David Jerome Platinum

The David Jerome Jewelry Collection refers to a collection of jewelry, diamonds and other gemstones amassed by world-renowned jeweler and gemologist David Jerome. Jerome has traveled to the most remote parts of the world for more than 45 years to amass his extraordinary private collection. 

The British-born Jerome was raised in London and was initially a hair stylist, a trade that his father suggested he pursue. He worked at a salon on Oxford Street in London and worked extensively with coloring products for hair. Jerome later established an American cosmetics and hair care products manufacturing company called Jerome Russell with his brother, which saw him working more deeply with color, creating spray-on hair color thickeners for the consumer market as well as other products. The company was sold to American International Industries. Since then, he has embraced his lifelong love of gemology and jewelry design. 

Jerome has traveled all over the world in search of gems — to Africa, China, Thailand, Sri Lanka and more — but cites Tanzania as having been the first place he felt compelled to go owing to his hobby. His father worked in a range of London-based markets when he was a child and would frequently buy pieces of gold as well as loose stones from customers. When Jerome encountered tanzanite, he insisted that he had to journey to Tanzania, to its ethically operated mines. The collector continues to go straight to the source rather than to wholesalers for his supply. 

Tanzanite — which, as its name implies, is found only in Tanzania — is beloved for its rich hue, ranging from blue to violet. Unheated examples of this stone have found a place in Jerome’s exquisite cocktail rings and necklaces more than 90 percent of his stones are untreated or unheated. The jeweler has created thousands of designs over the years and has also cited his admiration for aquamarine, which is perhaps the gemstone that best embodies the glimmering blue of the ocean. Presumably, Jerome has been to the mines of Zambia, Nigeria, Mozambique and elsewhere that house rich deposits of this stone, which appears frequently in his cluster rings. (His stones are typically set in platinum or 18K gold.)

In 2015, Jerome worked with John Pye Luxury Assets to bring a collection of nearly 700 precious colored natural gemstones to auction that was valued at nearly 10 million dollars.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of David Jerome jewelry.

Contemporary jewelry is inextricably linked with the moment in which it is created, frequently reflecting current social, cultural and political issues such as environmental consciousness, identity and sustainability. It’s informed by fashion trends, from the chokers of the 1990s to the large chain necklaces of the early 2000s.

Jewelry is one of the oldest forms of adornment. Lockets made of silver or gold have been treasured gifts for hundreds of years, for example, and charm bracelets, which have existed since prehistoric times, didn’t become especially popular until the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria. For many centuries, fine jewelry was used primarily to express wealth or status through lavish materials. Then, in the 1960s, a concept known as the “critique of preciousness” emerged, with jewelers creating pieces that did not get their value from gemstones or precious metals. Instead, it was the jeweler’s artistic vision that was prized and elevated.

This shift still informs Contemporary jewelry being made by artists today. Whether they are using cheap, found materials and working with provocative geometric shapes or seeking out the rarest stones, they are imbuing their work with meaning through their skills, techniques and ideas. Innovative designers such as Elsa Peretti, who popularized sculptural sterling-silver jewelry for Tiffany & Co., and David Yurman, who twisted metal into the simple yet striking Cable bracelet, have also influenced the direction of Contemporary jewelry’s forms and aesthetics.

Meanwhile, technological advancements like metal alloys and laser engraving have led to new possibilities in jewelry design. Now, edgy makers and brands as well as minimalist designers are pushing Contemporary jewelry forward into the 21st century.

Find a collection of Contemporary rings, earrings, necklaces and other jewelry on 1stDibs.

Antique and vintage cluster rings are timeless accessories. While they might have been considered more popular in certain eras than in others, they’re versatile and belong in any jewelry box.

Featuring a diamond or other central gemstone surrounded by smaller stones, the cluster rings’ distinguished look makes them a popular choice for engagement rings or, for a fancy night out, an accent piece for jewelry lovers everywhere.

The style of cluster rings has changed over time even if the defining attributes have remained intact.

Georgian-era jewelry — named for the monarchies of the four King Georges — features cluster rings that are often characterized by a grouping of central stones into rose-like shapes. (The stones are set off by the setting’s blackened metal.) Diamonds came into fashion during the late Victorian period, and late Victorian cluster rings were most often set in yellow gold. Jewelers of the Art Deco period embraced geometric shapes, and Art Deco cluster rings feature emeralds, sapphires and other colorful stones.

Cluster rings for future brides have been in and out of the spotlight, but cluster-style engagement rings have been experiencing a consistent revival of sorts since at least 2011, when Kate Middleton began wearing Princess Diana’s sapphire and diamond ring, which was made by Garrard in the 1980s. For your special day, whether you prefer vintage engagement rings or contemporary pieces, a cluster ring can deliver some sparkle if a diamond solitaire is out of your budget. (See our engagement ring buying guide for insight and expert tips to help you find the perfect ring.)

On 1stDibs, find many ruby cluster rings, gold cluster rings and an extraordinary range of other antique and vintage rings today.