“There’s so much power in a simple design that whispers instead of yells,” Jade Ruzzo explains to me.  “It’s that strength that comes from a quiet confidence.”  We are discussing Ruzzo’s design ethos, but it’s clear that this could describe the woman as well as the incredibly wearable jewelry she designs for her highly lauded and sought-after eponymous jewelry collection (which was recently honored in the 2026 T&C Jewelry Awards—in the category "The Next Gen"—in the April 2026 issue of Town & Country).

Ruzzo’s journey to jewelry design was a bit more circuitous than most: after graduating from FIT, she spent a decade working in fashion and personal styling before two significant life events (and a global pandemic) set her on her current path.  “During COVID, I became a jewelry consumer.  And though I was in the styling world, jewelry had never been my specialty.  Being a very obsessive person, when I go in on something, I will learn every single thing about it I can.  I found myself trying to find pieces that could honor my father [Vic, who passed in 2015], and allow me to carry him with me, that I could pass down to my daughter [Gloria, who was born in 2019]; where even though he never got to meet her, they’d somehow be connected through this beautiful piece of jewelry.”  Unable to find any jewels that truly fit the bill, she decided to design some herself.

After being introduced by a mutual friend, Ruzzo met with For Future Reference founder Randi Molofsky and, in very short order, was expanding the collections she would show to buyers and editors in the For Future Reference villa at The COUTURE Show at Wynn Las Vegas in 2023.

Working almost exclusively in 18-karat gold, Ruzzo’s pieces are rather like modern minimalist sculptures that beg to be worn, and demonstrate why the clean lines and classic shapes she employs translate so well to virtually any situation, whether picking up one’s daughter at school (as Ruzzo does in her Large ‘Cowbell’ Earrings) or being pushed down a hotel hallway on a room service cart while singing and catching a football (à la Taylor Swift in the penultimate scene of her “The Fate of Ophelia” music video, featuring a one-of-a-kind Ethiopian opal variation of the ‘Una’ Ring).

Another aspect of Jade Ruzzo's jewelry worth noting is how, in her hands, an array of colors becomes de facto neutrals.  Her use of zircons ranging from dusty rose to brown is one example (as seen in the 16.47-carat cushion-cut stone used in the one-of-a-kind Brown Zircon ‘Cymbal’ Ring).  Another is the gorgeous green of the 13.35-carat teardrop-shaped Mozambican Paraiba tourmaline in the one-of-a-kind Paraiba Tourmaline ‘Gong’ Pendant.  And then there are Ruzzo’s go-to green tourmalines.  As she tells it, “I came out of the gate with green tourmaline.  I love a green tourmaline!  And a misty lagoon green tourmaline, too.” 

When discussing the pieces she wears most, there’s no hesitation.  “I wear my Large Green Tourmaline ‘Vic’ Ring every single day,” adding that she will sometimes pair it with her Small Green Tourmaline ‘Vic’ Ring.  Her other staples?  The Large ‘Leo’ Chain, and the aforementioned Large ‘Cowbell’ Earrings, because “They’re just so wearable.”

If you’re noting the musical influence in her designs, that’s quite intentional.  Ruzzo’s father, Vic, was a drummer, and influenced not only the ‘Vic’ collection, but also the ‘Percussion’ collection, which contains some of my Jade Ruzzo favorites, including the ‘Gong’ pendants, the ‘Pitch’ earrings, the ‘Chime’ earrings, the ‘Drum Head’ pendants and rings (the latter of which can be personalized!), and a piece I feel is fast on its way to becoming a modern-day classic, the ‘Cymbal’ pendant, which comes in three sizes, is absurdly easy for anybody to wear with just about anything, and even contains the ersatz indentations from where it would’ve been struck by drumsticks!

Even the ‘Tennessee’ collection, identified by the fringe of stones that subtly shimmer with every movement, is imbued with a rhythm that brings joy to the wearer and those around them, as exemplified by the ‘Tennessee’ Bangle, with its fringe of 40 brilliant-cut diamonds weighing 1.50-carats.  [Oprah Winfrey is a fan and owns a ‘Tennessee’ Ring.]

At the end of the day, what makes a jewel by Jade Ruzzo so uniquely covetable is the wonderful ease with which it can be worn—whether by you, your parent, or your child—while being both situationally apropos and effortlessly cool. 

JADE RUZZO will be showing with For Future Reference at COUTURE 2026—at Wynn Las Vegas, from Wednesday, May 27 through Sunday, May 31—in Salon #828.

Jade Ruzzo
New York, NY
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