Vera Wang High Jewelry Jared Atelier Collection: Exclusive Details

Vera Wang is bringing her design codes to the high jewelry market.

The bridal designer is joining forces with jewelry retailer Jared and its high jewelry arm, Jared Atelier, to create a new collection that leverages Wang’s design codes and is infused with personal touches. 

“It really came about as an idea of really wanting to present a more, less-on-trend-only collection, and more of something I would create myself that was more personal,” Wang said. “This collection really reflects my way of combining jewelry. I was searching for something that maybe was a bit original. That wide world of jewelry globally now — Prada is doing jewelry, Saint Laurent is doing jewelry and all the designers are doing their own lines as well. Not only jewelers, not only Boucheron, not only Cartier, not only Tiffany — I was really searching for a way that felt authentic to me.” 

Wang’s high jewelry collection with Jared Atelier is broken up into three pillars: Ribbons, Serpents and Diamond Strings. Overall the collection offers 14 styles designed in 18-karat white gold and totals more than 150 carats of natural diamonds. Prices range from $12,500 to $125,000.

“What was most interesting about working with Vera was that what I saw come to life was her ready-to-wear sensibility applied to jewelry,” said Claudia Cividino, president of Jared. “What that actually means is that she’s combined the element of structure and form together with movement in such an interesting way. I was so excited when I first saw her samples and then it just mounted as we saw the pieces really come together.” 

The collection’s Ribbons pillar was inspired by Wang’s more than three decades in the bridal industry. She explained the motif has been a signature element in her bridal dress designs, as well as her bridal jewelry collections for Zales and Jared. 

“I’ve been doing bows for 35 years,” Wang said. “They aren’t necessarily traditional bows. They may be asymmetric, they may be just twists of fabric, but the idea of a knot in a bow is something that’s inherent to our brand. It’s one of our codes. We’ve done it in China, we’ve done it for flute glasses and for engagement rings. It’s not something new to us and I think we were very early to do a minimalist bow, which we called love knots.” 

Wang explained she wanted to create the Serpents pillar because the motif represents “transformation, a new start and shedding of the skin” and because next year’s Chinese New Year is the Year of the Snake. She also noted that Serpents provides a tough balance to the feminine and soft pieces in the Ribbons pillar. 

The Jared Atelier collection is rounded out by Diamond Strings, which Wang was inspired to create by her late friend and renowned jewelry designer Elsa Peretti.

“It just felt very freeing, very modern, very cool and very easy,” she said about the pillar. “I think women and men will love it because there’s something about it that’s so unique. Sometimes you come up with ideas and jewelry like Elsa that change the whole industry. But in this case, I thought these open-ended strings — I call them strings because they’re flexible — you want 20 of them to play with.” 

Wang’s Jared Atelier collection is the retailer’s third collection under its high jewelry arm since it debuted in October 2022. Jared Atelier launched with a limited-edition collection of 21 diamond and gemstone styles, and was followed by a collaboration with jewelry designer Shy Dayan.

Jared Atelier is meant to be an extension of the retailer’s customization services and to showcase its expertise and craft in jewelry making, according to Cividino, who said that Jared’s motto is, “if we don’t have it in the case, we will find it, and if we can’t find it, we will make it.”

“We have incredible capabilities and it is an opportunity for us to showcase our capabilities, whether we are creating a collection, as in the case of Atelier, or we are creating a unique piece for a guest who might find something that inspires them from anywhere in the world — on Instagram, on Pinterest, on a friend,” she said. “They can take a photograph, bring it into Jared and have us make it for them. So the impetus for Atelier is, A, to serve an existing guest who is acquisitive and is a collector, and B, to show the capability of our range.” 

For Wang, she wanted her Jared Atelier high jewelry collection to be a balance of her personal taste and her well-known design codes. She is also currently working on her next iteration of the collection to introduce more motifs and styles. 

“I just love the contrast of not everything being soft,” she said. “The way a lot of people layer jewelry, they layer all mini jewelry and all the ear cuffs — I just love seeing them mix. To me, that was something I tried to achieve in these 14 pieces. It’s all so casual in its own way. It’s just more about fashion, this is not about weddings.”