Coomi Peridot Necklace

To Coomi founder Coomi Bhasin, jewelry is a part of you. It’s not something you simply put on to complement an evening dress or casual day wear — jewelry is an integral part of who you are, omnipresent and completely essential. Bhasin’s designs represent a marriage of her rich cultural heritage and a fascination with archaeology and spirituality.

Bhasin’s history with jewelry goes back to her youth, during which she created her own designs as a hobby (she would eventually go on to study art history and textile design). After immigrating from India to the U.S. in 1977, she worked with her husband Hari to establish a successful construction company with the intent of passing it down to her son, Sahil. In 2002, however, members from the New York nonprofit Asia Society saw some of the accessories she made in her leisure time and commissioned her to create a collection that could be sold as part of a fundraiser. After her success with Asia Society, Sahil pushed her to pursue jewelry-making full-time, and together they have never looked back. Neiman Marcus became the company's first retailer.

“I do the fun part — design and production and travel. Sahil does everything else,” jokes Coomi Bhasin. 

Always endeavoring to push the envelope when it comes to creating contemporary jewelry designs, the family-owned Coomi combines the new with the old. In her Antiquity collection, Bhasin uses authentic artifacts such as arrowheads, ancient Roman coins and carved labradorite to create pendants, cocktail rings and other pieces. Elsewhere, as often as she is working with rose-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds in the creation of Coomi’s alluring luxury ornaments, Bhasin remains deeply connected to nature and the world around her and features the Tagua nut as an ethical substitution for ivory in the brand's offerings.

In 2004, just two years after operating Coomi on a full-time basis, Bhasin won the Diamond Promotion Service’s collaborative award with JCK magazine. Two years later she was named a rising star in fine jewelry by the Fashion Group International organization and was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2012. 

On 1stDibs, find a collection of Coomi earrings, necklaces and rings.

We are fortunate to know much of the world’s long and dazzling history of necklaces, as this type of jewelry was so treasured that it was frequently buried with its owners.

Lapis lazuli beads adorned necklaces unearthed from the royal graves at the ancient Iraqi civilization of Sumer, while the excavation of King Tut’s burial chamber revealed a sense of style that led to a frenzy of Art Deco designs, with artisans of the 1920s seeking to emulate the elegant work crafted by Ancient Egypt’s goldsmiths and jewelry makers. 

In ancient times, pendant necklaces worn by royalty and nobles conferred wealth and prestige. Today, wearing jewelry is about personal expression: Luxury diamond necklaces exude confidence and can symbolize the celebratory nature of a deep romantic relationship, while paper-clip chain-link necklaces designed by the likes of goldsmith Faye Kim are firmly planted in the past as well as the present. Kim works exclusively with eco-friendly gold, and these fashionable, fun accessories owe to the design of 19th-century watch fobs. 

For some, necklaces are thought of as being a solely feminine piece, but this widely loved accessory has been gender-neutral for eons. In fact, just as women rarely took to wearing a single necklace during the Renaissance, men of the era layered chains and valuable pendants atop their bejeweled clothing. In modern times, the free-spirited hippie and counterculture movements of the 1960s saw costume-jewelry designers celebrating self-expression through colorful multistrand necklaces and no shortage of beads, which were worn by anyone and everyone. 

Even after all of these years, the necklace remains an irrefutable staple of any complete outfit. Although new trends in jewelry are constantly emerging, the glamour and beauty of the past continue to inform modern styles and designs. In a way, the cyclical history of the necklace differs little from its familiar looped form: The celebrated French jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels found much inspiration in King Tut, and, now, their Alhambra collection is a go-to for modern royals. Vintage necklaces designed by David Webb — whose work landed him on the cover of Vogue in 1950, two years after opening his Manhattan shop — were likely inspired by the ornamental styles of ancient Greece, Mesopotamia and Egypt. 

On 1stDibs, browse top designers like Cartier, Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari, or shop by your favorite style, from eye-catching choker necklaces to understated links to pearl necklaces and more.