Forever Pieces by Anna Sheffield: perfect for Mother’s Day
Many Mothers treasure themselves gorgeous jewels, and while Mother’s Day is around the corner, we love to spotlight a designer who truly has the New York Mother in mind year-round. Anna Sheffield started designing jewelry in 2001 after training as a metalsmith and working as a fine artist. She founded her eponymous jewelry line in 2009. She has a talent for combining time-honored craftsmanship with modern aesthetics, frequently weaving in unconventional materials and gemstones- making her designs feel pretty special but designed to be built upon (with her many offered pieces) and worn forever. We know that New Yorkers are an eclectic bunch, and Anna’s designs feel perfect, from the most feminine to the mom looking for a clean silhouette to marking a special moment in her life.
Psst…How to Live More Sustainably (on Earth Day and Every Day)
We chatted with Anna to learn more about what inspires Anna Sheffield.
You started to design fine art jewelry once you moved to New York; what influenced you to start designing jewelry in this genre?
Coming from my background as an artist and a welder, I had already launched and been running my first brand, Bing Bang Jewelry, for several years when I decided to start tiptoeing into fine jewelry and began leaning into learning as much as possible about gold, precious gems, and diamonds. It felt like a natural progression and something I wanted to explore, so as the ideas progressed, it made sense to launch it as my namesake brand. So I did! NYC influenced me to take that leap– I call it the cosmic boomerang. When you have an idea and you put it out there in New York, you will always get something back. It’s truly an amazing place. Many of our silhouettes were inspired by actual vintage pieces that were passed down in my family, while others were purely inspired by life itself – it’s been an amazing ride along the way.
Your store is located in NYC’s NoHo neighborhood; what do you love about this nook of New York?
This little slice of Manhattan is my absolute favorite- I lived right in the thick of this area for many of my NYC years. Down from Astor Place, between Bowery and Lafayette on either side, there is a perfect little triangle of short, intimate streets – Great Jones, Bond, and, of course, Bleecker, which is where our shop is located. I love the sense of history here, and many of my very favorite businesses are in this tiny niche of the city. You can spend a wonderful afternoon browsing the shops, grabbing a drink or a bite, and perusing all the bounty there is around us. We adore our neighbors here and keep perfect company in our lovely NoHo nook.
What inspires you to design your jewelry?
Inspiration for my jewelry comes from everywhere and everything. I find inspiration everywhere I look- as an artist, the ideas can come from something conceptual, like an ancient Greek myth, or from a wildflower I saw on a walk. The fun part is taking that inspiration and transforming it into a design- like a mini alchemical process for me, and then, as the design transforms and becomes gold and gemstones– that’s the other part of the process is absolutely magical.
How do you build a ‘ring stacker’? Why ring stack? What should be taken in so these rings fit your vibe?
The Nesting and Stacking bands are a big part of the brand’s ethos of making jewelry that is unique to each person and to assign a physical marker to each chapter of their love story (whether that is romantic love, personal, or familial). I love to see how people stack and create their sets of rings and bands over time. Very similar to how you can see the rings of age within the trunk of a tree, building its story over the years. These unique stacking and nesting designs have been part of my collection since launching in 2011. The Digital Ring Stacker is meant for people to play with and as a tool to get inspired for curating their own stacking sets– or even to use to hint at a future gift ;) ! We built it with the intention of answering some of our most frequently asked questions – which rings stack best with which other designs, what silhouettes pair perfectly with fancy cut gems and diamonds, and it comes to life brilliantly on our site.
Located :
19 BLEECKER STREET
212 925 7010
