Separating the wheat from the chaff...

Vibe Harsløf earrings for Wackerhaus

Last week, when Christina and I were running errands in the district, we noticed the preponderance of amateur jewelry designers picking out wares at one of our go-to spots. We always joke that sending would-be designers to this place is like leading them up the wrong path, even though we love it. If you're a professional jewelry designer you almost exclusively go there to buy equipment, tools, and, if you must, findings. If you are an amateur, you are likely to get sucked into the dross of antique brass odd-lot bits and charms that every trinket-maker in New York is currently hawking off doorsteps in Soho.

That's why I always appreciate jewelry designers who make work that's not only completely different from my own, but unlike any other designer currently on the market. While dozens of contemporary jewelers are experimenting with plastics and acrylics, it's rare to see those materials rendered in exuberantly three-dimensional forms, like the oversize starburst earrings that Danish designer Vibe Harsløf created for Wackerhaus. Vibe's designs, which are influenced by graffiti art and graphic design, as well as classic Scandinavian formalism, are at once completely of the moment, while resisting being trendy. Now that's something more young designers should aim for.

-Tiffany