Since Faye Kim first took up her goldsmith tools, she’s amassed a shelf full of awards, established a reputation for producing highly wearable, heirloom-quality jewels and acquired a devoted following of collectors, many of whom have purchased her work from the beginning.
As an undergrad, Kim dutifully pursued an economics degree to meet the expectations of her immigrant parents, and she worked for her father’s accounting office for a time. But she quickly found herself “restless,” she says, yearning to do something more creative.
Kim’s mother, having always supported her daughter’s creativity, encouraged her to attend the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in New York as a way to address her impulse for change.
As a newly minted graduate, Kim hopscotched from a job at a jewelry wholesaler to become a pearl buyer for Tiffany & Co. She eventually became a jewelry buyer at the luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman, where she was exposed to the work of modern masters like Angela Cummings and Barry Kielselstein-Cord and to antique treasures from Kentshire.
Kim enrolled in classes as a hobby. The process enthralled her. “I loved being at the bench. I could sit there for hours on end,” she says. “I fell in love with the granulation process and making everything by hand.”
Kim immediately gravitated to working with 18-karat gold, especially in an alloy with a subtle green cast. When she decided to return to work, in 2003, she opened an eponymous boutique in downtown Westport, Connecticut, a bedroom community outside New York City, and it became her livelihood.
Kim established her stylistic signatures early on. Single pieces are weighty enough to hold their own but not too big to stack with others for a more imposing look, modern silhouettes are combined with old-world techniques like granulation and bezel setting, and virtually everything bearing her name is made entirely by artisans in her studio.
Sizable dome rings are much loved. And a stack composed of a gemstone ring flanked by gold bands is another mainstay for Kim’s true believers. Earrings dangling perfectly proportioned baroque-pearl or diamond drops that softly sway from hinged mountings are bestsellers.
Today, Kim is setting the groundwork for focusing on designs that challenge and excite her.
Find Faye Kim jewelry on 1stDibs.
Faye Kim 18 Karat Gold Ceylon Mini Moonstone Briolette Earrings
By Faye Kim
Located in Darien, CT
A perennial favorite, these Faye Kim 18k gold earrings are handmade with shimmering mini Ceylon moonstone briolettes. Fun and versatile, moonstones are easy to pair with other colors...
Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold
Faye Kim 18 Karat Gold Triple Blue Ceylon Moonstone Drops
By Faye Kim
Located in Darien, CT
Faye Kim's 18k Gold Triple Blue Ceylon Moonstone Drops are handcrafted and one-of-a-kind. With their distinctive bluish sheen and translucent glow, the moonstones are complemented by...
Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold
Faye Kim 18 Karat Gold Moonstone Briolette Fringe Earrings
By Faye Kim
Located in Darien, CT
A perennial favorite, Faye Kim's earrings in 18 karat gold are handmade with shimmering moonstone briolettes. Fun and versatile, moonstones are easy to pair with other colors and ca...
Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold
Faye Kim 18 Karat Gold Triple Blue Ceylon Moonstone Drops
By Faye Kim
Located in Darien, CT
The moonstones in Faye Kim's 18k Gold Triple Blue Moonstone Drops for hoops feature a distinctive bluish sheen and translucent glow, and are complemented by matte-finished gold bezel...
Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold
Faye Kim 18 Karat Gold Ceylon Moonstone Daisy Earrings, 12.75 tcw
By Faye Kim
Located in Darien, CT
Faye Kim's 18k Gold Ceylon Moonstone Daisy Earrings - The blue adularescent flash from Ceylon moonstones adds to the overall mystique surrounding them...
Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold
Faye Kim 18 Karat Gold Triple Blue Ceylon Moonstone Drops for Hoops
By Faye Kim
Located in Darien, CT
Faye Kim's 18 Karat Gold Triple Blue Ceylon Moonstone Drops for hoops, with their distinctive bluish sheen and translucent glow, are complemented by matte-finished gold bezels. 18 Ka...
Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold
Moonstone Pear Shaped Drop Gold Plated Sterling Silver Earrings
Located in Oslo, 03
These elegant earrings feature natural rainbow moonstones, each faceted into a luminous 12 × 16 mm teardrop. Renowned for their ethereal blue sheen—known as adularescence—the gemston...
Moonstone, Gold Plate, Sterling Silver
Lauren Harper Rainbow Moonstone, 18kt Gold Pear Drop Earrings
By Lauren Harper
Located in Winnetka, IL
Designed by award winning jewelry designer, Lauren Harper, these open and airy Rainbow Moonstone and 18kt Gold statement earrings are truly stunning. Faceted mixed shaped moonstones practically glow with luminescence. These earrings will compliment any outfit in your wardrobe. Versatile and special, they can be worn with jeans, but also can be dressy enough to finish a black tie dress...
Moonstone, Rainbow Moonstone, 18k Gold, Gold
Lilly Fitzgerald Collectors Rainbow Moonstone 22k Yellow Gold Handmade Earrings
By Lilly Fitzgerald
Located in Dallas, TX
One of a Kind Earrings hand-fabricated by master jewelry maker Lilly Fitzgerald featuring an exceptional quality, very rare pair of faceted rose-cut rainbow moonstones totaling 16.5 carats, lit dramatically with rainbow adularesence in a striated pattern that glows ethereally across the surface and back in each gem. The phenomenal pair is intricately secured by cylindrical double prongs and embellished bezel-setting, dangling beneath hand-built 22k yellow gold accenting and 18k yellow gold ear wires. About the Maker - Lilly Fitzgerald is a master goldsmith based in Spencer, Massachusetts. Though essentially self-taught, Fitzgerald studied fine art and painting at museum schools in Montreal and Worcester...
Moonstone, Rainbow Moonstone, Gold, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold, 18k Gold
Steven Battelle 2.4 Carats Rainbow Moonstone 22K Gold Post Earrings
By Steven Battelle
Located in Soquel, CA
Two shimmering 6 x 9 mm pear shaped rainbow moonstone cabochons are surrounded by rich and contrasting 22K gold "pasir jawan" granulation below similarly ornamented oval posts in thi...
Rainbow Moonstone, Moonstone, 22k Gold
Steven Battelle 8.6 Carats Rainbow Moonstone Wire Dangle Earrings 18K Gold
By Steven Battelle
Located in Soquel, CA
A pair of shimmering 9 x 13 mm pear shaped rainbow moonstones are surrounded by delicate twist wire accents in this handcrafted 18K gold creation. On the wires above are small circ...
Moonstone, Rainbow Moonstone, Gold, 18k Gold
Steven Battelle 11.5 Carats Rainbow Moonstone Ethiopian Opal 18K Gold Earrings
By Steven Battelle
Located in Soquel, CA
Flashing blue sheen 9 x 14 mm pear shaped rainbow moonstone cabochons dangle below 4 mm round "Welo" mine greenish Ethiopian opals set in simple matte-finish 18K gold in this classic...
Opal, Rainbow Moonstone, 18k Gold
Centering a luminous golden South Sea pearl, this majestic piece is a hot commodity in any season.
Emblems of heartfelt emotion, elegant vessels for photos and keepsakes and perfect for layering, these special ornaments are an essential component of any thoughtfully curated jewelry collection.
