Gold and diamond jewelry from Berkeley’s April Higashi. Her inspiration can be found in the landscapes of her Bay Area home: brown diamonds an echo of coastal soil, verdant emeralds akin to the rain-soaked Muir Woods, and deep-sea black coral as rich as the night sky.
Inspired by the “inexhaustible beauty of the natural world,” jeweler April Higashi strikes the perfect balance between earthiness and elegance. Her high karat pieces are infused with the influence of her Bay Area home: brown diamonds an echo of coastal soil, verdant emeralds akin to the rain-soaked Muir Woods, and deep-sea black coral as rich as the night sky. Based in Berkeley, April brings twenty years of experience as a contemporary jeweler, curator, artist and gallery owner.
The textures in April’s gold are intended to reveal the fingerprint of the maker. The gold used in her practice is more pure and softer than lower karat varieties – a deliberate choice that ensures the pieces will assume a unique history and character through wear.
April works in a combination of natural, raw and rose-cut stones. She seeks gems with a specific, distinguished character, including impeccable gems cast off during the cutting process of larger diamonds.
“I first met April Higashi twenty years ago, around the time I opened my first store, Shoka, in Berkeley. Her style has remained, to me, the perfect balance of classic, modern and organic. This is a rare, long-lasting aesthetic. It, by nature, ensures the pieces will remain wearable for decades to come.”
– Shobhan
