If you ask Gina Love where her love for gold is rooted, she’ll recount legends of radiant supernovas, ancient civilizations, and her own majestic gallivant across the globe. As the co-founder of Auvere, along with her partner Steven Feldman, Love melds her passion for design with her penchant for pure gold in an ever-expanding range of accessories that journal the inspirations she takes from her global travels and fascination with history. Earrings reminiscent of galactic spheres and ornate necklaces that draw on emblematic figures from ancient Greece and American literature comprise her lavish portfolio, which platforms high karat gold as its predominant ingredient.
After recently making forays into colored stones with a medley of rings that feature rubies and diamonds, Love adds turquoise to Auvere’s repertoire by dialing into her childhood in Jamaica and reflecting on the bygone Byzantine Empire. Inspiration for the Byzantium Ring came from a tour of Istanbul, during which Love became deeply fascinated with the empire’s deep history. Adopting a build similar to Auvere’s previous offerings, the Byzantium Ring sees Love take her use of semi-precious stones to the next level by also channeling the Caribbean Sea’s mystical gradients from time spent on Jamaica’s northern coast.
“We lived in a house high on a hill overlooking the sea,” she says. “I can still recall the beauty of the ombré shades of turquoise to deep indigo blue.” As a teenager, Love noted turquoise’s accessible price points compared to other precious gems, kicking off a long-term affinity for the aqua-tinged jewel. Her later understanding of the stone’s cultural ties and symbolic connection to the sea and sky motivated her to combine it with the gleaming beauty of Auvere’s signature 24 karat gold that she accumulated during her journeys to Jaipur. Formulated with roughly 23 grams of her hallmark material and inset with five turquoise cabochons totaling 2.8 carats, the Byzantium Ring stands as one of the jewelry purveyor’s most exciting and ambitious introductions as it spotlights Love’s ability to seamlessly marry her fondness for gold with her knack for storytelling.
