Change has begun in the realm of fine jewellery, steadily albeit quietly, led not by esteemed maisons but by an emerging generation of designers who are pushing boundaries in symbolism and craftsmanship. Among them, Rebecca Rau has built a solid reputation with her innovative pieces that fuse new, now, and nostalgia all at once.
Growing up inside New Orleans’ storied M.S. Rau, a prestigious family-owned fine art, antiques, and jewellery gallery founded by her family in 1912, Rebecca Rau’s childhood unfolded among centuries-old art and antiques. As other children played outside, she wandered museum halls and historic homes with her father, who “compulsively corrected all the tour guides!”
What once embarrassed her became her trademark. “A lifetime immersed in treasures enabled me to easily recognise superior craftsmanship and quality,” she says, adding that “real artisanship will always be timeless”.
After nearly a decade shaping acquisitions and exhibitions at M.S. Rau and a Master’s degree in art business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London, the fourth-generation antiquarian felt the pull of a different calling.
“I’ve always been an artist at heart and had the compulsion to create. Eventually, it occurred to me that I had gained a deep understanding of gemstones and history, and that I could combine them to create a niche for my combined creative and professional practice.”
In 2024, she founded Rebecca Rau Jewels in New York, a brand dedicated to transforming ancient artefacts, some dating back as far as 1,200 BC, into contemporary fine jewellery. Her debut collection, Then & Now, officially launched at NYC Jewelry Week last November.
In each piece, genuine historical objects are given new life through modern design as well as
contemporary gemstones and pearls that can be detached, restoring the artefact to its original state as required.
She gravitates towards antiquities that are “interesting but not necessarily conventionally beautiful,” she says, fragments which might otherwise be lost in museum vitrines. “There is something intangible about these objects that call out to me to work with them as design material. I am inspired by striking a balance between preserving their unique character and crafting jewellery that feels both wearable and unexpected.”
Among the standouts are the Reimagined Jasper Necklace, featuring a brown jasper fragment dating from the first to second centuries; the Protectrice Necklace, reborn from a gilt-bronze harness plaque from the 13th century and adorned with pink tourmaline; and the Criss-Cross Necklace, crafted from ancient Bactrian bronze votive wheel amulets in green patinas.
The artist’s signature pieces include the Hand-in-Hand Ring, a rare Medieval fidelity ring with a cupped hand cradled by an old mine diamond; The Granulated Goddess, a Phoenician gold pendant surrounded by pink sapphires and tourmalines; and the Charm of the Hexagon with a 1,500-year-old hand-carved amethyst from the Sasanian era.
Her creations feel like relics reborn—intimate objects that recall past civilisations, their memories, emotions, and energy. She describes her language as rooted in instinct: “My designs are defined by colour, texture and unusual form. Their imperfections celebrate their age and hand-wrought nature. They’re amulets because they hold within them the stories of so many generations watching over whoever wears these proud, strong pieces today.”
