Faye Kim Designs Baroque Pearl Earrings

Since Faye Kim first took up her goldsmith tools, she’s amassed a shelf full of awards, established a reputation for producing highly wearable, heirloom-quality jewels and acquired a devoted following of collectors, many of whom have purchased her work from the beginning. 

As an undergrad, Kim dutifully pursued an economics degree to meet the expectations of her immigrant parents, and she worked for her father’s accounting office for a time. But she quickly found herself “restless,” she says, yearning to do something more creative.

Kim’s mother, having always supported her daughter’s creativity, encouraged her to attend the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in New York as a way to address her impulse for change. 

As a newly minted graduate, Kim hopscotched from a job at a jewelry wholesaler to become a pearl buyer for Tiffany & Co. She eventually became a jewelry buyer at the luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman, where she was exposed to the work of modern masters like Angela Cummings and Barry Kielselstein-Cord and to antique treasures from Kentshire. 

Kim enrolled in classes as a hobby. The process enthralled her. “I loved being at the bench. I could sit there for hours on end,” she says. “I fell in love with the granulation process and making everything by hand.” 

Kim immediately gravitated to working with 18-karat gold, especially in an alloy with a subtle green cast. When she decided to return to work, in 2003, she opened an eponymous boutique in downtown Westport, Connecticut, a bedroom community outside New York City, and it became her livelihood. 

Kim established her stylistic signatures early on. Single pieces are weighty enough to hold their own but not too big to stack with others for a more imposing look, modern silhouettes are combined with old-world techniques like granulation and bezel setting, and virtually everything bearing her name is made entirely by artisans in her studio. 

Sizable dome rings are much loved. And a stack composed of a gemstone ring flanked by gold bands is another mainstay for Kim’s true believers. Earrings dangling perfectly proportioned baroque-pearl or diamond drops that softly sway from hinged mountings are bestsellers.

Today, Kim is setting the groundwork for focusing on designs that challenge and excite her.

Find Faye Kim jewelry on 1stDibs.

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.

Earrings are a timeless accessory. Women have been wearing studs and hoops in civilizations as far back as Ancient Egypt. Diamond drop earrings, pearl versions and other antique drop earrings have a long history as well.

While hoops will always be beautiful, drop earrings hold their own as dazzling accessories, and jewelry designers have explored different variations on this style of earring over time.

Although the term is often misapplied, true drop earrings are characterized by a long lean line ending in a pear-shaped stone that drops just below the earlobe. These accessories were popular in the Art Deco era, which encompassed the 1920s and ’30s and ushered in a very distinct look in jewelry design.

There were many influences on Art Deco jewelry; among them, the excavation of the tomb of King Tut in 1922. “Egyptomania” left an indelible mark on all of the major jewelry houses, from Cartier to Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron and Georges Fouquet. Today, the popularity of long Art Deco drop earrings can be attributed to the influence of Coco Chanel. These earrings are frequently characterized by simple shapes, clean lines and an integration of colorful stones such as blue sapphires, emeralds and rubies to accent the pieces’ diamonds. Indeed, during the 20th century, as technology for diamond cutting improved, diamond drop earrings and other diamond jewelry came into wide popularity. Formal examples of diamond drop earrings pair perfectly with a cocktail dress or fancy pantsuit, while gem-set and gold drop earrings make great daytime accessories.

While there are at least several types of earrings you could be wearing right now, drop earrings work well for anyone who favors a minimalist look. Whatever the occasion, find a wide range of antique, diamond and pearl drop earrings on 1stDibs.