Savannah Friedkin Aims to Bring Transparency to the Fine Jewelry Industry
Savannah Friedkin aims to be the change she wants to see in the jewelry industry.
The jewelry designer is launching her namesake label on Monday with sustainability, transparency and traceability at the core of the brand’s ethos. Friedkin, who is a third generation conservationist, is launching the fine jewelry label with two collections titled “Broken” and “Emergence.”
More from WWD
Sephora Unveils Two Global Sustainability Seals for Products
Dr. Martens Launches Reclaimed Leather Collection as Part of Sustainability Initiative
“I wanted to offer a new way of thinking about production, design and collections,” she said. “[The brand is] really entrenched in mindfulness and awareness about the world around us. This is really only possible right now because the jewelry industry is on the brink of significant, exciting and — honestly — very necessary change. I want to just contribute to that conversation. I want to be a part of that and that really extends from my designs to materiality to selling the product.”
Friedkin’s mission for the fine jewelry brand is to offer more conversations and transparency around the materials used, something she feels is lacking in the jewelry industry. She explained her ultimate goal for the brand is to set a standard for transparency that can be modeled by others.
The brand’s two launch collections are made using environmentally friendly materials such as climate-neutral, lab-grown diamonds and post-consumer 14-karat recycled gold. The pieces range in price from $150 to $7,000.
For the Broken collection, which offers 19 styles across bracelets, earrings, rings and necklaces, Friedkin took inspiration from the gaps she was seeing in the jewelry industry.
“I began designing these collections visually acknowledging the brokenness of the history of the industry by creating something beautiful and using innovative climate-friendly materials,” she said. “That represents a distinct choice to not allow that broken history to continue into the industry’s present.”
She explained the Broken collection was also inspired by the women in her life, stating she wanted to acknowledge the challenges and struggles women go through and how they’re able to achieve growth and success despite these barriers.
Friedkin said the Emergence collection complements the Broken line by signifying “how people change, how they overcome adversity and how they become more interesting and elegant from it,” she said. The collection offers five pieces, including a cigar band ring, pendants and earrings.
The brand is starting out direct-to-consumer, and has plans to host trunk shows and pop-ups at select Auberge Resorts Collections properties and specialty retailers across the U.S.
“I want to create collections that continue to celebrate women and their unique journeys, highlighting the aspects of our lives — the highs and the lows — that make us distinct individuals,” she said about the future of her brand. “I also want to contribute to the jewelry industry, I want to be part of it. I think that the jewelry industry along with other industries has elements that are broken, and consumers like myself want more information or transparency.”
Best of WWD
