There is something both inspiring and soothing about the in-depth magic and light of emeralds. Maybe that’s why Nina loves the stones so much.

The designer spent a large part of her childhood on her parent’s farm in Medusa NY. She grew up around nature and greenery, growth and fertility, a hotbed for her own creativity. 

Nina’s attraction to emeralds probably stemmed from admiring her mother’s wedding ring, as a little girl. An Edwardian band of dark flat emeralds set into rose gold, the ring now adorns the finger of the designer’s eldest daughter Alexa. 

But maybe the bigger crush for the budding creative was a large bar pin with two glowing emeralds set around a diamond. Her mother would clasp it around a multiple strand pearl necklace. (you can catch a glimpse of in the picture below)

“I remember my mother looking so chic. She used to have a chignon, her hair was up, up, up! She had tiny little waist. And I used to just remember her and the pearls and the pin, and it’s like my vision of my mother. She was such an inspiration to me. So, I think my love of emeralds comes from her.”

While traditionally an emerald on the darker side is considered by many the more precious, the fine jeweler tends to favor the brighter green of Colombian emeralds, which to her feel more cheerful. She dearly loves the inclusions, giving the gems an extra dimension or sense of realness.

From bold and bright, platinum, emerald and diamond rings, to deep green cabochon front hoops or lighter mix-shape oval hoops on blackened white gold for a more casual feel.

“Every piece of jewelry we layout is a bit different. We did hoops with different diamond cuts, the next one was with oval, the next one will be round. We want to keep changing things and the architecture should always be different from one to another.” 

Lush greens feel soothing and relaxing to Nina and many items in her closet complement these shades. Outside her wardrobe, amongst other things in her home, she particularly cherishes a beautiful photograph of two geishas walking on water, in a bamboo forest of green by photographer Ahmet Ertug.

More recently, the designer added to her offering striking emerald necklaces and bracelets on blackened 18k gold, pure and strong designs to be worn either with a white t-shirt, or a ballgown. Staying true to her motto, never too precious to wear.

Dear Friends, 

I am a New Yorker. I was born in Manhattan and raised on a farm in upstate New York. My entire family, my late husband, children and I were all born at The Mount Sinai Hospital.

I feel profoundly lucky that my family and I are safe and healthy, I am grateful for this and recognize our privilege, but am struggling to sit still knowing that so many people in New York and worldwide, are not so lucky.  

I have spent time talking to family members and friends over the past few days, wondering how I can support the city I love and its people, and to keep my business moving forward in a way that helps. How do you do that when you sell a luxury product like fine jewelry?

Like all of us, I find the new world rules of social distancing and staying at home necessary, but also challenging. While my beloved New York City is in lockdown, it is hard to bear witness to the advance of a virus that is taking many precious lives, whilst also pushing medical systems and health workers to their limits

As a citizen, a mother, a daughter and a business owner, I know that all we must and can do, is to stay safe and do whatever we can to help others. We are all in this together, no matter our origins, race or religion.

Generosity is key in hard times. I know this and we have all seen it in the past few weeks, shared via email, on Instagram and in the news. So many beautiful stories that bring tears to our eyes and make us rethink how we should pave the way, inspire people to become beacons of light, encouraging others to do their parts too.

I have been very touched by the countless individuals raising money for their local hospitals, food banks and care centers in the US and other parts of the world.  Many of these have been in Italy, China and Spain, where we have all witnessed not only their suffering for the past few weeks, but also the exceptional resilience of their people.

After talking with my team, I have decided to set myself the goal to try and raise 1M$ for my own local hospital, The Mount Sinai Hospital to support the Research and Response against COVID-19.

The hospital is gearing up to stay ahead of the pandemic surge, by getting everything from safety equipment, ventilators, PPE, and convalescent plasma program, all in order to support the surge of patients, which has grown to the point where they have had to create a temporary tent hospital in Central Park – the lungs of New York City.

In order to raise this much needed money, we will upload selections of our fine jewelry weekly on WhatsApp and on Instagram, with all profits from sales being donated to The Mount Sinai Hospital. All sales from NinaRunsdorf.com will also go towards our effort to reach our target.

I hope to appeal to those out there who have the means to purchase my beautiful pieces, made with the finest materials, handcrafted with care by master jewelers in New York City, at the same time as offering much needed funds to this healthcare establishment so deeply in need.

Sending you all my love, may you be healthy and safe.

Nina

Recently Nina took a voyage to the French capital to showcase her latest collections this season, amongst which “Claire de Lune” and “Les Jardins”. She flew over her newest romantic moonstones, organic grey diamonds, and a colorful array of sapphires, iolites, emeralds, tanzanites, pink topazes, and pops of apple green enamel.

In between appointments, Nina roamed the streets of Paris with Berlin-based photographer Maxime Ballestros, who joyfully captured Nina behind the scenes at her hotel and on her visits to galleries, cafes, and rare bookshops. Nina even shared a moment with some French police officers not far from the Palais de l’Elysee. Sadly no sighting of the French president! 

See some mementos from her trip below.

In the Garden at the Hotel Le Bristol 

Taking to the streets of Paris 

New moonstones galore!

Paying homage to a goddess

Who says you can’t garden in heels?

Hungry for some emerald earrings!

A new fluffy friend

Bookstore finds

Reporting for duty! 

All in the details 

Sneaking a peek before dinner 

Killing Eve star Sandra Oh wore bespoke Nina Runsdorf earrings to the BAFTA TV tea party this week. The unique emerald earrings on 18k white gold feature icy diamonds and were a perfect fit for the occasion. Nina frequently pairs stand-out emeralds with different cuts of diamonds to enhance the natural beauty of the gem. To learn more about Nina’s process and one-of-a-kind pieces click here.

Pheobe Waller-Bridge English actress and creator of the Amazon original show Fleabag was spotted wearing Nina Runsdorf at the BAFTA TV awards. Waller-Bridge sported Slice Diamond earrings from Nina’s Phoenix collection. Surrounded by fire engine red enamel and pave diamonds the earrings sparkled on the red carpet. Visit our Phoenix collection page here, where you can request to order your own pair.

Gisele Schmidt appeared with her husband Gary Oldman at the Venice Film Festival clad in Nina Runsdorf jewels. She donned archive 18k white gold rose-cut diamond earrings and Nina’s iconic diamond Flip Ring surrounded by pave diamonds. Both pieces shined and sparkled all evening from the bright lights of the red carpet. Explore the extensive Flip Ring collection here and find out about Nina’s bespoke creations here. 

Following her debut at Harrods in London, Nina hosted a private party with a select group of close friends and press to celebrate this landmark moment for the brand. Nina approached Fiona Leahy Design to create a dreamy botanical scene for the intimate dinner at Wild by Tart’s industrial studio on Eccleston place. The scene was embellished by Nina Runsdorf jewels displayed in organic terrariums, a perfect introduction to for her Harrods premiere and a nod to her first campaign. The designer was joined by her two daughters, Alexa and Kate, who flew in from New York for the occasion.



Nina Runsdorf opened this April in the famed UK department store, making it her first international pop up boutique. Supported by Parisian creative agency Ohlman Consorti, Nina worked with NY based photographer Bobby Doherty to shoot the first campaign to present her collections to the London and international clientele walking the halls of this retail institution.

Picking from her favorite items and iconic Flip Rings, the highlight maybe her green emerald bracelet inspired by Klimt’s “Pathways” painting. Made entirely of different colored emeralds in blackened 18k gold, the piece reflects on the patience needed to find the stones and the collector nature of its creator.

“Last year I said my dream is to be in Harrods and here we are. It is such an honor to be showcasing my collection with Harrods. It has been a wonderful experience."

The full Flip and Artist collection are also available at Harrods and on Harrods.com for the duration of the month of April.

Actress Gemma Arterton was spotted wearing hoops from Nina’s newest collection at the 'Vita & Virginia' UK premiere this March.

She wore the Large Mustard Hoop Earrings in 18k Yellow Gold featuring a removable pear-shaped Smokey Topaz charm surrounded by Mustard enamel.

Nina’s latest collection, The Artist, gets a splash of colored enamel inspired by some of Nina’s favorite modern and contemporary artists. The collection includes Flip Rings, Enamel Bands, and Hoop earrings in three sizes.

Nina Runsdorf’s Old Mine Diamonds and signet ring grace the cover of February Vanity Fair on actress Laura Dern.

Old Mine Diamonds are a favorite of the designer who has an extensive collection of these vintage diamonds available for viewings at her atelier.

Nina says: "I love old mine diamonds because they look like they have been passed down through generations and are also less faceted than modern diamonds, making them easier to wear. Also it was such an honor to see them worn by Laura Dern. Thank you Vanity Fair"

Nina Runsdorf offered select press and buyers a preview of her new SS2019 collections at R+Company in New York City this November. A personal collector of modern art and furniture, Nina paired her latest enamel creations like the Artist Collection to be displayed at the boutique’s downtown New York location.

For Fall/Winter 2018 the designer also resurrected her iconic Sliced Diamonds encircling them with brightly colored enamel. “I felt that it was time to bring back Slice in a big way, and with a more contemporary edge,” says Runsdorf.

The result is a playful contrast between the refined and elegant appeal of Sliced Diamonds with a fresh, pop-art bent of colored enamel.