Designer Jennifer Koche of Storrow unveils a delicious platter of fruit charms, and Sorellina pays a gemmy tribute to Amalfi.
Delectable Jewels
Designer Jennifer Koche of Storrow has propelled us into summer with 14-karat gold fruity charms studded with gemstones. The delectable bejewelled fruits that form part of Storrow’s colourful platter are: a small bunch of grapes in amethysts and emeralds, cherry and strawberry in rhodochrosite, emeralds, orange in chrismatite and emeralds, lemon in yellow sapphires and emeralds.
“Coming up with the fruit charms is a more unexpected story since all Storrow charms have been quintessentially Victorian inspired up until this point,” says Jennifer. The fruit series started with the cherry charm. Storrow supporter and celebrity Blake Lively wore a dress for her birthday a few years ago. The designer sent Blake an Instagram message complimenting the “fun cherry pattern.” In turn, the celeb responded with a message stating the need for cherry jewellery for the 90s kids. And that’s when Jennifer came up with the idea and began making Storrow fruit charms. “It came out so well that I wanted to make it into a capsule series,” she adds.
Within the collection the cherry is the designer’s personal favourite. She loves to eat the real fruit. “I’m also big on grapes. The sweeter the fruit, the higher up on my list it is. Also figs. Can’t get enough.” That explains her love for fruits.
The fruits are made of hand-carved stones. “I work with a luxury manufacturer overseas that has some of the most remarkable artisans that do all the stone carving for the collection. They are extremely skilled, and I’m in awe of the detail. It’s evident not only with the fruit, but in other pieces within the collection such as the Reid and Katherine soldier charms,” explains Jennifer, who launched her brand at the end of 2019, although she had been designing for it since early 2017.
Jennifer elaborates on her fascination with rhodochrosite. It is a beautiful mix of pink, red and white with some brown-black inclusions at times, she observes. “The cleaner looking, or most richly hued, stones are chosen for the fruits, though I have opted for more streaks and inclusions for other charms like the Anna heart.”
The chrismatite was sourced and used primarily due to its bright orange colour. “It’s one large carving with an emerald leaf to match,” says the designer. Charms featuring bee, sparrow, military ribbon and emblem, crescent, figa hand, horse, cluster heart, star and soldier charms are part of Storrow’s core collection.
The Amalfi Diaries
Siblings and co-founders Kim and Nicole Carosella have great reasons to celebrate this week. Their Platinum pearl and diamond necklace for the COUTURE Platinum Spotlight Program won them the 1st prize – ‘Best in Platinum’ award. Sorellina designer, Nicole Carosella, thanked her team. “Nothing would be possible without my beautiful, fierce, brilliant sister Kim. You are a force, you are our captain, I love you so much.”
Their brand is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and the duo has brought out a new collection, Dieci crafted in 18-karat gold, to mark the milestone in their careers and Sorellina’s journey. “Even though it’s our 10-year collection, it somehow feels like we are only getting started,” says Nicole.
The designers always knew they wanted to do collection based on Italy, and the 10th anniversary proved to be the right moment. “We always had an idea of what it would be like, but it wasn’t until we saw this parcel of Sleeping Beauty turquoise in Tucson last year that it really took shape.” Among the sea of turquoise that the duo saw in Tucson, what set this specific parcel apart was the shade – it was almost green in comparison to the rest. “It reminded us of the water in the Amalfi coast and took us right back to all our summers in Italy.”
The Dieci collection draws from the memories of the Amalfi coast and imagery from their childhood. “Love, family, and all the things that are truly important to us in life,” adds Kim. About the times in Capri, they share some fun memories such as being on the boat, swimming in the Mediterranean and eating gelato, while wandering through the cobblestone streets.
Inlay huggies and hoops, statement danglers, rings and bangles informed by waves, lemon studs and mermaid inspired pendants are among the from Sorellina. Their elaborate offering includes several pieces set with carved hardstones and accented using diamonds. “Many of the stones in the Dieci series were hand-carved and specially cut for the design. Between the US, Brazil and Hong Kong, we have found the best stone cutters from all over the world to bring our vision to life,” add the sisters.
Nicole and Kim have used a lovely palette of coloured gems, stones – ceruleite, yellow opal, padparadscha, emeralds and sapphire. They sourced most of the gems for the Dieci collection in Tucson. “Every year, one of our favourite vendors has ceruleite, and every year we contemplate getting it.” They waited for the right time to add it into the mix, and felt this collection was the time. “The stone is native to South America, and the colour is truly so special and unique. We both love padparadscha and were also eager to use it. It’s the exact colour of the sunrise and sunset, so it was a perfect choice for the collection.”