Bling with Vision


1224085801Last week, posh jewelry shop Dorfman welcomed esteemed American jewelry designer Henry Dunay for a trunk show in celebration of his book A Precious Life. The dapper, soft-spoken Dunay showed off his collection with all the romanticism one could hope for from a 73-year-old jewelry legend. “When I see the shine in the customer’s eyes, I can tell she saw what I wanted her to see when I was designing it,” he gushed. “It’s my art.”

Filled with his collection, the glass cases glistened with grandiose tanzanite rings, glittery diamond bracelets, and a breathtaking one-of-a-kind necklace that combined unique shades of coral and rare black and green jade.

And that’s not to mention his most famous masterpiece on the market: the Lachrymosa Mask, a platinum and gold spectacle with 749 diamonds and a price tag of, ahem, $1 million, which is all to benefit AIDS research organization AmFar. Originally designed for Elizabeth Taylor, the mask has also been worn by Princess Diana and Vendela Kirseborn.

While Dunay’s hand-made designs conjure images of award show red carpets and lavish celebrity parties—after all, Nicole Kidman, Oprah Winfrey, and Hillary Clinton are all fans of his work—his pieces bring a rich, imaginative, almost storybook heroine quality to the table, as well.

Dunay says this is because he begins each of his creations focused on the stones—from Australian opals and Persian turquoise to peridot from Pakistan and moonstone from Sri Lanka—and the design inspiration stems from there. To feast your eyes on Dunay’s mind-boggling works and learn about his journey from bright-eyed apprentice to jewelry world star, check out A Precious Life.

—EMILY A. BROWN

Dorfman, 24 Newbury Street Boston, 617- 536-2022, https://www.bostonmagazine.com/bostonista/wp-admin/www.dorfmanjewelers.com