Maniamania Midnight Collection

Suffused with decadence, and steeped in symbolism, there’s a beauty within every Maniamania jewel. A nostalgic beauty echoed in vintage cuts and an otherworldly allure to their celestial designs. We caught up with designers Melanie and Tamila in their NYC studio, to take a peek behind the scenes of the new Midnight collection launching in November 2017.

There has always been a celestial undertone to Maniamania pieces, what inspired the new midnight collection?

The natural poetry of the ‘night-sky’ inspired the gemstone formations and our colour choices in this new collection. The moon and moonlight are universal symbols of romance and of love, and we chose to showcase this conceptually using watery blue rose-cut Sapphires, rich painterly black diamonds and the starry sparkle of white diamonds in unusual combinations. Together these are symbolic of the romance of the night sky. Our vintage inspired engagement rings are a modern interpretation of the aesthetics seen in the Georgian and Victorian eras which we look to for inspiration, also seen in the antique style diamond cuts we have introduced in the collection.

A beautiful mood of nostalgia runs through your ceremonial collection with vintage gemstone cuts, what is it about vintage styling you’re drawn to?

Both Tamila and I have been collectors of vintage pieces for a long time, in clothing, jewellery, and interior elements. We are both attracted to the timeless and beautiful designs throughout time and across cultures, from Egyptian to mid-century modern, as well as those really unique and unconventional pieces that you just don’t see everywhere. We try to transfuse a unique beauty in each piece we create in Maniamania Fine Jewellery  to give it the look and feel of an extraordinary ‘vintage find’, that piece that really speaks to you and that you have to have, that you feel embodies your personality and will cherish forever.

“Rich painterly black diamonds and the starry sparkle of white diamonds in unusual combinations are symbolic of the romance of the night sky.”

We love the artful way you’ve used coloured gemstones in this collection. What inspired your approach?

We have always included colored stones in our collections as we find that many people are searching for alternative and unique engagement rings and also stones that have a special meaning, such as birthstones in their jewellery. In this collection we have really gone deeper into this with the combinations of gemstone formations and unique colour combinations, as seen in our palette of blue sapphires scattered with black and metallic grey diamond accents. This gives a gentle romantic opulence that is lit up by the sparkly warmth of the Old Mine and Old European Cut white diamonds.

Maniamania is steeped in symbolism, and we love the way women are encouraged to select pieces that deeply resonate with who we are as individuals. When selecting an engagement ring, what are some of the key things to guide your decision?

There are so many beautiful gemstones with symbolism and metaphysical properties to represent a union. For example, the blue sapphire is a jewel of wisdom and truth, signifying celestial hope and faith, and the white diamond is a symbol of purity and innocence, of love and fidelity. But we really do believe that if a gemstone attracts and resonates with you, even if it’s on aesthetic values, then it’s the jewel for you.

Which diamond cuts have you used in this collection? And what is special about each?

We have continued to use our signature antique-style rose-cut stones, as seen in the watery black included diamonds, mixed with soft blue Sapphires. These rose-cut stones are often custom hand cut for each piece in our lapidary in New York. This season we have also introduced the Old Mine Cut and Old European Cut diamonds, which were the prevailing diamond cut styles from the Georgian (1714-1837) and Victorian era (1837-1901). These diamonds are ethically sourced and are actually repurposed from antique jewellery from those eras. They have a beautiful nostalgic quality that gives each piece a unique ‘one of a kind’ feel.

“Diamonds are ethically sourced and repurposed from antique jewellery.”

Where can Maniamania collections be purchased? And do you offer a bespoke service?

We create each one-of-a-kind piece by hand and they are made to order in our New York studios. The collection is available to purchase on our website directly, as well as several stockists in the US and Australia as listed on our website here. If you’re located in either Sydney or New York, we offer private appointments to view the collection and also to have a bespoke consultation, where we offer clients the opportunity to customise our designs by their choice of gold or metal type/colour, gemstone type, alterations of the pavé details and the options of custom engraving and secret burnished stones inside the band.

We often visit other locations to hold private appointments, which we will announce to our mailing list and on social media. However, because many of our clients are from all over the world, and unable to attend a consultation, we have a very thorough and detailed program of customer service during the production process.  We make sure you are a part of each step, by offer of Skype or phone consultation, and clients can also select their own centre stone before it is set, with images and videos shared.

For more info visit the Maniamania website.