Jewelry for every side of a woman

Jewelry passed from mother to daughter carries more than gemstones and gold. For designer Kristine Dee, it also holds the stories behind each piece, including her mother’s purchase to celebrate a hard-earned business deal. Those personal connections inspire “Modern Heirloom,” one of three chapters in “The Woman Within,” her collection exploring the different sides of a woman through fine jewelry. Its three chapters, “Modern Heirloom,” “Quiet Strength” and “Playful Femininity,” move from sentiment to assurance to joy. Each reflects a side of a woman that Dee has observed in her clients and herself. “They try out other styles which are not their usual, and the choice follows their emotions, what they felt at that time, how that particular jewelry piece made them feel when worn. Each capsule collection shows the different versions we, as women, find ourselves in.” For “Modern Heirloom,” Dee draws on her mother Elizabeth’s practice of passing jewelry to her daughters, along with the memories behind it. Among them is a piece Elizabeth bought after closing a business deal she had worked hard to secure. “It is not just the piece that she shared, but the story that comes with them,” Dee says. That sense of continuity takes shape in classic gemstones...