Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Designer of the Month - Judith Ripka

My main interest is vintage jewelry, but occasionally a contemporary designer catches my eye because the quality of the work is so wonderful. The latest designer to take my fancy is Judith Ripka.

Judith was born and raised in New York. She says her earliest memories are of "playing in her mother's jewelry box and accessorizing her clothing by tying a heart charm to her belt, hanging a pin of a chain or transforming a necklace into a belt and weaving it through the belt-loops of her jeans."

She studied design at Parson's School of Design and launched her first 18K gold collection in 1977. She has a wonderful organic eye for design and her pieces show that she understands that fashion is about style and creating a total look.

The Ripka collections feature both 18K Gold Couture pieces and Silver and Gold pieces. Her jewelry is often seen on the red carpet worn by celebrities and is found in high end stores and boutiques.

I have been lucky enough to purchase two pieces of Judith Ripka jewelry for my Vintage Jewelry Lane Site. Both are made of sterling silver, and diamonique stones. The first one is the fanstastic Judith Ripka Maltese Cross Enhancer pendant necklace pictured above. It is available for $325.00. It is just stunning and features mother of pearl inlay and an oval amethyst center stone.

The other is a set of glass pearls with a diamonique heart enhancer pictured below. This stunning necklace is also set in sterling silver. The pearls come in the original presentation box too! This lovely Judith Ripka pearl necklace is available for $350.


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