Wilfredo Rosado’s New Fine Jewelry Line Improves on the Pearl Necklace

When the jeweler Wilfredo Rosado set out to launch his new contemporary fine jewelry line, W.Rosado, he discovered that it would not take merely a village—but a global village—to realize his vision. Rosado, heretofore known for his spectacular high jewelry, was crushing on Australian South Sea pearls and decided to call his first project for W.Rosado “Pearl ID,” because each stone would be ingeniously carved to accommodate a letter or symbol rendered in gold or diamonds.

The lofty creations may be exquisitely wrought, but Rosado laughs that he was actually inspired by the kind of white plastic beads kids play with at camp that spell out their own or a friend’s name: “I was feeling nostalgic, and I wanted to re-create those in a very luxurious way.” But as it turns out, it is not so easy to find people who can carve pearls. Rosado searched the world and finally located master cutters in a tiny German town called Idar-Oberstein, where they have been doing such things for more than a century. That said, they had never worked with pearls. Rosado explains that completely new machines had to be fabricated, and it was a steep learning curve, but that only stiffened his resolve: “ I knew I was onto something! I like to take on challenges—I’m a New York person!”

In Germany, this New York person has the pearls inlaid with a letter or insignia that has been crafted in Italy. Then the finished pearls return to Valenza, where Rosado’s goldsmiths turn them into beautiful jewelry—sometimes incorporating a single letter, sometimes dreaming up more elaborate sentiments. To give you some idea of the sort of things he has envisioned, there is a brooch that shouts “Hello” in black diamonds (Don’t we all seek connection, now more than ever?) and a heart-stopping necklace that reads “Amore” across five pearls, separated with pavé diamond stations. There is even a ring flaunting a diamond marijuana leaf—which may speak louder to a particular wearer than any mere initial.