Having once specialized in knitwear, this New York designer is now lauded for her highly wearable jewelry.
When one-time knitwear maker Fern Freeman applied her fashion sensibility to fine jewelry, the result was a yellow gold collection sizable enough for the cast of Dynasty to wear yet refined and modern enough to look on trend today. “I make statement pieces of jewelry with movement,” she explains.
Her aesthetic was born from classes taken with a friend at the Jewelry Arts Institute in New York City. Once people started buying pieces that she made and wore, she shifted gears full time to jewelry, abandoning her sweater business.
In 2006, her collection debuted in 22-karat gold and rhodium silver with white or champagne diamonds. The silhouettes were large and geometric with fringe effects — a style that earned her a spot as a Rising Star at the JCK Las Vegas Show that year. Since then her designs have evolved and grown. Today her work features 18-karat yellow gold, fine quality diamonds, colored gemstones and South Sea pearls, all still set in oversize forms and dripping in chains.
Bold looks
While themed jewels don’t have a home in Freeman’s body of work, she currently finds herself moving in a monochromatic direction with enamel and ceramic accents. “Don’t expect neon from me,” she says. “My new colors for the JCK Show will be black and white.”
Her most iconic look? Big earrings, which she says are bought by self-purchasing females. “Fashion-forward women come to me,” she explains. “My jewelry is not typically a gift — husbands don’t get it.”
All-diamond pieces are also rare in Freeman’s collections. But there are splashes of color in the line, from pink sapphires and emeralds to turquoise and malachite. Her biggest challenges at the moment revolve around manufacturing and mirror those of peers — finding skilled bench help.
“There is so much creativity in the market, but there are fewer skilled bench workers to do the work,” she says. “I’m a bench jeweler, but I can’t do everything. A lot of my work needs to be handmade.”
Made in the USA
So, when it comes time to manufacture, she makes what she can herself and then sits down with other skilled artists to turn out the rest. This means she relies on Computer-aided design (CAD) and Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) designers and computer modelers, enamel artists and stone setters to help bring her designs to life. Pieces are both cast and fabricated, and 95% is made stateside, including some components made overseas and finished in the US. Retail prices start at $1,500.
Clients include Neiman Marcus, Lissa Inc and Cotton Club, a clothing boutique in Houston whose owners are longtime fans. “People come to us for fashion, so we love Fern’s jewelry,” explains Jennifer Cunningham, co-owner of the Cotton Club. “She incorporates a lot of fashion influences in her pieces, which makes the line exciting.”
From pavé bar-style necklaces to diamond and emerald two-finger rings, Freeman’s work typically sells the second the client puts a piece on. “Her pieces are fun, comfortable and different from anything else in the store,” says Cunningham. “When you are selling jewelry, you are selling art but paying for craftsmanship and artistry. Fern’s line is a fun one for us to buy and sell.”
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