If you've recently found yourself suddenly itching for opals, odds are Wwake is responsible. The minimalist jewelry studio is best known for sparking an industry-wide obsession with October's birthstone. Since the brand was founded in 2012 by designer Wing Yau, its fan base has expanded beyond fashion editor types to include celebs like Lupita Nyong'o, Rihanna, and Dree Hemingway. Now, the New York-based brand is celebrating quite the milestone: a collaboration with Nordstrom. It's the first time Wwake is being stocked at a major retailer, Yau tells Refinery29. (But you can already shop the line on its own website, as well as boutiques like Bona Drag, Steven Alan, and Catbird, among many others.) It's a part of Space at Nordstrom, a store-within-a-store concept that stocks emerging designers. "[VP of creative projects] Olivia Kim and her Space at Nordstrom team have a great eye and are doing something really exciting in their new department," Yau says. "In celebration of this, I wanted to curate something new that would both add a personal touch from myself as a designer, and amount to something even more exciting than our normal collection offers."
Right now, Nordstrom is stocking 13 Wwake styles online — a mix of silhouettes fans will recognize from the brand's core collection (like these two- and three-step rings and triangle earrings), as well as six pieces designed exclusively for the retailer. (Four of these Nordstrom-only jewels are currently shoppable online, while the other two are available in select stores.) Yau introduced a few new stones into the mix for the Nordstrom-exclusive pieces: lapis lazuli, sapphire, and moonstone.
"Wwake wanted to make a capsule collection for Space that felt fresh and exciting, but also true to our designs," Yau says. She settled on a color scheme: the very seasonally apropos combination of wintry white and hues of blue. "My favorite color has always been blue, and my birthstone is sapphire, so I was really excited to introduce this earthier, richer color into the world of Wwake," she says. The stones may be new to the brand, but the way the colors work together — the blue sapphires and lapis paired with the white diamonds, the iridescent moonstones — is a nod to its core collection.
Ahead, check out the Wwake pieces you can only buy at Nordstrom...
Yau's main concern when putting together the Nordstrom collaboration was ensuring that each piece felt dynamic. "With designs that already incorporated a lot of asymmetry, like the Three-Step Point Earrings and the Three-Step Ballon Ring, I thought they were best as stand-alone pieces that featured our tonal blues."
Wwake, exclusive at Space Three-Step Point Earrings, $785, available at select Nordstrom stores.
"When it came to some of our more symmetrical pieces, it made more sense to present them together, in a ring stack, to create a stronger impact with a single color, blue. This ring stack also has a diamond moment that is simply a personal detail for the wearer!"
Wwake, exclusive at Space Micropavé Open Slice White Diamond Ring & Nestled Moonstone & Sapphire Ring (Set of 2), $1,335, available at Nordstrom.
Wwake is all about the subtle statement: This delicate chain necklace is dotted with sapphires and diamonds — and a moonstone front-and-center — to pack a punch.
Wwake, exclusive at Space Sapphire, Diamond & Moonstone Necklace, $1,165, available at Nordstrom.
This partnership presents an opportunity for Wwake to expand the reach of its brand. Yau hopes the collaboration "will open the eyes of young women who are looking for their own fine jewelry that makes a statement about themselves — something that creates an exciting contrast to their grandmother's jewelry, but also feels personal enough to wear every day."
Wwake, exclusive at Space Sapphire & Lapis Ring, $520, available at Nordstrom.
The two-step chain earrings are a Wwake mainstay. For Nordstrom, Yau swapped opals (or tanzanite, emerald, or diamond) she typically uses in favor of moonstones.
Wwake, exclusive at Space Large Two-Step Chain Earrings, $485, available at select Nordstrom stores.
Gotta stack 'em all.
Wwake, exclusive at Space Sapphire & Diamond Rings (Set of 3), $1,285, available at Nordstrom.
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