Today is NYC Pride, and I’ve been thinking about what it means to wear who we are.
When I started my own studio, I never thought of it as “woman-owned” or “gay-owned”—though both are true. It was never about fitting into a category. It was built around the idea that jewelry could carry identity, whatever that identity may be, without needing to explain it.
Jelena Behrend Studio is a gay, woman-owned business, proudly serving a wonderfully diverse array of clients, including the LGBTQ+ community, for over three decades. During Pride Month and all year round, when you shop here, you’re directly supporting a business that values and promotes equality for all.
P.S. With this year's celebration in mind, a 10% discount on all priced sterling silver items is automatically applied at checkout (until June 11, 2024, online shopping only). simply click here
The edit features and introduces brand new work, including gem embellished gold hoops and strand earrings.
HAVE FUN AND GREAT TIME, FULL OF JOY AND CELEBRATION WITH YOUR BELOVED ONES!
Although the earliest finger rings are from Ancient Egypt, the history of engagement rings dates back to Ancient Rome. In many countries, engagement rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. This custom also is believed to have originated in Ancient Rome. It was believed that this finger contained the vena amoris, the “love vein” that leads to the heart. (The latin term vena amoris was popularized hundreds of years later by the ecclesiastical lawyer Henry Swinburne in A treatise of Spousals, or Matrimonial Contracts in 1686, in which he references Roman thinkers Apion and Aulus Gallius.) Ancient Roman brides-to-be would receive two engagement rings, one in gold and one in iron. The gold ring was to wear in public, and the iron ring was for around the house.