DesignTeeth Monthly | June 2026
Ettore Sottsass' jewelry, a definitive vintage watch guide, covetable jewelry boxes, and Block Shop's Shaker collaboration
A monthly dispatch of new finds, quick takes, and happenings in jewelry design.
My dear friend Laura spent the spring in Florence, Italy, with her family for her husband’s job. One morning I woke to an email from her with several iPhone photos from the exhibition, I am an architect. Ettore Sottsass, that she saw at the Palazzo Buontalenti in Pistoia. Knowing my interest in jewelry, she kindly snapped shots of his sketches and newspaper clippings (above, bottom right). Sottsass had a groundbreaking and prolific career, with collaborations including Olivetti and Bitossi, among others, culminating in the founding of the Memphis Group. He also designed an impressive array of jewelry — such as Ring Mane, the lapis and gold ring for Cleto Munari (above, bottom left), and the Euphoria necklace for Acme Studios (above, top left), a signature Memphis-period piece in cloisonné and silver. His work comes up at auction from time to time, like this Double-Barreled ring at Sotheby’s, or as part of this somewhat more affordable collection of Memphis jewelry at Wright.
I will sadly not be in Tuscany to see the exhibition, but it is up until July 26 for those who are.
In jewelry adjacent news, my husband, Michael B. Dougherty, worked with watch experts Eric Wind and Charlie Dunne of Wind Vintage, on a new book, Vintage Watches: The Modern Guide. It will be available November 17th from Ten Speed Press.
As Michael wrote in Mensweird — his informative newsletter on menswear, which I highly recommend (no bias) — “To create this book I spoke with Eric and Charlie at length — I’m talking dozens of hours — distilling their immense knowledge into a single, definitive guide to the most important brands and references, plus essential collecting wisdom.”
My jewelry storage is far from streamlined. I have a habit of collecting little boxes, vessels, and dishes, where some jewelry is haphazardly kept. (It can, at times, feel like a self-imposed treasure hunt, requiring that I lift each lid to find the studs I want.) The bulk though has taken residence in a rather unremarkable glass-and-wood jewelry box. Nothing to write home about. It does its job just fine. But I recently came across this gorgeous handmade mahogany jewelry box by Judith Gefter, and I have suddenly found myself wanting to up my jewelry box game. This is currently beyond my budget, but it got me searching on 1stDibs, and I found some beauties, like this 1960s mid-century onyx jewelry box, or this solid wood American Studio Craft one "in the style of Sam Maloof" from the 1970s. Perhaps, there is a roundup on jewelry boxes in my future.
No jewelry here, but very excited about this chic — Shaker chic too on the nose? — collaboration between Block Shop and Hancock Shaker Village in the Berkshires. Shaker furniture is having a moment, and it is a welcome change to see textiles in the mix — especially an interpretation that isn’t too literal. Block Shop’s use of vibrant color paired with the simplicity of Shaker designs is near perfection.
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