ABOUT THE STUDIO
David Posnett comes from a family of artists. He studied jewelry for many years at the 92nd Street Y in New York City with Honey Jeanne Laber, Klaus Buergel and Jonathan Wahl since 2001. He is a member of the East End Arts Council and the South Fork Craftsmen’s Guild.
Maidstone Jewelry was born in 2005 and has expanded rapidly. The initial collection of jewelry was based on natural objects found on the beaches of the Hamptons, the picturesque summer playground of New York City.
An interest in lapidary techniques earned Posnett the title of “Doctor of Beach Stones” in an article featured on Hamptons.com (Jan. 10, 2008). Other collections feature jewelry made with antique nails, screws and hardware such as door latches. Steel or iron is fused to gold or silver in a technique called “marriage of metals”.
DESIGN PROCESS
Consultation
First we visit with you at your choice of location. You tell us about your tastes, about your desires, about yourselves. You show us pictures of rings you like, from the web, from magazines, etc. We show you books of artful rings and catalogue pictures of our work. We then make drawings based on your ideas and choices.
Preliminary Rings
First we visit with you at your choice of location. You tell us about your tastes, about your desires, about yourselves. You show us pictures of rings you like, from the web, from magazines, etc. We show you books of artful rings and catalogue pictures of our work. We then make drawings based on your ideas and choices.
Gems
Precious and semiprecious gems are purchased from reputable dealers. A certificate of purchase and authenticity is provided. We love to use unusual alternative gems such as colored diamonds, diamonds in the rough, sapphires, rubies, emeralds and more. Finally the rings are cleaned and presented in high end black velvet boxes. They can be hand delivered or sent overnight.
Pricing
OUR STORIES
DAVID AND MARIA
David (the jewelry designer of Maidstone Jewelry) and Maria married in 2005. Their wedding rings had special significance to each of them.
David’s ring was made with an antique nail from the beams of a Swiss alp barn built in 1833. The blackened iron was forged into a ring shape, the interior inlaid with 18K gold. At the head of the nail is a gold bezel housing a black diamond. The ring is made with materials that have survived for centuries and thus symbolizes an enduring relationship.
Maria’s ring consists of 4 strong 18K wire rings held in place by twisted sterling silver wires each representing a union of two. There are 4 gold and 4 silver wires and the marriage of metals represents a solid bond between two different elements.
THE RUSTY SCREW
The story of this ring begins in 1979 when a steel screw was used to make a wooden picnic table. The table was purchased and sat on a deck for 28 years exposed to all kinds of weather. Over the years the wood rotted and was finally used as firewood to heat the house. Out of the ashes of the fire we retrieved a charred and rusted old screw. It was forged to shape it in a circle and filed on the inside to obtain a smooth surface. It was then covered in 18k gold solder
SANDY & SETH
Sandy and Seth saw a ring at our booth at a fair on the hip Upper West Side of Manhattan. They wanted paired wedding rings with black diamonds. They agreed to send us some pictures from the web of rings they liked. Here is what we got:
Then we met at a local Starbucks and made some drawings:
We came up with a plan and made preliminary rings in Sterling silver to test for size, feel & fit.
Sandy and Seth liked the rings. Molds were made and the rings were cast in 18k white gold. Both were hand-hammered. Black diamonds were channel set.
In all we met 4 times face to face. Sandy and Seth got what they wanted and were very happy.
GET IN TOUCH WITH US
MAIDSTONE JEWELRY
David Posnett
31 Thanet Way
East Hampton, NY 11937