My one-of-a-kind Nefertiti poison ring is available for purchase on 1stdibs! It’s also the star of this week’s video. Watch to learn more about my inspiration for this design and get a book recommendation as a bonus. If there are any particular designs you’d like to see a video about, let me know in the…
my designs
Transformation Tuesday: Redesigns Galore
I’ve written plenty about my love of redesigning old jewelry — including engagement rings. Once in a while, I’ll redesign clothes, which is how I wound up in a completely redesigned outfit last Saturday. I didn’t get to take a proper outfit photo due to an uncharged camera, so we’ll have to make due with…
Official Portrait of My Black-Diamond Skull Medallion
In June, I shared photos of my “Carpe Diem” medallion — which boasts a 3-carat black diamond cut into the shape of a skull — but it’s worth taking another look now that expert jewelry photographer Ed Parrinello of SquareMoose has taken the official picture. Ed’s photo even shows the tiny ruby “tongue” in the…
Getting Introspective With 1stdibs
Thank you to writer Kareem Rashed for interviewing me for Introspective Magazine, the publication of online luxury marketplace 1stdibs! Kareem asked me and four other contemporary jewelry designers who sell on 1stdibs to pick a favorite antique piece from the site and talk about how that work inspires us. I chose this Art Nouveau tiara…
Throwback Thursday: Bastille Day Memories and Jewelry
Bastille Day was last Saturday, but I was home in New York, much to my chagrin. MrB and I spent the holiday in Paris in 2009, 2010, and 2011, and I still feel like Paris is where I’m supposed to be on Le Quatorze Juillet. For Throwback Thursday, here’s what I wore on my three…
Jewel of the Month: New Signet Ring Style
I’ve been designing signet rings since 2016, when I introduced my big “No Class” ring style. In 2017, I added smaller signet rings “for rebel women.” The little signets were designed to be worn as pinkie rings, but you can order them in any size through my website. A signet for every mood, for every…
Wendy Brandes Jewelry in Paper Magazine
Paper Magazine’s summer publication is its first-ever “Sports” issue, and I’m so excited to see one of my pieces in it! Interestingly, the design is NOT my solid gold Virginia Woolf Whistle. Stylist Shannon Stokes went a less literal route — which I like! — and used my 18K gold Queen of Scots snake tiara…
Jewel of the Month: Black Diamond Skull
If you follow my Instagram accounts — business and/or personal — you’ve already gotten a sneak peek at June’s Jewel of the Month. For the rest of you, behold my “Carpe Diem” medallion set with a skull-shaped black diamond! I debuted this piece at the Couture jewelry show in Las Vegas last week, where Grace…
What Wendy Wore: Abigail & Max Got Married
It’s fun when I get to make the engagement ring and wedding bands for a couple and then attend the wedding. That’s happened a few times. (Whenever you hear someone stage-whisper, “THANK GOD!” when a wedding band smoothly goes on a finger, you know there’s a jewelry designer among the guests.) Last weekend, I had…
I’m a JCK Jewelers’ Choice Awards Finalist!
Thank you, thank you, thank you to the judges of JCK’s Jewelers’ Choice Awards for selecting my toi et moi ring for ANZA Gems as a finalist in the category of colored stone jewelry over $10,000. The JCK editorial team also got to choose five personal favorites, so a special thank you goes out to…