Dina Mackney’s jewelry catches the eye

The designer creates a line of vividly colored pieces that emphasize the beauty of the natural stone.

Dina Mackney wasn’t expecting to launch a jewelry business on that fateful day. 

Pregnant with her first child, she was shopping for a comfortable getup while wearing a comfortable getup. But marvelously contrasted against Mackney’s loungewear was handmade gold jewelry — the products of a new hobby. Unable to wear her favorite clothing throughout the pregnancy, Mackney relied on jewelry to add pizzazz to her everyday looks. And it wasn’t long before her designs caught the eye of a store owner who wished to buy the very jewelry she was wearing.

Now, more than a decade later, Dina Mackney Designs continues to elicit awe with geometric structure and the use of intense color.

“I would say it’s classic styling with a modern twist, because everything is bezel set, so it’s a really clean aesthetic,” Mackney says of her collection.

Mackney’s pieces call attention to the purity of precious and semiprecious stones, the focal points of each item. The signature bezel setting enhances this look by wrapping the rim of the stone for safekeeping while also underscoring it. 

This is in no way accidental, as Mackney’s signature style was inspired by a lifelong love affair with the arts and sparked by a fascination with natural stones.  

“Growing up, I had the biggest rock collection of anyone I knew,” Mackney has said. “Fast-forward many years and it is still my inclination to begin all of my jewelry collections with finding the most beautiful, natural stones for my designs.”

And since Mackney’s jewelry includes exotic stones — like Australian prehnite, Mexican fire opal, tourmilated and rutilated quartz and Sleeping Beauty turquoise — it appears that her rock collection is still growing, more refined, that is.

“My jewelry is really meant to let the natural beauty of the stone shine,” she says.

As a busy mother of two, an entrepreneur and an artist, Mackney designs for modern women who juggle many roles, like herself. Noticing a need for convenience in her own schedule — as well as a desire to look and feel good — she designed her pendants as enhancers, complete with a hinged bail, which allows the client to mix and match pendants while sporting the same chain or beaded necklace.

“I always design with this goal in mind — not just what is interesting for art’s sake, but what will make women look their best and complement their look,” Mackney has said.

With this added versatility, clients can transition their jewelry from day to evening in seconds — or simply experiment with different styles.

“Either for traveling out of town or maneuvering from function to function in town, I found it an easier way to switch looks quickly and get a lot of different looks with just a few pieces,” she has said.

Described as timeless, not trendy, Mackney’s designs are available in 22-karat gold vermeil, fine sterling silver and solid 18- to 22-karat gold in all shades and hues, for rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets and cuffs, pendants, chains and other forms of fine jewelry.

For more, visit dinamackney.com.

More from Danielle Renda
Feel Derek Jeter at bat
Tech fashion is hot, hot, hot. Women’s Wear Daily recently noted how...
Read More
Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *