Nature, Reimagined in Gold: Inside the Poetic World of Vivienne Charles
Photography Courtesy of Vivienne Charles
In a quiet atelier nestled within a Balinese tea house in Tuxedo Park, New York, jeweler Elisa Gilbert brings the wild back to life—one sculptural silhouette at a time. Her debut fine jewelry collection, Birds, Bees, and Things from the Sea, under the brand Vivienne Charles, is less about ornament and more about reverence. Each piece is a tiny universe—a glittering tribute to nature’s most elusive whispers.
Crafted by hand, the collection captures the soul of enchanted forests, moonlit lily ponds, and golden meadows where time folds in upon itself. This is not mere jewelry—it’s poetry cast in precious metal.
“I wanted to create a collection that feels like a jeweled manifestation of nature’s whispers—each piece a memory of something ephemeral yet eternal,” says Gilbert.
A Menagerie of Myths
A golden cricket—its body a tapestry of textured gold and emeralds—seems to leap mid-song. The Celestial Serenade Pin, adorned with a black star sapphire eye, hums with the mystique of twilight symphonies. It’s the kind of jewel one might imagine pinned to the collar of an old-world naturalist or a modern-day sorceress.
Then there are the frogs—yes, frogs—reborn as regal adventurers in high-karat gold. The Prince Charming Necklaceis whimsical yet precise, echoing the primal allure of a lily pad moonlight dance. Each creature appears frozen mid-leap, imbued with a sense of kinetic storytelling. Meanwhile, the Mirelume buckle transforms the lowly bullfrog into a marshland talisman, a symbol of transformation and twilight power.
Of Bees and Queens
Gilbert’s obsession with the poetic minutiae of life continues in her bee-inspired pieces. The Apis Verdi brooch, with its golden shimmer and emerald eyes, looks as if it might buzz softly in your hand. “Bees are symbolic to me,” Gilbert explains. “They represent hard work, community, and the quiet elegance of nature.”
The Queen Bee Necklace, evocative of a hidden hive wrapped in gold, feels both royal and ritualistic—like something unearthed from the jewelry box of an ancient forest queen.
Jewelry as Storytelling
With roots stretching four generations deep into artisan craftsmanship, Gilbert approaches her work with a storyteller’s heart and an engineer’s precision. Her bench is not just a place of assembly—it’s a sanctuary where mythology, memory, and metallurgy converge.
The Honeyed Hive Hoops and Highland Hoops anchor the collection with a subtle strength. Light dances through the honeycomb lattice of the former, while the latter’s dual-toned gold vines evoke the quiet nobility of ruins lost to ivy and time.
“Each piece tells a story, preserving the magic of land, sea, and sky in precious metal and glittering gems,” says Gilbert. “I hope these jewels inspire the same sense of wonder in others that they bring to me.”
An Ode to Spring
Vivienne Charles will debut select pieces at Lapin Contemporary Gallery in North Adams, MA, as part of An Ode to Spring: Celebrating Nature’s Renewal, running April 12 through June 15, 2025. A curated mix of jewelry, sculpture, and floral design will echo nature’s rhythm and awaken visitors to the idea that beauty, like spring itself, is cyclical and sacred.
“Vivienne Charles jewelry captures the essence of the natural world,” says gallery curator Cristina Barbedo. “The beauty and craftsmanship reflect the renewal and vibrancy of the season.”
A New Kind of Heirloom
More than adornment, Vivienne Charles offers something rarer: a chance to wear a story, to carry a piece of the forest, a glint of the sea, a heartbeat of the sky. These jewels aren’t trendy—they’re timeless. They don’t shout—they sing.
In a world increasingly detached from the natural, Vivienne Charles reminds us that the wild is still with us—in the glint of gold, the curve of a frog’s leg, the hum of a bee, and the sparkle of a story well told.
