Melissa Kaye’s New Collection Doubles the Color

New York—In the past few years, Melissa Kaye has been leading the conversation of color in fine jewelry.

Whether formulating enamel in unexpected neon shades or delving into a pastel palette, the New York City-based designer is unafraid to break into new color territory.

Her latest chapter pairs bright, saturated colored gemstones with her signature enamel. By nature, each piece in the new “Lenox” collection is one-of-a-kind, with a thoughtfully selected gem receiving its own enamel halo per the designer’s inclination.

“We’ve had amazing success with our neon collection since its launch in 2019 and continued to expand it to different silhouettes, but there was always the question of, ‘What’s next? What’s the new neon?’” said Kaye.

“I wanted to keep the theme of our punchy color palette but introduce something new, and that is where vibrant large-scale gemstones came into play, adding another pop of color.”

Paraiba-type tourmalines, for example, are bordered by lime green enamel for a tropical tonal look or surrounded with hot pink enamel for unexpected contrast. A pink sapphire might be framed with nearly matching bright pink enamel or juxtaposed with a tennis ball yellow neon. 

Kaye follows her instincts when combining shades, creating her own set of rules.

“It was important to me to choose gems that married well with our signature fluorescent enamel,” she explained.

“The ones we chose—vivid pink sapphires and spinel, rubies, and [Paraiba-type] tourmaline—all have a neon quality themselves. Each gemstone was then paired with a complementary enamel bezel, whether it be a shade that created a more monochromatic look or something that had more of a contrasting pop.”

Lenox also marks Kaye’s venture into creating more custom and one-of-a-kind pieces. Though she has a distinctive eye and taste for gemstones, she’s also happy to work with clients’ existing pieces, re-setting gems from family heirlooms, for instance.

“The silhouettes lend themselves very well to customization,” Kaye said.

At launch, the Lenox collection comprises juicy cocktail rings and delicate tennis necklaces with gemstone pendants. The pendants have also been engineered as interchangeable necklace clasps.

“I like to create pieces that have an interesting function, so the enamel and gemstone components on the tennis necklaces are removable clasps that can be switched out, giving clients the opportunity to collect them and change things up based on their mood.”

Rings start at $9,400 and cap off at $28,650, while pendants begin at 16,850 and top off at $28,450. See more on the designer’s website.