Behind the Bench: Twilight & Soleil

This week we’re sharing all the behind-the-scenes of our two new mini collections: Twilight and Soleil. While each has its own voice, they share a common thread - thoughtfully designed, hand-crafted in our Detroit studio, and built to capture the beauty of light in different forms.

xo Elaine 

Introducing Mini Collections - Twilight & Soleil

Twilight

Capture the quiet magic of the night sky with star pavé-set recycled diamonds that shimmer like constellations. Designed to shine in your everyday orbit, this collection is subtle yet luminous, refined yet a little playful. Each design is crafted from reclaimed materials - gold from our own casting process and diamonds from heirloom jewelry. This gives them a sustainable sparkle that feels both timeless and modern.

The Twilight Mini Collection from Elaine B Jewelry. 

Soleil

Sunshine as jewelry, Soleil radiates warmth and movement with handmade gold links and glittering Herkimer diamonds (quartz), ethically mined in New York state. Playful and radiant, these designs are full of energy and light, sparkling with every step. We imagine Soleil being treasured for both everyday wear and special occasions, whether it’s your wedding day or just a bright moment you want to carry with you.

The Soleil Collection by Elaine B Jewelry.

When we set out to create these collections, we thought of them as sisters but not twins: one bathed in sunlight, the other in starlight. The result is a pair of mini collections that compliment each other beautifully, while highlighting different aspects of what we love about jewelry making - from rare stones to quality craftmanship, from recycled materials to fresh design.

Twilight - Night & Starshine

If Soleil is sunlight made jewelry, Twilight is the luminous hush of evening. 

One of our favorite things about Twilight is the use of star pavé, a technique that goes beyond ordinary pavé (which itself is a highly technical skill requiring hand engraving, precise metal work, and years to master). In star pavé, each tiny diamond is seated in a miniature star-shaped cavity that is carved into the existing metal surface. The effect is playful, shimmering, and delicately whimsical, like stars twinkling in a night sky. Chloe, one of our senior bench jewelers in Detroit, has studied and refined this technique with us in-house. Chloe lets the diamond and shape of the gold dictate how the star's points will look, so every single setting is cohesive, intentional and unique to itself. 

We’re proud to say that all our pavé setting is now done entirely under our roof, combining control, integrity, and craftsmanship.

Twilight is also born from our commitment to sustainability. We merged technique with a thoughtful approach to recycling and repurposing with gold reclaimed from our own casting processes, and diamonds sourced from heirloom or reclaimed materials. The resulting designs feel both poetic and precise. Whether it’s earrings, a pendant, or a necklace, they are designed to live in your everyday orbit.

The Twilight Collection from sketch to final design.

Soleil - Light, Clarity, and Golden Lines

Although these mini collections came to life recently, the stories of the materials actually go back a few years. The shining stones that inspired Soleil, cut Herkimer beads, came into our studio right after the Tucson gem show in January 2022. We’ve held these crystals close, waiting for the right moment to make them into something special.

Soleil was designed and handmade by Caitlin, our Senior Bench Jeweler and Everyday Production Manager, in our Detroit studio. Caitlin has a special connection to these stones: she’s traveled to Herkimer, New York, and even spent time hounding at the Herkimer Diamond Mines. That close relationship gives her a rare understanding of their character - how light plays inside them, how they refract with movement, how every facet is unique.

Herkimer “diamonds” aren’t actually diamonds at all, but exceptionally clear quartz crystals with a natural sparkle all their own. What makes them so special is how they form. These double-terminated crystals grow inside tiny cavities, called vugs, in dolostone - a type of sedimentary rock made of calcium and magnesium carbonates. Over millions of years, acidic water dissolved pockets within the rock, creating space for quartz crystals to grow freely without being attached to a base. That environment allows them to develop their unique faceted points at both ends, almost as if they were cut and polished by nature itself. Although similar quartz formations can be found in a few places around the world, true Herkimer Diamonds come exclusively from Herkimer County, New York. The exposed dolostone bedrock in this region is famous for producing crystals with unmatched clarity and brilliance - the very stones that inspired our Soleil Collection.

The Soleil Collection from sketch to final design.

If you read our blogs, you may recall past uses of Herkimer diamonds - set in stud earrings, Forever Linked charms, or even in engagement rings. Over time, we became a little obsessed. That obsession crystallized in Soleil.

We chose the name “Soleil” to help describe the feeling of sunshine and clarity. In this collection, the clean 14k gold lines provide a structure that feels modern and architectural, while the glittering Herkimer stones bring a dynamic, natural sparkle. You really have to hold them in motion or against natural light to see their full magic.

Because Soleil is made with solid 14k gold and natural stones, we intended these not as fleeting seasonal pieces, but as lifetime jewelry - ideal for everyday wear or a momentous occasion. We like to imagine brides wearing Soleil on their wedding day, then continuing to live with it in everyday life as a reminder of that moment.

Why These Collections Matter to Us

Launching Soleil and Twilight has been equal parts honoring our mission while also pushing our craft forward. Soleil is a celebration of the raw beauty of Herkimer crystals, elevated through timeless gold design.

Twilight is an exploration in technique - letting recycled materials tell new stories, and investing in details like star pavé to elevate our handmade techniques.

At the bench, we often think about light, movement, shadow, and how jewelry lives with you. These two collections feel like companions: Soleil for your daylight, Twilight for your dusk. Together, they represent who we are - jewelers who believe in meaning, hands-on making, and jewelry that lasts a lifetime.

Shop Twilight & Soleil here.

Shop All Wedding Bands here.

View the Custom Gallery here.