My Story
Inspired by my experience as a professional dancer and architect, the contemporary fine jewelry of RACHELWELD aims to balance the structure of architecture with ballet’s sensuous grace and lyricism.
The language of RACHELWELD is based on the notion that beauty is not static. Dance gave me a profound appreciation of the body’s lines and the electricity it can create. From architecture, I utilize ideas of space, structure, and light. I am after a dynamic tension. The historic playing with an edginess. The hard-edged with the feminine. The tone is understated glamour - evocative, and sly.
My relationship with jewelry began with my Great Aunt Nadine and the family heirlooms she shared with me. Many of these were Victorian or Deco; each of them are windows into the lives and stories of the women who came before me. I deeply respect jewelry’s power to embody and reflect meaning.
Each RACHELWELD piece is meant to be an expression and extension of the individual's beautiful layers and complexities.
“From Rachel Weld Newton, Jewelry That Speaks to Our Times”
- Laird Borrelli-Persson VOGUE Runway
A little more about me - I was born in Los Angeles and raised in New York by my parents who are both painters. Upon retiring from dance, I studied architecture and design at Pratt Institute. While working in the field of architecture, my language of jewelry design developed in drawing form. I took time out to immerse myself in metal-smithing classes and got hands-on training while working for other jewelry designers. RACHELWELD launched in 2020 and continues to evolve. I live in Brooklyn with my husband and daughter, and my parents are just next door - still painting.
Philosophy
A core value of RACHELWELD is a commitment to responsible business practices socially and environmentally without compromising standards in quality. We invest in processes and partnerships that support strict labor and safety practices, both domestically and abroad.
Whenever possible, recycled gold is used. Only repurposed diamonds - highly graded in color (E-F) and clarity (VS) - are used. Colored gemstones, hand-selected for grade and cut, are from small-scale mines of known origins.
At RACHELWELD, the latest 3-D printing technologies are married with the ancient lost-wax casting process. All pieces are cast, handset and finished locally in New York City by master jewelers with exceptional care and standards.
Rachel Weld Newton
Portrait Photo Credit: Max Zambelli
Product Photo Credits: Jordan Carrasquillo, Alain Simic