Of course, when it comes to red carpets and major events, celebrities will always go with exquisite, meticulously-made diamond jewelry. Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Bulgari, Harry Winston, and Fred Leighton will always have their place in the hearts of the rich and famous.
But a new trend is slowly building—one that looks to the natural healing powers of certain stones to benefit the wearer. Up-and-coming jewelry designer Dara Dubinet is on the cusp of this trend. Her “Raw Collection” features seemly untouched stones dropped almost haphazardly into 18-karat gold or sterling silver settings. She often uses recycled gold because of the effect that gold-mining has on the environment.
Using uncommon stones like spinel gems or aquamarine, some of her creations look almost edible. One ring, with a roughly-cut topaz in it, looks like the gem and the setting don’t even match. But it is in that quality that the unusual beauty exists.
Dubinet designs her jewelry based on the idea that gemstones absorb the raw power of the earth, soaking in healing energies over thousands of years, and that those energies transfer to the wearer.
A person seeking love, for example, is advised to wear jewelry made with rose quartz, peridot, morganite, rhodoscrosite, and ruby.
Britney Spears has been photographed recently wearing Dubinet’s watermelon tourmaline ring, which is thought to bring out vitality, passion, and excitement.
In 2008, Madonna got the $5,100 Black Onyx Gypsy Ring, which is said to deflect negativity and help the wearer get past emotional issues.
With Hollywood’s latest obsession with raw foods, natural fibers and hybrid cars, it follows that earthy, organic jewelry is the Next Big Thing, and Dara Dubinet is at the head of the pack.
