The paradigm shift took place over lunch in Florence, Italy, circa 1992. Betony Vernon, a striking flame-haired jewelry designer, was showing off her most recent creation: the 18-karat-gold O-ring, designed with a nod to a bondage collar, with a smaller ring affixed to its front.
Playfully, Vernon's partner put his pinky through the smaller ring as she donned the larger one. Then, the unexpected happened. “There was an electric impulse running through this piece,” she recalls. “We both felt it.” The feeling changed her life. “That was the moment I knew that jewelry can provide sensation and reinforce an intimate bond.”
Enabling others to experience electric moments like that — to “bring luxury, fantasy and sensual possibilities to the fine-jewelry world” — has been Vernon's aim ever since. “Sex and luxury were never associated,” she noticed, and the jewelry designer set out to change that. The result was her 1992 Sado-Chic collection, which became the Paradise Found collection.
Vernon grew up in Virginia and studied art history, religion and goldsmithing at Virginia Commonwealth University. Following her graduation in 1990, she moved to Florence, later earning a master’s in industrial design from the Domus Academy in Milan. Europe has been home ever since.
Vernon's designs are provocative, sexy. But if you look no further than that, you’re missing a much bigger (and more interesting) point. Vernon’s rings, necklaces, bracelets and other accessories represent a vital part of what she sees as her life’s mission.
“Pleasure,” she explains, “has been associated with sin, wrongness and naughtiness, not with joy, happiness and bonding.” Vernon has set out to demolish that “pleasure taboo.”
So, how is pleasure reflected in the design of Vernon's jewelry (and remember, we are talking sensuality not sexuality)? Early in the design process, she asks, “How many senses can I turn on?” Every detail relates to a sensual experience.
That crisp snap a clasp makes when opening or closing? A pleasure to the ear.
The softness and spring of noble metals, silver and gold? A pleasure to the touch.
And always, Vernon believes, jewelry embodies memory, legacy. A pleasure for the soul.
Find a collection of Betony Vernon jewelry on 1stDibs.
Betony Vernon "Venus Ring" Small, Sterling Silver 925 in Stock
By Betony Vernon
Located in Rome, IT
The “Venus Ring Small” was designed by Betony Vernon in 1997 to be worn on the middle finger. This piece celebrates the feminine. It is an emblematic invitation to express your sensu...
Sterling Silver
Betony Vernon "O-Ring Wrist Cuff Large" Bracelet Sterling 925 in Stock
By Betony Vernon
Located in Rome, IT
Betony Vernon's "O-Ring Wrist Cuff Large" was designed in 1992 and manufactured in lost wax element. The classic Sterling Silver 925 "O-Ring Wrist Cuff Large" won’t date in your wardrobe or in the boudoir. Discover the exciting and arousing possibilities it provides especially when worn with Attachments or Pendants. The ball-and-ring mechanism...
Sterling Silver
Betony Vernon "O-Ring Cuff Medium" Bracelet Sterling Silver 925
By Betony Vernon
Located in Rome, IT
The "O-Ring Cuff Medium" Bracelet was designed by Betony Vernon in 1992 and manufactured in lost wax elements. Paradise Found collectors have appreciated the "O-Ring" collection over...
Sterling Silver
Betony Vernon "O-Ring Cuff Mini" Bracelet Sterling Silver 925
By Betony Vernon
Located in Rome, IT
The "O-Ring Cuff Medium" Bracelet was designed by Betony Vernon in 1992 and manufactured in lost wax elements. Paradise Found collectors have appreciated the "O-Ring" collection over...
Sterling Silver
Betony Vernon "O'Ring Cuff Three Mechanisms" Bracelet Sterling Silver 925
By Betony Vernon
Located in Rome, IT
The "O-Ring Cuff Three Mechanisms " was designed by Betony Vernon in 1996 Paradise Found collectors have appreciated the "O-Ring" collection over the years for its symbolic and aesth...
Sterling Silver
Betony Vernon "O'Ring Wrist Cuff Large Set" Bracelet Pair with link Sterling 925
By Betony Vernon
Located in Rome, IT
The Betony Vernon's signature "O'Ring Wrist Cuff Set", composed of 2 cuffs and removable bond-link, was originally designed in 1992. It is manufactured in sterling silver sheet metal...
Sterling Silver
Slide Cuff Bracelet in Sterling Silver by Kirsten Muenster Jewelry
Located in Geneve, CH
Slide Cuff Bracelet in Sterling Silver by Kirsten Muenster Jewelry. Dimensions: W 7 x D 2.2 x H 6.3 cm Materials: Sterling silver with black oxidation; high polished edges Sizing: Si...
Sterling Silver
Nathalie Jean Limited Edition Sterling Silver Borealis Cuff Bracelet
By Nathalie Jean
Located in Milan, Lombardia
The infinitely varied and naturally beautiful configurations of drifting ice floes inspire the angular shapes of the Borealis Wide Cuff. Composed of light hollow geometric volumes wi...
Silver, Sterling Silver
Nathalie Jean Limited Edition Sterling Silver Borealis Cuff Bracelet
By Nathalie Jean
Located in Milan, Lombardia
The infinitely varied and naturally beautiful configurations of drifting ice floes inspire the angular shapes of the Borealis Slim Cuff. Composed of light hollow geometric volumes wi...
Silver, Sterling Silver
Angela Cummings 1995 Studio Twisted Sculptural Bangle In .925 Sterling Silver
By Angela Cummings
Located in Miami, FL
Free form bangle designed by Angela Cummings. Beautiful sculptural bangle bracelet, created by Angela Cummings at her own silversmith studio in New York city, back in the 1995. This sculptural bangle has been designed with modernist patterns of melted free-forms elements. It is a one of a kind piece crafted in solid .925/.999 sterling silver with high polished finish. This is a very nice and rare piece for any serious jewelry collector, both her signed pieces for Tiffany & Co. created in the 1970's and 1980's and also her own exclusive pieces, remain highly collectible and are admired for their beauty, comfort and easily recognizably in style. We have never seen this model, so most probably part of a very limited edition. Weight: 28.85 Grams, (18.49 Dwt.). Length: 7 Inches (18 Cm). Hallmarks: Stamped with the maker's mark, the mark for the assay of the silver and signed, "©CUMMINGS 1995...
Silver, Sterling Silver
W Sterling Silver Modern Abstract Open Design Cuff Bracelet #20763
Located in Washington Depot, CT
W Sterling Silver Modern Abstract Open Design Cuff Bracelet - This unique heavy cuff bracelet features an open abstract design in classic sterling silver by W. Size: 6.75" in circu...
Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver Mexican Right Hand Bone Cuff Bracelet
Located in New York, NY
Sterling Silver Mexican Right Hand Bone Cuff Bracelet PRIMARY DETAILS SKU: 149110 Listing Title: Sterling Silver Mexican Right Hand Bone Cuff Bracelet Condition Description: In ex...
Sterling Silver
