expression of diamonds.
“I want jewelry that [reflects] more of an attitude, that's freer and more inventive, expressing the fashion side of it, and less only about craft, construction, settings, and gemology,” Wang told Gem + Jewel.
Claudia Cividino, president of Jared the Galleria of Jewelry, and Vera Wang
The 14-piece collection of one-of-a-kind pieces made from diamonds, rubies, and 18k white gold is divided into three motifs: Diamond Strings, Ribbons, and Serpents, and reflects the designer’s personal tastes in fine jewelry, which she described as "eclectic."
She added, “I’m 75 and have curated a collection [of jewelry] over my lifetime. The way I wear it is the style and what I wanted to bring to this story. People could wear it free and easy like [late Tiffany & Co. designer] Elsa Peretti, who did diamonds by the yard,” Wang said, scooping up some of her pin-straight, long hair to show us the ultra-long length of diamonds tied around her neck like a skinny, sparkling ribbon (part of the Diamond Strings series, it can be configured in several different ways). She also wore the collection's even-more-casual-feeling Tier Diamond Strand upper arm cuff—an exciting and unexpected-feeling style.
With the jewelry displayed in vitrines in Wang’s apartment looking right at home with the decor, Wang noted, “I live the way I look and look the way I live." Wang, who wore a beautiful cream-colored silk tank dress with a sheer panel near the bottom, certainly fit into her opulent surroundings.
Necklaces from the new Vera Wang X Jared Atelier collection
Her new series with Jared ranges in price from $12,500 to $125,000, which puts it on the highest end of the company's offerings. The brand hopes its opulence will lure valued clients and celebrities and stylists alike.
Claudia Cividino, president of Jared the Galleria of Jewelry, told us, “With our Atelier collection last year...Ali Wong wore an emerald and diamond necklace and ring designed by Shy Dayan to the Critics’ Choice Awards. With this collection, we hope to dress celebrities who wear Vera Wang in the jewelry.”
Tapping Wang—who has dressed celebrities from Zendaya, Arianna Grande, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Kim Kardashian, to name a few notables—for an ultra-luxe Jared Atelier collaboration seems like a foolproof plan to see the brand shining on red carpets this upcoming awards season.
All photos courtesy of Signet Jewelers/Jared the Galleria of Jewelry
