Ancient Figures and Handcrafted Charm: Meet Rising Brand Darius Jewels
Mythical ancient creatures carved in gold and linked together to form an otherworldly necklace; mismatched emerald studs that look endearingly off-canter, and a grinning Pegasus with old-mine-cut diamonds for eyes, strung on handwrought chains made to resemble paper links from a childhood school project.
These are the work of Los Angeles-based Darius Khonsary, who founded her line Darius Jewels a year ago as a tangible way to connect with elements of the ancient world, as well as explore her Persian heritage and love of traditional craft.
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The collection, made by master jewelers in Los Angeles, is quickly generating buzz for its thoughtful charm and simultaneously casual and opulent qualities. Pieces are set with recycled antique diamonds and Burmese rubies, and follow traditional jewelry making processes from Iran — carved from 18-karat gold and dipped in 24-karat gold for a richer overtone and warm, satin finish.
While designs are rooted in ancient pre-Persian people including Akkadia, Assyrian and Sumeria, they also are layered in modern nuances — one could equally picture them at a post-COVID-19 rave, a 1970s discotheque as well as in an ancient hammam. “I’m activating ancient energies and bringing them into the future. I’m trying to present something futuristic and modern in pieces that are essentially ancient to present a compression of time. The pieces themselves, I feel, exist out of time,” said Khonsary.
The designer slowly built her collection over two and a half years, with money saved from a decade spent working at an L.A. jewelry boutique. “I was just making one piece at a time because it’s so expensive [to start a jewelry line]. Once the collection was all finished last year, it felt like the right time to release it in November, especially with everything going on,” she said.
One of Khonsary’s totem designs, her Sisters necklace, is a series of linked ancient figures that are carved in gold — with shapes pulled from an Akkadian cylinder seal from approximately 4,000 years ago. It was the first piece that Khonsary designed, and set the tone for the rest of her collection — as well as its connection to her identity as a trans woman.
Courtesy/Darius Jewels
“I feel like with the Sisters necklace, it’s connected to transgender ancient magic and the transformative state [of that time]. It’s something I’ve researched a lot — how trans people did exist in the ancient world. That’s almost forgotten and when I talk about bringing ancient imagery back into present day, that feels like something I’m doing as well,” said the designer.
In February, her brand was given a trunk show with Moda Operandi, where much of her inaugural collection was sold through. Her presence, though, is an important benchmark in a fine jewelry world that is often helmed by white, cis-male executives with product that is, more often than not, explicitly gendered. And that is even more particularly true in the price point bracket that Darius Jewels operates within, with many of her designs extending into the five-figure range.
The soft-spoken designer is shy to speak about what her arrival in fine jewelry could mean for the larger industry. But she has an inkling that it’s the start of a new chapter. “I feel like the future isn’t so cis-oriented. I feel like I know of some other trans women also starting jewelry brands. I think a lot about how the jewelry industry feels very cis-oriented. It’s not always a comfortable feeling.”
“I don’t understand the idea of jewelry or clothing being gendered — it’s for everyone to enjoy,” she added. “Even the idea of unisex jewelry doesn’t make sense to me. Jewelry shouldn’t be labeled, it should just exist and be able to connect to an individual without these conventions.”
Khonsary’s first look book, with a follow-up coming soon, features herself draped in Darius Jewels designs and a sheath dress fashioned to look like ancient clothes. For her, representation counts. “I do want to see as many people like myself wearing the pieces. It’s great to have the jewelry on other trans women — it’s something that’s really important to me.”
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