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When I was at the JA show several months ago, one of my first stops was the new designers pavilion. There I had the pleasure of meeting Jocelyn, designer of Unhada Jewels. Jocelyn loves rare and unique gemstones and makes them a feature of her designs.
Jewelry was one of those things that she fell into. Growing up with an antiquarian for a mother, gave her a first hand view into rare and beautiful jewels. It was the history and provenance that fascinated her, but most dealers had little to no information on such details.
So she ended up in Bangkok, studying gemology at GIA. Jocelyn also began frequenting gem shows of which there was no shortage in Bangkok and becoming fascinated by the rare and unique gems she would encounter. She would pepper rare gem dealer friends with questions on a quest to learn more.
Actinolite in quartz with color change garnet and sapphire By Unhada Jewels
It wasn’t just the gems that attracted her but the designs as well. She would find herself gravitating to the renderings displayed by the design students. It was then that the idea to mix design with rare gemstones as a platform to tell their unique stories was born.
Unhada, her company, draws inspiration from Asian influence, antique jewelry and explores themes commonly found in fairy tales. Jocelyn says that she loves the way most gemstones have a unique look. In her words; “Sometimes I feel like an explorer on an never-ending hunt for unique and beautiful gemstones.”
With iolite, lapis, purple sapphires and diamonds.
by Unhada Jewels
I chose to include Unhada because the brand really focuses on beautiful unique, gemstones which is what “rock my world” is all about, but also because the same reasons that brought Jocelyn into this world are the same ones that brought me into it. The fascination with a piece’s history, knowing its backstory, who it belonged it, is always what fascinated me. It is why I wanted to be an appraiser and was the impetus behind this blog.
With Rutilated quartz, lapis, akoya pearls, faceted moonstones and crystal opal. By Unhada
Thank you Jocelyn for taking the time to speak with me. You can buy Unhada exclusively at Blue Tree in NYC, Layla in Brooklyn, and Ikram in Chicago. You can also follow Unhada On Instagram. I love hearing from you.
Tag me on Instagram in your gem photos @thegemtherapist and hashtag it #gemtherapy.