That’s not ice . . . it’s diamonds. The powder-white streets of Aspen are starting to look like a snow-globe version of Rodeo Drive. That’s because they’re lined in storefronts dripping with diamonds and gold. But it’s not just the big names you already know: The mountainside enclave has become the cold-weather hot spot for some of the most creative and innovative makers of big rocks and bright baubles (all of which go surprisingly well with fur-trimmed parkas in these parts). You may be here to race downhill, but after a long day on the slopes, it can’t hurt to pick up a few shiny objects to match the scenery. Here’s where to go.
David Michael Jewels
If David and Michael Robinson have hundreds of hours to spend on one piece of jewelry, you have time on your way to the slopes to stop in at Betteridge to check out their work. The twin brothers behind Australia’s David Michael Jewels work in rare gemstones and colored diamonds to craft handmade pieces that look like miniaturized sculptures and paintings.
Ring by David Michael. Courtesy of Betteridge
Meridian Jewelers
Meridian Jewelers is your go-to for unusual and organic designs like K. Brunini’s textured pieces (shown), which resemble twigs (in metal juxtaposed with polished stones and pearls), fossils (gold necklaces that look like vertebrae), and spiderwebs (inlaid with rose-cut diamonds). Kimberly McDonald’s pendants and earrings take the haute- archaeologist look further with geodes embedded into 18-karat gold.
K. Brunini necklace at Meridian Jewelers. Courtesy of Meridan Jewelers
Lugano Diamonds
Located steps from the Silver Queen Gondola, Lugano Diamonds is the atelier for custom pieces. Owner Moti Ferder is probably best known for his long and minimal diamond strand necklaces, but he’s also a master craftsman of earrings, rings, bracelets, and—go on, treat yourself—cuff links.
Cuff links from Lugano Diamonds. Cyrus Antia/Courtesy of Lugano Diamonds
Mish
Get some extra ice with your new skis at Keating’s Performance Ski Shop, which regularly hosts trunk shows by Mish Tworkowski, a New York–based jeweler whose designs are so big and bold you could spot them from the other side of Ajax Mountain. But a word to the wise: Mish’s earrings in smoky quartz and petrified driftwood are only for the truly adventurous.
Mish Tworkowski’s driftwood earrings. Courtesy of Mish Tworkowski
