Crosshatch Key Sterling Silver by Gabriela de la Vega, $150
Educated in History and Political Science at Boston University, Gabriela de la Vega appeared more poised for affairs of state than matters of the art. But with a father who is a clothing designer, a mother who is an actress turned photographer, a sister who is a singer, and other sisters who are circus performers, creativity could not help but flow through to her.
A self-taught designer, her intuitive sense of design emerged from her early interest in vintage textiles and clothing, from Victorian to the 1940’s. Her first stab at jewelry design involved restringing antique crystal beads into a necklace on metallic thread. This lead to a series of designs using recycled old beads, embroidery, and lace.
Her big break came in 1999 when her first pieces using 18k gold, precious, and semi-precious stones were featured in InStyle magazine. In 2000, her collection was carried by Barney’s and continues to be to this day. Her work is retailed in upscale stores including Kirna Zabete in New York, Fetneh Blake in Laguna Beach, and in many other fine locations across the U.S. such as Beverly Hills and Palm Beach. Her designs are also available in other parts of the world including Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Moscow.
Gabriela’s interest is more on style than in fashion and believes that beautiful things never go out of style. She creates jewelry that is beautiful, feminine, and powerful, jewelry that is so much more than an accessory, jewelry that is an art form, jewelry that is a bold expression of individual style.
Her inspirations come from deeply colored stones - sapphire, tourmaline, emerald, turquoise, cognac diamonds, as well as from nature, storybook illustrations, and fabric prints. Designing organically, ideas materialize from looking at the stones themselves. For Gabriela, designing is not an intellectual process. It’s a dynamic progression that happens freely, where elements naturally find their place within the pieces.
Her designs have been featured in top fashion magazines such as Vogue (U.S., Germany, France), Elle, Marie Claire, Lucky, and Harper’s Bazaar. Her celebrity clients include Ashanti, Ali MacGraw, Natasha Richardson, and Candice Bergen.
We received the Cross Hatch Key in Sterling Silver from Gabriela’s Special Collections. The key is 1" long and the chain is 22". It retails for $150. It is available in a larger, 3" rocker version that retails for $300. Antique keys were the inspiration for a continuing collection of necklaces and bracelets first introduced in 2003. The keys have timeless quality that Gabriela sees at the heart of her work. Her other collections of handwrought necklaces, bracelets, and earrings are priced between $120 and $1600.
The necklace was packaged beautifully. The outer box is white. Inside it is a black velvet box with gold trim. Inside the plush velvet box is the dainty crosshatch key necklace.
The necklace looked more graceful and delicate than I expected. The photo gives the illusion that the key is enormous so even though I knew its measurement, I still pictured it to be large and expected it to be more daunting than dainty. In reality, the key is no more than an inch long so it’s fairly small and looks utterly refined. The craftsmanship is exquisite, down to the details of the notches of the key. It is absolutely gorgeous when worn with a deeply scooped neckline like this print knit by French Connection with intense shades that pop on the voluminous tunic.
It’s a piece that knows no seasons or trends, one that can be worn anytime, anyplace, anywhere. But more than classic styling, what endears me to this piece is its symbolism. To me it signifies the key to many things – happiness, success, knowledge, understanding. Trends come and go and so do the accessories that ride along with them. It’s special when you have a piece of jewelry that is more than a superficial accessory and this necklace falls in that category. I truly adore it, and from the compliments I've been receiving, so does everyone else.
Reviewer: Brown Eyes
