SHELLS & STONES

Black may be back, but color will always be king in our eyes.

This vibrant shell-and-stone pairing of our longtime love (turquoise) paired with the often-overlooked orange spiny oyster is absolutely irresistible. And it’s not just our opinion, it’s actually science. Turquoise and orange are complementary colors, meaning they’re exact opposites on the color wheel, which makes them inherently aesthetically appealing when juxtaposed. Neat, huh?

A couple of our favorite jewelry artisans are masters of this color combination.

 The well-renowned Mezo American artisan – and one of our personal all-time favorites – Oscar Betz is known for his use of multiple colors and stones in a single piece; in fact, he’s widely credited for being the first to develop that style. Oscar hit the scene in the 1970s and skyrocketed to fame with his colorful creations and recognizable signature style of lightweight Southwestern chandelier earrings, which are still highly collected and coveted – another style he is credited with perfecting. After an extended hiatus, Oscar Betz is back on the scene and his work is more beautiful than ever, still exclusively using hand-cut stones in his pieces.

On the more contemporary side of the craft, a recent up-and-comer Federico Jimenez is creating some stunning pieces of his own, working with the color combinations of turquoise and oyster. He’s particularly popular for his colorful cuffs, in both statement size and stackables.