Rachel Atherley
Rachel Atherley Jewelry
(845) 594-7399, rachelatherley.com
Rachel Atherley’s fate of becoming a jewelry designer may have been sealed simply by being born in the Treasure State of Montana. Atherley grew up collecting pyrite and quartz from hiking trails, developing an immense appreciation for nature given she was surrounded by the majesty of the Rocky Mountains and its incredible wilderness reserves. That influence combined with her creative sensibilities led her down a path to jewelry design, where she’s clearly doing something right.
In this year’s INSTORE Design Awards, she racked up three First Place wins in the Best Earring Under $5,000, Best Necklace Over $5,000, and Best Pearl Jewelry Under $5,000 categories, as well as the prestigious new COUTURE’s Choice Award for INSTORE for her Talisman Charm Chain necklace. For these wins and her compelling design DNA, she’s also taking the prestigious title of 2023 Cindy Edelstein Emerging Designer.
Her signature style is a tapered line, a simplified repeating pattern that could be taken from any natural element seen on one of her hometown hikes: the curve of a feather, the beak of an owl, the silhouette of a bird’s plume, and of course, any of the rocks and gems found in abundance in her home state.
“My pieces speak to simplicity and quintessential forms in nature,” she says. “That can be seen in my Plumage earrings, where a cascade of gemstones graduates to a point. That design celebrates my love of color and is inspired by the changing colors of a hummingbird’s chest.”
Atherley’s work is in 35 stores nationwide. See her work in person at the August edition of Melee the Show in New York City.
Butterfly Charm Chain necklace in 18K yellow gold with Boulder opal doublets (28 TCW), $9,955 Photo: Emily Patzner
Owl ring in 18K yellow gold with kyanite (3.0 TCW), $770 Photo: Cole Rodgers
Lage Peacock earrings in 14K yellow gold with kyanite (70.0 TCW), $1,675 Photo: Sandy Sun