When Julia Hackman Chafé describes a piece of jewelry with words like offensive and ridiculous, it’s actually the highest form of praise and approval. Those were the kinds of adjectives she used throughout her coverage on Instagram and Tik Tok of the celebrity-studded six-day wedding extravaganza of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in Mumbai last summer. “[Sister of the groom] Isha Ambani and her mom, Nita, are my two favorite people, and all their jewelry is magnificent,” Chafé (rhymes with “café”) tells Instrospective.
Her Ambani-wedding commentary catapulted her to social-media stardom nearly overnight, doubling her already robust following to more than 1 million. Almost a year later, she continues to draw jewelry collectors — including quite a few celebrities — who can’t resist her rapid-fire anecdotes, analysis and visuals.
Chafé, who was profiled in the New York Times last fall, grew up in the jewelry industry — her family owns Intercolor USA, a prestigious New York City supplier of sapphires, emeralds and rubies to the trade. And her husband, Bruno — with whom she has a newborn (more on that ahead) — comes from a family of vintage jewelry dealers, a nice perk of their union.
But Chafé adored vintage fine jewelry long before she married into that world. “Vintage pieces really sing to my heart and have a beautiful, rich history to them,” she says. “That’s why I spend so much time on 1stDibs.”
When it comes to building her own jewelry collection, she likes to incorporate a lot of different brands and styles. “I just want it to tell an interesting story that’s different from a Cartier Love bracelet stack,” she says.
Read on for more of our conversation with Chafé.
What celebrities are really impressing you with their jewelry choices right now?
[Brazilian model, actress and producer] Bruna Marquezine was my favorite from the Oscars. Anything that Lorraine Schwartz does is usually my favorite. Bruna’s necklace was offensively large, with one 20-carat diamond after another. And the audacity to put those stones all in one necklace is insane. I always look forward to seeing what Priyanka Chopra wears. She understands the importance of having a dress with a bare neckline so that she can wear a necklace with it. I find it very annoying when celebrities cover their neck and can’t wear a necklace.
You have said that sapphires are your favorite gemstone. What’s your best insider tip for collectors who share your passion?
The lesson I was always taught is to never sacrifice quality. Color doesn’t really matter, because everyone has their own color preferences. But sapphires that are perfectly cut and that are eye clean are going to keep going up in value exponentially over time. Unheated sapphires will always be the most expensive, especially as time goes on, because [gem merchants] are not really cutting many unheated sapphires anymore. So those will always go up significantly in value.
As a new mom, what are your thoughts on push presents?
I still don’t know what I want for my push present! But I’ve been thinking about it for years. What I do know is that push presents are extremely important. The baby is your gift, yes, but the baby is also the husband’s gift. So the mother should get something a little bit extra. Also, I feel like your push present should be an investment that you can pass down to your kids and that will appreciate in value.
Can we assume you don’t want something dainty?
I always want a mega piece. I want something offensive, but I don’t think that I can get something offensive yet. One day. In my dreams. So, right now, where I’m leaning is earrings that I can wear out to dinner on a Saturday night.
We saw on your socials that your in-laws gave you an estate Bulgari bracelet when your son was born.
I was so nervous opening up the bag with the bracelet in it, because I knew that whatever the piece was, I was going to have to wear it for the rest of my life. But my mother-in-law has great taste and nailed it. I always look at people’s wrist stacks, and I’m extremely jealous. So, I want this bracelet to be the beginning of a wrist stack that will eventually be so heavy that I can’t lift my arm.
Speaking of Bulgari, that’s clearly a house you absolutely love. Tell us why.
No one does colored gems quite like Bulgari. I actually had the pleasure of meeting [Bulgari creative director] Lucia Silvestri at a trade show. She’s so precise, knows exactly what she wants, and she won’t settle for less than the top 0.1 percent quality. It just makes me happy to see brand names hit quality like that. And I like the story behind Bulgari. I like its motifs. I just like everything about it. And its vintage pieces are extra beautiful. Like this Serpenti bracelet, which would be my holy grail.
With Mother’s Day coming up next month, what advice would you give someone buying themselves a gift, or shopping for the mom in their life?
It depends on what’s in your jewelry closet and what your goals are. When I go to buy jewelry, I first look at what I have, and I look for what’s missing. And then, I go from there. So right now, I need colored-stone Saturday-night earrings, and I’m trying to build that offensive wrist stack. I do not need another necklace.
