Philip Crangi
Unlike most fashion, jewelry—at least the good stuff—is built to weather the shifts of trends. Indeed, good jewelry, whether costume or fine, is often passed from generation to generation, which is why Philip Crangi’s detailed signature pieces have emerged as the ultimate in modern alchemy. Crangi, who trained at the Rhode Island School of Design, uses ages-old goldsmithing techniques on modern materials. “I’ve always been inspired by the historical references of iron and gold,” he says. “I started to explore the techniques and began using them together in my own work.” Many of his pieces possess an organic quality—ethereal leaf earrings pierced with pink coral or slender oval hoops punctuated by beads of jade. A simple Eres chain-link necklace plays beautifully with other pieces and offers its own look. Though his jewels elicit a precise and definitive nod to craftsmanship, the designer acknowledges that his jewels (like his career) are a work in progress. “I still want to be designing and creating my pieces when I’m 70,” he says. “Maybe I’ll get close to perfecting them by then.”

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