{"id":38470,"date":"2026-10-14T09:47:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T04:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/?p=38470"},"modified":"2026-10-14T09:47:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T04:17:38","slug":"inside-mined-founds-whimsical-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/inside-mined-founds-whimsical-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Mined + Found\u2019s Whimsical World"},"content":{"rendered":"

From her grandfather\u2019s watchmaking bench to a working Rubik\u2019s Cube in solid silver, Jenn Rachinsky Breznen <\/strong>has built Mined + Found around a simple idea \u2014 joy, like jewellery, is often hidden in the smallest, most unexpected details.<\/p>\n

Jenn Rachinsky Breznen grew up in Fairfield County, Connecticut, spending much of her childhood at her grandparents\u2019 house nearby, a place she describes less as a home than an archive. \u201cMy grandfather was a collector of everything, and going to their house was like being inside an I Spy book,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was almost like a museum. He had all these interesting antique objects and his watchmaking bench, and being able to play and tinker and see all of these little mechanisms was fascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jenn Rachinsky Breznen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At E.W. Martin Watchmaker, young Jenn would build tiny characters out of loose watch gears and clock hands. \u201cI think I can attribute my appreciation for mechanics to that,\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n

Her grandfather, Edward Martin, was an independent, self-taught watchmaker who serviced the surrounding community, a detail Jenn and her husband later confirmed by chance. \u201cWe actually found one of his old logbooks,\u201d she recalls. \u201cHe would log who the customer was, where they lived, their telephone number, what he was taking.\u201d Thumbing through it, they even recognised the name of a friend\u2019s grandfather.<\/p>\n

Jenn\u2019s mother, Laura Martin, supplied the other half of the brand\u2019s DNA: a lifelong passion for minerals and gemstones. \u201cIt was initially more of the metaphysical side of things, but it became a larger, more geological interest,\u201d the designer says. \u00a0Growing up, crystals and specimens covered the mantle and windowsills and her mother would bring her along to gem shows across upstate Connecticut, and New York and the surrounding areas, \u201cbut never to Tucson. I promised her I could return the favour and bring her there. I\u2019m hoping for 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A surreal representation of utilitarian objects, defined in robust, solid gold forms studded with diamonds and gemstones. By Mined + Found<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jenn studied studio art at Norwalk Community College in Connecticut, and worked at David Harvey Jewelers, a local jewellery and watchmaking store that her mother encouraged her to apply to. She started sweeping counters and indexing inventory; thirteen years later, she was the store\u2019s lead buyer, attending Couture, Centurion, Las Vegas, and Baselworld, and working directly with Rolex. \u201cI do attribute a lot of my knowledge and understanding of the finer workings of the industry, and what it means to be a retailer, to that experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mined + Found began in 2019, with Jenn resetting and rehoming antique jewellery for private clients, before the pandemic reshaped it entirely. \u201cIt really was a wake-up call, that my passion is in a more artistic, creative side of a career,\u201d she says. Profits from each reset funded the next idea. \u201cAny time I made a little bit of money, I just reinvested it right back into the next thing, and fortunately it worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n

The brand\u2019s origin story, and its name, trace to a rainbow silk piece she developed with a friend during lockdown. \u201cIt\u2019s such a simple concept, to have a continuous rainbow on fine jewellery silk, but it had not been done or brought to market yet.\u201d She\u2019d deliver finished strands to family, \u201cring the doorbell and run back to the car,\u201d leaving a note: \u201cthere\u2019s always a rainbow to be found.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

Mined + Found is a play on words, antique generation and gemstones, but it also has a deeper meaning, she explains. \u201cThe brand is very joyful and has a lot of these hidden details, and that\u2019s just like life. Some days joy is easily found. Other days you have to dig a little deeper.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The heart-shaped pendant’s lid, featuring a sunburst-etched texture and a single band of sparkling pav\u00e9 diamond, swivels open to reveal a hidden compartment concealing a sweet surprise: five “chocolates,” each hand-enamelled with a unique, frosted design. By Mined + Found<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The brand\u2019s first 14-karat gold collection, Useful Objects, reimagined Victorian chatelaines, the utility belts women once clipped to their skirts, stripped of literal function and reloaded with symbolism: a matchbox holding one match as an emblem of hope, a pocketknife as \u201can ode to letting go.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Play collection followed, built around spinning tops, whistles, and gachapon lockets. \u201cEvery day is, in my opinion, the most unappreciated and undervalued special occasion. Objects carry memory.\u201d Pieces are made in 18-karat gold on request, shares the designer, who only uses natural diamonds and natural gems to embellish her creations. For colour, she leans into a bit of ombr\u00e9 and multicolour sapphires, as well as tsavorite garnets and amethysts for more vibrant shades of green and purple.<\/p>\n

Production splits roughly evenly between the United States and a Responsible Jewelry Council\u2013certified atelier in Thailand, chosen through a consultant.<\/p>\n

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14-karat gold Odyssey Puzzle Cube pendant studded with diamonds, sapphires, tsavorite garnet, and amethyst. The pendant\u2019s vibrant surfaces evolve with every turn. By Mined + Found<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mechanism-heavy pieces are prototyped first in resin or sterling silver, \u201cto make sure the mechanisms are the appropriate scale, and the piece itself is proportionally correct.\u201d None tested that process more than the Odyssey Cube, the brand\u2019s working Rubik\u2019s Cube in miniature. \u201cIt was a solid, massive block of silver, completely unwieldy and heavy, but we had to, because it\u2019s such a complex mechanism inside.\u201d There\u2019s over 50 parts, each has to work in unison in order for the cube to move, she informs.<\/p>\n

Anticipating client repairs, she and her husband, John, raced to learn to solve it themselves. \u201cI\u2019m proud to say I learned first,\u201d she adds. Their partnership runs through Mined + Found. The duo met at Jenn\u2019s old retail job, where John Breznen managed operations. \u201cHe\u2019s truly my business partner, not just the spouse that gets roped in to work for free for the week. He knows more than I do about this industry,\u201d shares Jenn.<\/p>\n

The brand\u2019s Star Stuff collection returns with 22 new pieces this season, alongside fresh additions to Play and a new engraved finish, proof that for Mined + Found, there\u2019s always another rainbow to find.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From her grandfather\u2019s watchmaking bench to a working Rubik\u2019s Cube in solid silver, Jenn Rachinsky Breznen has built Mined + Found around a simple idea \u2014 joy, like jewellery, is often hidden in the smallest, most unexpected details. Jenn Rachinsky Breznen grew up in Fairfield County, Connecticut, spending much of her childhood at her grandparents\u2019…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":38471,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,104],"tags":[],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-38470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-design","category-features"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nInside Mined + Found\u2019s Whimsical World - Solitaire magazine is a International jewellery magazine - India\u2019s leading B2B gem and jewellery magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"bingbot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gjepc.org\/solitaire\/inside-mined-founds-whimsical-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inside Mined + Found\u2019s Whimsical World - Solitaire magazine is a International jewellery magazine - India\u2019s leading B2B gem and jewellery magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From her grandfather\u2019s watchmaking bench to a working Rubik\u2019s Cube in solid silver, Jenn Rachinsky Breznen has built Mined + Found around a simple idea \u2014 joy, like jewellery, is often hidden in the smallest, most unexpected details. 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