Fine Jewelry Designers Showcase Brands’ And Sparkle At NYFW

In the world of fashion, September back-to-school means New York Fashion Week. Of late, the week has become more than just brands and designers taking to the runways, but a chance for other brands to host presentations, consumer activations, and celebratory parties, among other events, in New York, where the week got off to a later start than usual, forgoing the Wednesday after Labor Day to almost a week later, fine jewelry got in on the action with several store openings and special presentations to spotlight the sector that has proved to be one of the most resilient in luxury.

Muse founder Jennifer Shanker proves that wholesale business experience can often translate into retail success. After opening her Muse x Muse boutique located in the same space as her jewelry showroom last year, the fine jewelry expert has partnered up with Nordstrom to bring her cool and polished curation uptown. While the space opened earlier in the summer, Shanker, Nordstrom’s Fashion Director Rickie De Sole, and investor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Carmen Busquets hosted a fashion week soiree that had the first-floor emporium rocking with more than just gemstones. Attendees such as Allison Williams, Wes Gordon, Stacy London, Chloe Malle, and Lynn Yaeger perused pastel-velvet-lined display cases, trying on baubles and catching up with industry players after the summer.

Brit jewelry Jessica McCormack jumped the pond to celebrate her Madison Avenue store, which opened in the spring. McCormack kept with the uptown mood by throwing a swanky fete at The Frick Collection with a star-studded fete in the museum’s lush atrium. Guests perused the library and adjoining galleries while enjoying cocktails and a fun card game of chance. McCormack brought in the gems beyond her glittering jewelry; she had gal pal Zoe Kravitz co-host and other celebs such as Evan Moss Bachrach and Leslie Bibb in attendance. While toasting McCormack, Kravitz recounted getting to know McCormack while ‘stuck’ in London during the pandemic, recalling the warmth and hospitality the jeweler offered her in that difficult time.

Alexis Bittar staged another thought-provoking presentation to debut his Spring 2026 jewelry and accessories collection. Held at the Abrons Arts Center, a core program within the Henry Street Settlement, Bittar created his vision of a Nineties-era beauty pageant in a commentary reflecting current-day societal ills, primarily aimed at the LGBTQ community, notably trans women and women in general. In his exploration of other mediums, Bittar continues to push the concept of brand identity and conversation to encompass a broader spectrum of more than just fabulous baubles and bags.

Referring to iconic films such as Blue Velvet, The Virgin Suicides, and Eyes Wide Shut, the presentation featured transwomen contestants (including Elon Musk’s estranged daughter Vivian Jenna Wilson) bearing the names of states where their rights and more are under attack. Exploring the misogyny of beauty pageants and its targeting of transwomen and the ongoing objectification of women, the contestants each called to the stage, presented by a very Vincent Price-seeming host representing the patriarchy. The women are subjected to stage-directed audience applause, resulting in an awkward exchange between the two.

“I have never been shy about merging social commentary with fashion. This story lives between the past and present. It is haunted by narratives of misogyny and predation that defined earlier eras, while also confronting the urgent realities of today—specifically, the revocation of trans rights in our current climate,” explained Bittar in a statement.

“Miss USA 1991 became the perfect frame for my Spring/Summer 2026 Collection. The collection threads together the clean restraint of early ’90s minimalism with the exuberant excess of late ’80s maximalism. I played with juxtapositions: fluidity against structure, texture against control, boldness against fragility. The palette, too, speaks in contradictions—muted sherbet shades of mauve and teal, so specific to the early ’90s, set against graphic, gold-textured shapes that fracture the softness,” he continued, adding, “This is not just a collection. It is a dark dreamscape, a confrontation, and an invitation to look more closely at what we celebrate, what we consume, and who we erase.”

Presley Oldham’s message this season was all about newness, showcasing a swanky suite in the newly renovated W Hotel Union Square. The jeweler debuted his first fine jewelry collection, introducing fine metals to his unique pearl designs. One-of-a-kind statement styles, featuring a rainbow color assortment of the precious sea gems, were sourced in recent travels to Hong Kong and Tokyo, and now set in solid 14K white and yellow gold, were displayed along the classic sterling silver styles, which are dotted with colorful glass stones.

Speaking of glass, the designer is launching colored glass nesting dishes, ring holders, and a signature candle to expand his world. Oldham has been busy; he also created glass-tasseled pendants and belts for the Zankov Spring 2026 runway and worked with Mara Hoffman and her son on the lookbook for his namesake collection in his home base in upstate New York.

Fine Jeweler Bernard James, who is also a 2025 finalist for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund program, held his first presentation during NYFW with his community and friends such as Karl Anthony Towns, Denée Denton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Bethann Hardison, Christopher John Rogers, Sherri McMullen, Bruce Pask, Julie Gilhart, Quil Lemons, Telsha Anderson-Boone in attendance.

Held at a new swanky sky-high riverside development, One Domino Square, James immersed his guests through the senses: first by touching his latest jewelry collection, then seeing architectural design via George Beson’s wood plinths display, listening to an auditory experience via DJs and close friends Key and Stonie Blue, and through a gustatory sense experience with sake espresso martinis.

Entitled “The Process of Living,” the presentation held on the Brooklyn waterfront was significant to the designers’ jewelry journey. It took place in two luxury units located on the 40^th floor, which allowed guests to experience both the collection and fantasy version of New York living.

Entering one apartment, attendees were greeted with James’ new Crushed Collection, which was inspired by a bench jewelry mistake and created an asymmetrical link, which they could pick up and feel for themselves. The leg of the journey continued up a spiral staircase to a roof deck where guests discovered a key necklace style in a glass vitrine overlooking the East River, its bridges, and Manhattan, truly a death-defying jewelry display.

Once traversing the outdoor terrace, guests entered another apartment and descended into the space where on display were additional collections from the designer and rooms where guests could try on the jewelry for a photo or just simply ponder what it was like living in an apartment that could double as an air traffic control center based on the clear view of airplanes passing through the sky. The presentation demonstrated that just like the apartment high vantage point, James is a jewelry star on the rise.