Eytan Brandes Jewelry & Watches

This smart, sinewy new pendant by Eytan Brandes is actually a very clever re-use of a vintage (circa 1960's) diamond leaf brooch. The "spike" was the center vein of the leaf, but he...

This lustrous white South Sea baroque pearl is set in a Byzantine-flavored, satiny 18 karat yellow gold two-part pedant handmade in our shop by Eytan Brandes. The pearl has a graceful egg shape with a pronounced ridge at the top, mostly obscured by the "petals" of the cap. The cap is linked to a nicely oversized bale that will accommodate just about any chain or cord. We think it looks great with the rhodolite necklace...

Eytan based the design of this ring on an old Czech engagement ring that came through the store years ago. It's simple, nicely balanced and substantial. The pleated front tapers to...

These fantastic new platinum earrings by Eytan Brandes present a spiral of diamonds with a shorter spiral of smaller diamonds nestled within. The spiral drops slightly in elevation ...

This fabulous and absolutely one-of-a-kind pendant is an assembled piece showcasing some sort of winged insect (a mayfly?) in 14 karat rose gold with bright ruby eyes and white gold wings set with six very old diamonds. Eytan set this glamorous pest on a faceted but entirely asymmetric piece of blue lace agate. For the bale, he used a gorgeous columnar hinged rose gold bale from an old pocket watch...

We got a very old, very boring pair of 18 karat gold monogrammed cufflinks from a customer and melted them quicker than you can say, "Just cuz it's old doesn't mean it's cool!" but ...

These simple, elegant wire drop earrings by Eytan Brandes feature two Tahitian pearls that Eytan purchased in Tahiti several years ago. They are absolutely beautiful, very dark, very rich green shimmering with blue and purple undertones. The surfaces show only a few small pits, as shown in our video. Hand-picked by Eytan from hundreds of different options, this pair is a good, but not cookie-cutter perfect, match. One pearl is slightly larger and slightly darker than the other. The shepherds hooks...

Thimbles, when they're interesting, make great pendants when used as cappers for a nice big cabochon or pearl. Actually making this kind of pendant isn't for the faint of heart, how...

Eytan Brandes designed this ring using various elements he likes from Edwardian engagement rings, such as the carinated shank, the coin-edged pavé setting plates, and the elevated, almost bombé face. This is the second time he has used this mounting, and this is the first time he's set it entirely in diamonds. The center prong-set diamond is a clean and beautiful brilliant cut round stone weighing 1.03 carats. The prongs rise from a band (not actually a bezel) around the stone, minimizing the prongy effect, and keeping the stone's elevation at a graceful minimum. The dramatically curved face of the mounting is made up of little coin-edged plates, joined from below. Each plate hosts between one and five stones meticulously set by our best gem-setter. The little banner-shaped plates around the center stone give it a whimsical eight-pointed star halo, while the long plates...

A vividly green 1/2 carat peridot sits in a clean little pronged basket mounted at the center of this inverted oval pendant by Eytan Brandes. The resemblance to a lowercase Greek theta makes this the perfect signature piece for mathematicians, hedge fund...

Eytan Brandes made these cool dangle earrings using three men's shirt studs, probably dating from the 1950's. These were the kind of shirt studs shaped like barbells, with a middl...

This extraordinary, one-of-a-kind new necklace by Eytan Brandes features five beautiful but distinctly different slices of natural tourmaline, one of Eytan's favorite gemstones. The...

Protect yourself from all manner of nastiness with this knockout diamond shield or plaque ring by Eytan Brandes. The face features 35 perfectly set bright boys in a cut-corner rec...

What to do with a little 14 karat frog that's been hopping around the store for so long no one remembers where he came from? Answer? Attach him to the kind of gemstone a frog would love: a big drop-shaped faceted cabochon of moss agate. This is a type of quartz with a white or clear body color, but shot through with fern-link green inclusions (mostly manganese and something called hornblende, the description of which is so geoscience-y that we just don't want to go there). The chubby little frog has diamond eyes (about 0.01 carats each) and that sweetly contented expression that makes frogs so lovable, despite the fact they live in swamps and don't really seem to be all that sociable toward humans. We can dream, can't we? The stone is wrapped in a 14 karat gold frame made from a hand-sculpted wax mold by Eytan Brandes. The bale is made from hand-pulled 14 karat gold wire that's been artfully banged about to match the gold frame. It's big enough to accommodate most chain hardware.. The pearl, gold and moss agate necklace...

A brand new design by Eytan Brandes, his "Vectra" earrings are strands of gold, twisting and turning, but just as they're about to head off in three different directions, they're st...

We love rough sapphires and use them frequently; their deep color, inclusions, streaks and other irregularities create beautiful and distinctive natura...

These gorgeous new earrings by Eytan Brandes feature stylized leaves of the peperomia succulent cast in 18 karat gold. He's used this design for earrings and pendants, but usually i...

Story time! Eytan Brandes was asked to make an engagement ring with a bulgy band and a setting for a nice two carat diamond. When the ring came back from the caster, the band was about half as thick as the band he'd designed. This kind of thing happens occasionally; usually the undersized, or oversized, or upside-down, or backwards, or misspelled, or otherwise misbegotten bauble just goes into the melting pot and we all move on. In this case, however, Eytan liked the ring's frankly unbalanced look -- its giant center basket hovering over the whisper-thin band. It doesn't work as an engagement ring, but it makes for a cool solitaire. He therefore set the band with ten itty-bitty diamonds and, for the center, he set a delicious, richly hued rhodolite garnet. The diamonds are natural (earth-mined), untreated little brightlings -- G-H color and VS1-2 clarity. They're full-cut and set in little raised pits spaced evenly across the front half of the ring; discreet prongs hold the stones in place. The stone basket in the center of the ring is cleverly formed by the four triple prongs that reach up from the bottom of the basket to grab the four corners of the center stone -- a gorgeous rhodolite garnet in deep red with chocolatey undertones and flashes of pink. It's nicely cut with a huge table and a modified Swiss-cut pavilion. We like the way the ring looks on its own, but we also like it beefed up a bit, so we're including two twisty bands that stack nicely with the garnet -- giving the wearer either option. Eytan made these bands ages ago; they were just sitting in the safe until The Boss realized they'd make a great set with his garnet ring. And they lived happily ever after! Measurements & Details: Size: Currently a size 5.5, we will resize all three rings at no charge for full-price buyers. Resizing is otherwise negotiable. Gold: The garnet ring is 14 karat gold. The twisty bands are 18 karat...

This ridiculously large smoky quartz came into the shop inside of a customer's very heavy, poorly conceived 1970's gold pendant. The customer wanted the gold value of the pendant ap...

This gorgeous pair of drop earrings by Eytan Brandes features an Art Nouveau design based on a small stickpin we acquired in 2022. Eytan converted the stickpin to a bale for a pearl...

This one-of-a-kind showstopper by Eytan Brandes features two gorgeous and lively Australian boulder opals framed in gold and accented with natural brown diamonds. The opals are from...

This tiny window looks out on a fiery orange sun rising between two mountains in a one-of-a-kind pendant designed by Eytan Brandes. The 0.11 carat "sun" is an orange sapphire, very clean and bright, bezel-set between the crest of the two diamond "mountains." The mountains are all pave-set with round, high-quality white and brown diamonds. The shadow mountain...

This amazing ring is actually a very ladylike and traditional antique bar pin that Eytan converted to a very contemporary and very kickass cocktail ring The face of the ring was an...

Names will never hurt you and neither will this necklace. Fifty-five carats of rough black diamonds are interspersed with freshwater pearls to cre...

As he often does, Eytan Brandes made the halos for these earrings before he picked out the stones. Then we did our usual routine of considering eight hundred different stones -- man...

We found the perfect cap for this adorably dimpled baroque south sea pearl: the top of a vintage articulated clown pendant! We had this pendant for a while, but it's frankly sort of creepy...

This ring resembles the wave rings popularized by Tiffany and others, but Eytan Brandes designed it here in our shop as a variation on his "branch" design. Usually his branch rings ...

Eytan's latest hamsa is a redo of an earlier design. We call this design his Melee Muncher because it's the perfect platform for recycled diamonds -- stones extracted from jewelry that customers have brought in for melt value. These diamonds range in color and clarity and are generally fairly pedestrian -- in the SI range with a couple of VS2's -- but they're perfect for this pendant because, with the black background and the tight pavé, they can't help but pop. We love the idea of putting these stones to good use, and we love the way the mix of clarities and colors looks in such a tight formation. Two of the diamonds are single cuts and at least two are transitional (high crowns and tiny tables). The rest are full cuts. They range in size from 1mm to 2.5mm; the total carat weight for all 25 diamonds of 0.65 carats. The pendant is 14 karat rose gold with a satiny finish and a nice big top ring that will accommodate lots of different chain options, but we like our new garnet and rough diamond bead strand. This chain continues the recycling theme, using up 6...

This original design by Eytan Brandes is one of his evergreens. He's used this lacy floral (but not precious or fussy) rondelle as a pendant, as a chain link, and as earrings. Th...

Eytan Brandes has been making this ring for a number of years, using gold or platinum. It's an eternity band because the stones are set all around the ring, but it's a little more c...

This bracelet came in to our shop many years ago. It was clearly supposed to be a knockoff of a diamond tank watch from a certain revered French brand that begins with "C," but we j...

This one-of-a-kind pendant by Eytan Brandes features a freeform slice of gold, set with a diamond, over a freeform slice of goshenite. Goshenite is a variety of beryl -- basically aquamarine without color. We acquired a little pile of this stuff -- the palest of pale blue and oddly cut -- and were at a loss as to what to do with it until Eytan hit on the idea of setting one of them in a bezel with an oxidized (blackened) inside pan. We love the end result. The swirly pattern of the oxidization plus the faceting plus the minute coloration of the stone combine to give this humble gem a truly unique, shimmery look -- worthy, even, of a hearty "Gosh!" (if anyone actually said "gosh" anymore...) By contrast, the diamond, bezel-set to float in the opening of Eytan's 18 karat gold shard, involves absolutely no hanky-panky. It's an earth-mined, natural and untreated stone weighing 0.04 carats -- a small but high quality sparkler (Eytan rates it G-H color and VS2 clarity). The hand-wrought pulled wire bale is roughly oval-shaped and oversized, since Eytan envisioned his pendant would be paired with beads (which generally require a bigger bale than a chain), but removable. We think our choker-length strand of faceted but rough sapphire...

Eytan Brandes converted a 1940's ladies cocktail watch into a smashing diamond bracelet by filling the watch case with a peachy tourmaline. The tourmaline is 10mm x 10mm and weighs ...

Eytan Brandes used the case from a very old (probably 1920 or thereabouts) ladies wristwatch to make this one-of-a-kind pendant. The case is 14 karat white gold with sharp engraving...

Two gorgeous mabe pearls -- white with pink overtones -- are set in graceful 14 karat yellow gold frames hand-crafted by Eytan Brandes. The blisters meas...

Perfectly pretty and easy to wear, these new platinum post earrings by Eytan Brandes feature frosty silver-blue Japanese saltwater cultured (i.e...

Eytan's distinctive "Ball Hooper" design combines line-set gemstone "hoops" with gorgeous pearl "balls." This latest pair showcases a pair of off-round frosty white South Sea pearls...

In his nearly fifty years as a goldsmith, Eytan Brandes has been making Hebrew wedding bands. The two top choices for verses are these madly romantic lines from the Song of Songs: ...

This bold, contemporary crucifix was designed in the 1990's by Eytan Brandes and has been used in many different variations ever since. His latest is in natural white gold, meaning ...

Mechanical watch movements are amazing. Every jeweler has a zillion of them, since the cases are frequently melted for their metal value. Eytan Brandes has always appreciated these tiny marvels and has made a few of them into pendants, but he likes them to be a bit stealthy -- not scream, "HEY! I'm watch guts!" His latest pendant, in 14 karat yellow gold, is a perfect example -- with the border of raised dots -- Eytan's "caviar" pattern -- blends interestingly into the busy landscape of a mechanical watch movement, with its red jewels and steel wheels. This particular movement isn't very old -- it was probably made in the 1990s or thereabouts by Gotham Watch...

Eytan based the design of this ring on an old Czech engagement ring that came through the store years ago. It's simple, nicely balanced and substantial. The pleated front tapers to...

This sexy new necklace by Eytan Brandes is based on a custom 1990's necklace that came through the store a couple of years ago. Eytan liked the design and made his own version of it...

This commanding, vaguely medieval-looking ring was made by Eytan Brandes in the early aughts. What started off as an aquamarine solitaire turned into a much more substantial piece w...

Two fat little mice in 14 karat yellow gold with silver-blue Tahitian pearl bodies hang happily by their tails from a string of sparkling aquamarine beads. These mice are based on an antique silver charm that we've had in the store for a while. The silver version had a rock crystal bead for a body and no tail, but we thought he would be a great delivery system for pearls. The pearls are smallish Tahitians and in an unusual silver-blue shade you'd more likely associate with Akoya pearls. They're from our trusted pearl dealer, George Hajjar of Seven Seas Pearls with offices in Tokyo and Los Angeles. Mr. Hajjar deals only with saltwater pearls (Akoya, South Sea and Tahitian), and he only deals directly with the pearl farms, so we always know we're getting the real deal. The pearls are baroque in shape and measure 9mm and 11.3mm in diameter. They both show great color and luster, plus some natural flaws -- a few dents, lumps and bumps and a circle (on the larger pearl) but no off-color pits or dull spots. Their long wire tails form loops for hanging from a chain or cord. We think they look great with the aquamarine bead chain...

Eytan Brandes cast little quatrefoils from a very old station chain brought in by a customer many years ago. Her chain was pot metal, and in terrible condition, but had a lot of sen...

This one-of-a-kind humdinger by Eytan Brandes features an 18 karat gold grid set with princess-cut white diamonds suspended from a long natural citrine boasting a gorgeous color transition from yellow, to smoky gold to crystal clarity. The delivery service for this stunning pendant is two strands of sparkling zircon* and moonstone. The grid is actually a recycled pendant...

Eytan loves the look of a long wire drop earring, especially if he can add a little angle to the dangle. For these fun new earrings, his wires take a little zig and a little zag, wi...

This simple but striking diamond fob was originally a hat pin. Eytan Brandes converted it to a pendant by forming part of the needle into a bale and soldering it shut. The diamon...

This openwork, vintage-inspired disc charm is an Eytan Brandes evergreen. He's used it in earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Here is just about the simplest manifestation: just th...

Eytan Brandes made this 18 karat white gold ring in 2021, specifically for a spectacular E-VVS2 round diamond. However, as will occasionally happen with larger diamonds, we ended up...

Eytan Brandes created this sleek design years ago to be channel-set with diamond baguettes. Recently, however, he rediscovered an old sugilite mineral sample...

Eytan Brandes converted an enormous 1960's brooch (this pendant is only part of it!) into a sexy, wearable and one-of-a-kind pendant. We matched it with a necklace of natural orange...

Eytan Brandes usually casts these little doo-dads for earrings but, just for gits and shiggles, he decided to use them as the centerpiece for a this new choker-length necklace. Th...

Eytan made a pendant like this in 2020 using some stray 18k discs and tubes that he had acquired so long ago he doesn't remember where they came from. That pendant sold immediately, but it was basically a one-off since he had 15 stray discs and 14 stray tubes and the pendant used up all of them. But Eytan has been making jewelry for almost fifty years and in fifty years, things get moved around, stuff gets separated, boxes get shoved here, envelopes get shoved there, the moon waxes and wanes, and before you know it, your shop is like an advent calendar...

A big, natural dark oxblood red garnet cabochon is set in an original ring design by Eytan Brandes, featuring classical "columns" that reach up to the center mounting. Eytan hammere...

Eytan Brandes used actual leaves to make the wax molds for this gorgeous and unique 18 karat gold pendant, so each leaf is whisper-thin and super-lightweight....

Strung on copper-colored silk and knotted like a string of pearls, these graduated round milky-soft aquamarine beads would be beautiful enough on their own, but we've given them an ...

A glossy. faceted freeform slice of carnelian is the focal point of this one-of-a-kind new pendant by Eytan Brandes. Eytan carved the frame for this stone in wax and cast it in warm...

This 18 karat gold tassel was one of two attached to an extremely damaged, early 20th Century chatelaine that came into our shop at least 20 years ago as scrap-in-trade. We melted m...

Several years ago, Eytan Brandes cast these discs from a pair of very old (1900 or thereabouts) 14 karat rose gold cufflinks. He's been using them for earrings and pendants ever sin...