Kim Faye Turquoise Necklaces

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.

Whether they’re chunky, statement-making accessories or a single strand of the understated sort, antique and vintage beaded necklaces are versatile pieces of jewelry. Indeed, the unique beaded necklaces in your jewelry box likely go with everything, from casual summer tops and shorts to dazzling evening gowns.

From the fish-bone and seashell jewelry of the prehistoric era to the breathtaking amulets and pendants of ancient Egypt to modern sapphire beads, people have been accessorizing with beaded necklaces for eternity.

Beaded necklaces — as well as other kinds of necklaces — were common in prehistoric times. Personal adornment was important, and jewelry was made for every part of the body. Beadwork is among the best known art forms attributed to Native Americans, and just as they had for saddlery and clothing, early populations would fashion beads for necklaces with stone tools or instruments made of wood. The making of colorful glass beads for beaded necklaces likely originated in Venice, Italy, during the 14th century, particularly given the growth of the decorative glass industry on the series of Venetian islands called Murano. During the Neolithic period, humans were buried with coral beaded necklaces from the Mediterranean, even as far north as the Alps.

Whether you’re seeking the pop of color you’ll get in a double-row jade beaded necklace from the Art Deco era — which encompasses the 1920s and ’30s and ushered in a very distinct look in jewelry design — or perhaps a simple strand of pearls for a blouse that leaves your neck bare, remember that different necklines call for different pieces of jewelry.

When accessorizing with a beaded necklace, a long piece with a pendant will likely pair best with your favorite vintage V-neck dress or V-neck tee, while beaded chokers and collar necklaces are a stylish fit for strapless tops. Bigger beads will hit your neckline in a different way than a more minimalist necklace might, so you’ll want to keep that in mind. Choose colors you like and pick items that will go with what is in your closet. When the occasion calls for it, don’t be afraid to stack. “More is more” for some, so pairing a delicate strand with a bolder piece might be the move for you.

On 1stDibs, find a collection of pearl beaded necklaces, antique emerald beaded necklaces, diamond beaded necklaces and more.