Who’s Who in Diamond Jewelry: Eva Fehren

A new OND series gets up close and personal with today’s hottest diamond jewelry designers.

When Eva Zuckerman designed her X ring at age 28, it put her Eva Fehren brand on the map. The minimalist pave diamond X design resonated with the fashion crowd and women who weren’t necessarily the sparkly type but loved jewelry. Now 40 years old, she continues to create effortlessly cool, graphic diamond pieces that are empowering, especially when stacked on the wrist or climbing up the ear. 

Here, she dishes with Only Natural Diamonds about her “gritty” style, favorite jewels, what’s next, and lessons learned.

Only Natural Diamonds: Favorite piece of jewelry?

Eva Zuckerman: My engagement ring, which obviously I made. I wanted an elongated hexagon portrait-cut diamond and since I couldn’t find what I wanted; I had the rough cut to my specs. It’s one of my most treasured possessions.

OND: Why is the portrait-cut diamond your favorite?

Zuckerman: I love that they are low-profile, I mean it’s a diamond, but it isn’t so in-your-face sparkly; there’s something very irreverent and cool about them.

OND: Your personal style?

Zuckerman: I pretty much wear a uniform, and that’s a lot of black. I’ve always been sort of scrappy and worked with my hands, and being a painter, I usually have paint on my clothes. I never like feeling too fancy. 

That’s also why I’ve always gravitated towards jewelry because jewelry was a way to elevate what I’m wearing. 

I like the high-low feeling of a T-shirt with a diamond chain. 

OND: Do you change your jewelry?

Zuckerman: I live in my jewelry, literally sleep and swim in it. I usually wear a bunch of hoop earrings and little mixed-cut diamond studs, and right now I’ve got a pop of neon color in the mix. I’m wearing two Kissing Claw cuffs and my engagement ring.

OND: How did the X ring come to be?

Zuckerman: My parents had a temporary tattoo and cosmetics company, and as I got older, I drew tattoos. The X ring, which essentially launched my business in 2011, almost looks like a drawing on your finger with tiny lines of diamonds. Everything is born from a drawing, it’s how I solve problems, and it’s my language.

OND: How are you a responsible jeweler?

Zuckerman: We incorporate sustainable practices whenever possible and are particularly passionate about working with antique stones, especially with our larger, more high value pieces. Most of my jewelry is made in New York City.

OND: How does being a born and bred New Yorker influence your designs?

Zuckerman: I grew up in a bohemian, creative family in the West Village, and I never left the city; I studied Fine Art at The Cooper Union. The city’s attitude, energy, and grittiness paired with the glamour, rich culture, and elegance all inspire my style. 

OND: How did you create an instantly recognizable style (I mean that’s every designer’s dream)?

Zuckerman: I definitely have my language and approach to jewelry that I have stuck with since the very beginning. It’s a language with natural diamonds in unique cuts that feels really modern and is inspired by the urban patterns and architecture of New York City.

OND: What’s hot in your collection right now?

Zuckerman: Our Rattlesnake earrings with multiple different cut diamond drops are in demand I think because they feel different, really artistic, and special.

A lot of our clients have only one ear piercing but like the look of multiple piercings, and our solution is the Continuum earring. It goes up the ear and creates the illusion of multiple piercings. It has a lot of attitude and presence. 

The Kissing Claw cuffs that we launched last year have quickly become one of our best sellers. It’s interesting because the Wrap Claw ring was one of my earliest designs and this is an evolution of that sculptural style.

OND: What’s new?

Zuckerman: The new Exo collection was inspired by my drawings. I used black titanium for the first time in bold, geometric shapes with white diamonds. There’s an industrial element to the titanium but I also made it with larger diamonds, and it’s like a study in contrasts.

The X ring was so copied so it pushed me to evolve the design. The new design is more fluid, sculptural, and three-dimensional, and has this surprising element that when you turn it on your hand, it morphs into a different shape. 

OND: What is different in jewelry today? 

Zuckerman: More people are interested in investing in pieces that they’re going to wear all the time, like a diamond chain with a large geometric diamond shop. 

People are more adventurous when it comes to wearing more independent brands and not necessarily sticking with the traditional, status pieces. It’s not so much about wearing what everybody else has but more about finding something that feels like “this is me.” 

OND: The most important thing you learned in business?

Zuckerman: Having the confidence in yourself to take the big swings, especially when things get a little scarier and your instinct is to pull back. I’ve learned that it really pays off to be daring, push the edges of your imagination and creativity, and take risks.