When you’re looking for jewelry that borders on statement pieces and refinement, it’s hard to draw a line between personal style and what’s in fashion. Kerri Halpern didn’t need to draw a line; she went ahead and started her own design house. Madstone is Halpern’s own creation born of the need to find pieces that were in line with her own aesthetic. Wearing nothing but monochromatic black ensembles, she created her collections with the knowledge that they needed to pop.
Halpern’s collections vary greatly, making her pieces a breath of fresh air considering some of the similarities of modern jewelers. There are no tribal prints or studs to be seen, but chunky geometric necklaces and thin delicate gold gem hoops are both favorites in the Madstone brand. Inspired by her love of champagne two collections were created, both very different from one another, but similar in their sparkling aesthetic. The Bubble Collection is an assortment of rings, bracelets, earring, and rings all cut intentionally to give the look of bubbly fizzing up from inside the stone. The lavender, gold, and even brilliant orange gems give a stunning illusion of just popped bottles. The La Cage Collection draws its signature look from the champagne muselet, golden wires crisscrossed over colored gemstones, trapping them inside. The enclosed look gives a contemporary spin on traditional bejeweled baubles making them statement pieces in their own right.
To show her slightly darker side, the part of her that prefers all black and chose to live above a cemetery (yes, you read that correctly), she created her Mad Animals collection; delicate spiders and bats, in feminine colors and designs. Fun, brilliant hues of rubies, tzavorites, blue topaz, amethyst, citrine, garnet and diamonds, make this collection beautiful without over emphasizing the grotesqueness of an insect. These are spiders you’ll actually want crawling on your hand.
With all of her pieces her love of art and beautiful things is fully realized, embodied in gold. Her jewelry is edgy and quirky but still very ladylike. So whether you’re going out for a night on the town or dinner at a friend’s above a cemetery, you’re covered. It’s a personal twist on the classics, plus a champagne cocktail ring at a soiree is quite the conversation piece.
Madstone is available at select retail locations across the country and may be ordered through the online lookbook. Priced at $250-$20,000.