Juju Vera incorporates ancient references into jewelry that feels utterly of the moment.

If JuJu Vera jewelry feels distinctly vintage while impossible to situate in a specific period, for designer Julia “Juju” Ferentinos, that’s precisely the point. The New York brand’s viral Petra necklace—an oversized lost-wax cast shell pendant with cascading teardrop charms—takes cues from an oversized sunburst necklace Mia Farrow wore at the 1968 Cannes premiere of Rosemary’s Baby, as well as from an Art Deco scallop motif. Ferentino’s Greco-Italian heritage and fascination with history inform pieces like her Athena collar, which draws from an Aztec collar by Mexican silver jeweler Tane, a textured French ‘70 necklace with an almost carved-mesh appearance and ligne verticale metalwork. “I was thinking about what an Ancient Greek woman might wear to entertain, and what I’d want for a night out with my girlfriends,” she says.&nbsp;

Ferentino’s eye for distinctive jewelry was shaped during her childhood on Long Island, where trips into the city to visit her chic Italian grandmother, Vera—the label’s namesake—left a lasting impression. “Even when we would go over for a casual family dinner she would always be dressed up for us,” Ferentino recalls. “I was fascinated by her effortless elegance.” Whether in a prim skirt suit or a fluidly draped dress, Vera styled jewelry with a sense of irreverence, mixing different colored pearls or pairing a gold-and-sapphire collar with a long pendant. After working on the VIP team at Khaite, Ferentinos launched the vintage sourcing business Found for You by Juju, finding rare pieces for film, editorial, and private clients before she began designing her own collections two years ago.&nbsp;

Earrings by Julia Ferentinos. Courtesy of Julia Ferentinos.

Necklace  by Julia Ferentinos. Courtesy of Julia Ferentinos.

Antique-inspired spiral motifs have become a recurring signature for Ferentinos, who spent summer holidays on the Greek island of Cephalonia, where her father’s family is from. Her latest collection explores sculptural reinterpretations of the Greek key, but never in a way that feels overly literal. “I don’t ever want it to look like Versace,” Ferentinos laughs. “It’s more like if Josef Hoffmann designed a Greek-key doorknob.” The Austrian architect and designer’s modernist sensibility comes through in such designs as her Nile earrings, which rework the classical shape into a stylized sculptural form, accented with hand-carved jade beads and rich red agate drops. The Iris sun pendant continues Ferentinos’s exploration of ancient imagery, transforming a sun into a modern medallion centered by a luminous custom-cut 24-carat oval citrine.&nbsp;

Portrait of Julia Ferentinos. Courtesy of Julia Ferentinos.

Juju Vera Is the Jewelry Brand To Keep on Your Radar

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Juju Vera Is the Jewelry Brand To Keep on Your Radar

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