Nina Runsdorf

New Yorker Nina Runsdorf can be credited as a pioneer in the jewelry industry for her 'Flip' ring and use of huge gem slices to create unique statement pieces. A long time jewelry lover and designer, Runsdorf's eponymous collection is a red carpet favorite. Also, our favorite, because what's an Oscar night celebrity appearance without reaching the little people? We were delighted to visit her little 'slice' (get it?) of heaven in NYC's midtown and may or may not be straining at the leash for an invite back to play with jewels we don't deserve. Call us!

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What's your idea of ultimate luxury? 

I cherish understated luxury, integrity in quality, the way it makes you feel when you wear it, drive it and live it.

Let’s have dinner at your favorite neighborhood restaurant. Where do we go and what do we eat? 

 I’m a creature of habit; I love the pasta at Sant Ambroeus.

If you could buy any piece of contemporary jewelry from another jeweler, what would it be?

 Buccellati Cuff, the design and jeweling is unique and unsurpassed.

If you could orchestrate the perfect first date, what would it entail? 

 I’m happily taken. But the ideal first date should involve lots of conversation.

What’s the best movie you saw in the last six months?

 I haven’t been to the movies in ages.

What's your go–to cocktail? 

 Hendricks and tonic with a slice of cucumber

The gemstone you’re currently lusting after is . . .

 10 carat Light Grey Emerald Cut Diamond

What's your favorite holiday and why? 

 Thanksgiving, it’s all about family

What’s your favorite piece that you made in the last year and why?

 This past year my collection is about rare emeralds, I treasure a pair of 66.61 carats emerald bead and rose cut earrings with a matching emerald and rose cut pendant.

You have 30 minutes to work out – what do you do? 

 A power walk around the reservoir in Central Park.

What was the first piece of jewelry you bought for yourself? 

 A sterling silver vintage Hermes bracelet.

If you could have dinner with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

 An old family friend Richard Prince, we could reminisce about the past.

What's the most sentimental piece of jewelry you own and tell us the back story.

 My Flip Ring ™ it was the design that started my company 10 years ago.

Mountains, sea or city? Why? 

 Mountains, it encompasses activities I adore.

Top 5 bands in your playlist –

Adele

Alicia Keys

Eminem

Drake

Neil Young

You’re having guests for the weekend. What’s your signature dish that you cook? 

 I hire a chef.

Be honest – who’s your celebrity crush?!

 Paul Newman

If you could only carry one handbag for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

 Hermes Dove Grey Matt Croc Kelly

If you could sit front row at any fashion show, which would it be and why? 

Contemporary, The Row / Circa 1966 YSL

Tell us your beauty secrets (think: can’t-live-without makeup and skincare)

 Lanserhof Lans Spa 2x per year

What's your spirit animal? 

 Lion

If you could be anything other than a jewelry designer, what would it be? 

 A Fashion Designer

Nina's collection available online at Meridian Jewelers, as well at The Editorialist, Moda Operandi, and Neiman Marcus.

xxFFR

Wendy Yue

Hi Thursday! It's a really good day because we somehow got lucky enough to talk with the insanely creative and magical Hong Kong-based Wendy Yue. One look at Wendy's nature- and animal-inspired pieces and you'll see why her collection can barely be categorized as jewelry at all. To us, this is high art – captivating combinations of super saturated colored stones paired with whimsical motifs – that you really won't see anywhere else. We particularly love the Asian details sprinkled throughout, including gorgeous hues of carved jade and Chinese Zodiac imagery. (It's about to be the year of the Monkey. Wendy did not disappoint.) These one-of-a-kind creations are begging to be collected, and if only money grew on trees, we would have to build a separate vault just to house our collection of Yue. Girls can dream, right? Until then: window shop below to your heart's content! 

“I think that jewelry gives you ever-evolving memories, and the importance we place on a piece of gold is far more meaningful than any other clothing or accessory one owns.”

What's your idea of ultimate luxury? 

Listening to jazz music by the sea in the quiet parts of the Greek islands.
 

Let’s have dinner at your favorite neighborhood restaurant. Where do we go and what do we eat? 

Chinese-style seafood and dim sum by the Sai Kung pier. We pick freshly caught fish from old fishermen who are selling from their boats below the pier, then bring them to my favorite restaurant above to decide how to cook the meal with the chef. DIY style!
 
If you could buy any piece of contemporary jewelry from another jeweler, what would it be?

JAR –Butterfly Brooch (1994). There is so much to be learned from him! His rare and skilled technique and artistic approach to conceptualizing a presentation truly inspires and humbles me.

 
If you could orchestrate the perfect first date, what would it entail? 

Seafood dinner (with lots of clams and mussels), white wine, some Riesling with dessert, and a little bit of dancing. (At my age this is as exciting as it gets!)
 
What's your guilty pleasure?

Chocolate ice-cream.
 

What's your go–to cocktail? 

Gin & Tonic.

 
The gemstone you’re currently lusting after is . . .

Peacock Harlequin Black Opal – that fire brings up my temperature!

 
What's your favorite holiday and why? 

Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival— it symbolizes family unity. It is one of the most important traditions to gather at a round table with your family for dinner, eating mooncakes, playing with sky lanterns and releasing them up to the skies. The scene with hundreds of lighted lanterns floating in the air rising to the depths of the moon and clouds is truly the most beautiful scene one can ever imagine.

 
You have 30 minutes to work out – what do you do? 

I'd go running after my twins, so make it double the time - it will end up AT LEAST 60 minutes.
 

What’s your favorite piece that you made in the last year and why? 

My “Diamond Party” hand piece, I wanted to play with materials I was less known for, which are Diamonds and Rose Gold, and it worked out beautifully on this piece.

 
If you could have dinner with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Salvador Dali. His “Meditative Rose” was one of my sources of inspirations for my Rapacious Rose pieces. I would really love to know what goes on in his head…

 
What was the first piece of jewelry you bought for yourself? 

An antique 18K and glass perfume bottle found in a small shop in Paris decades ago...The owner of the shop told me a beautiful love story about a 19th Century Bourgeoisie that left this bottle behind, told generation after generation, but I will never know if it is true!
 

What's the most sentimental piece of jewelry you own and tell us the back story.

My wedding band. I think that at every stage the wedding band means a great many things to one person and both partners, and your feelings towards this band tells a lot about how you feel about the relationship. I think that jewelry gives you ever-evolving memories, and the importance we place on a piece of gold is far more meaningful than any other clothing or accessory one owns.
 

Mountains, sea or city? Why? 

The boundless sea lets my imaginations run wild.

 
Top 5 bands in your playlist - go! 

Dusty Springfield
Louis Armstrong
Nouvelle Vague
Charles Mingus
Nat King Cole

 
You’re having guests for the weekend. What’s your signature dish that you cook? 

Tuna and Salmon carpaccio with my secret yuzu vinegar sauce recipe. 

 
Be honest – who’s your celebrity crush?!

Cate Blanchett, so much elegance!
 

If you could sit front row at any fashion show, which would it be and why? 

I would certainly be too shy to sit front row at any show but I would say Sonia Rykiel because her latest season would look fabulous with my jewelry.

 
Tell us your beauty secrets.

Lipstick and eye cream! A pop of lipstick transforms any girl into a lady, and who needs a brow lift if you have a good eye cream.*wink*

 
What's your spirit animal? 

Monkey

 
If you could be anything other than a jewelry designer, what would it be? 

An interior designer, I love designing and renovating spaces, it gets very technical and I enjoy the process, just like creating my jewelry.

Lydia Courteille

When born and raised in Paris, one might become so accustomed to exquisite beauty surrounding them on a regular basis that they become numb to its magnificence. Or, perhaps the daily reminder may become channelled into one of the most creative and unique modern jewelry collections available today. Lydia Courteille chose the latter. Chock full of color, asymmetry, innovation, and incredible stones, Courteille concocts tangible pieces of her imagination in wearable works of art. Remarkably, upon their creation, they are also for sale. We don't know how she bears to part with a single one, but we are sure glad she does. Did we mention her new collection is called Rainbow Warrior Prophecy? And that we were her muses? (Ed Note: that is a blatant lie.) Lydia, we will trade you one Jon Hamm poster for a matching pair of Warrior Princess friendship necklaces. Call us.

“To take some time to travel and discover our planet.”

— Lydia Courteille on her ultimate luxury

What's your idea of ultimate luxury? 

To have no limit with money and also to take some time to travel and discover our planet.

Let’s have dinner at your favorite neighborhood restaurant. Where do we go and what do we eat? 

Hotel Costes and Pinxo. I love fish sole or simple piece of beef with mashed potatoes and olive oil.

If you could buy any piece of contemporary jewelry from another jeweler, what would it be? 

Alessio Boschi or Yeprem

What's your favorite Sunday afternoon activity? 

Museums and expos

What's your go–to cocktail? 

Margarita and caipirinha

The gemstone you’re currently lusting after is . . 

Big opals with a lot of sparkles and colors.

What's your favorite place to holiday and why? 

Tassili du Hoggar in Algeria, also Peru. Both have very mysterious archeological places.

What’s your favorite piece that you made in the last year and why? 

The Scarlet Empress Cuff.

[Ed note: The cuff with a double headed eagle holding the hammer and the sickle from Scarlet Empress collection: both parts are actually removable in case a woman does not feel comfortable with these whimsical details added by Lydia. The cuff is meant to be a humorous take on Imperial and Soviet past of Russian history that is a comment on a current state of affairs as well.

Lydia’s decision to make those parts removable turned out to be prophetic in a way: Ukraine just adopted a new controversial law that bans Soviet symbols, so in theory, if you think about it, this cuff could potentially land someone in jail there if it is worn in its complete version.]

You have 30 minutes to work out – what do you do? 

I have a coach to exercise twice a week but I don't exercise if I have only 30 minutes.

What was the first piece of jewelry you bought for yourself? 

A Belperron ring in agate and pearl 30 years ago. (Ed Note: Our first piece of jewelry was not Belperron...)

If you could have dinner with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why? 

Leïla Menchari and Karl Lagerfeld.

What's the most sentimental piece of jewelry you own and tell us the back story. 

A locket with natural 4 leaves of clovers, my mother found it in my garden years ago.

Mountains, sea or city? Why? 

Mountains: Alpes in Chamonix for the beauty. City: Paris, I was born here and it’s a museum under the open sky. The sea in Capri is so romantic.

Top 5 bands in your playlist - go!  

Supertramp, Pharrell Williams, Norah Jones, George Michael, Vangelis

You’re having guests for the weekend. What’s your signature dish that you cook? 

Chicken with Morels or Baeckeoffe.

Be honest – who’s your celebrity crush?! 

Jon Hamm in Mad Men

If you could sit front row at any fashion show, which would it be and why? 

Chanel – Karl Lagerfeld is my favorite and he is my customer.

Tell us your beauty secrets.

Massage at Martine de Richeville institute, fitness with my coach twice a week at CWHITE in Paris.

What's your spirit animal? 

Chimere

If you could be anything other than a jewelry designer, what would it be? 

Detective or archeologist.

See you next season in Paris, Lydia!

xx FFR