Darlene de Sedle

As a child I grew up handling beautiful things like pre Columbian gold amulets, amazing colored gems, 18th and 19th century Chinese medicine and perfume bottles carved out of precious emeralds, tourmaline, jade, agate, amber, amethyst, carved amber figures and objects, glowing in glass cases.

My Father taught me everything I know about gem stones, the color and the smooth feel of pure gold.  He was a gemologist, archeologist, art historian and “Collector” of fine jewelry, and objects of artAll of these collections were at home, dazzling my eyes throughout my childhood.

Mother urged him to open a store in 1929 because his collection were getting out of hand at home and his pockets were always  full of treasures he brought back from auctions and from other collectors.  And so de Sedle’s Inc was created in 1929 at 574 Madison Avenue between 56th and 57th in New York City. 

My brother and I would go down to the shop after school and watch and wait until everything was put away on trays into an enormous Safe before going out to dinner.  Cases of collections lined the walls.   There were endless amounts of Jewelry dating from 6000 BC in ancient Egypt, Greco Roman and all periods of jewelry history.  I remember Fabulous enameled cigarette boxes in red, black, pink ,with tiny jewels from 1930’s Deco period.   

The store was small but had massive 19th century carved silver Russian mirrors , and colored venetian glass mirrors on opposite walls and a big crystal chandelier in the center of the ceiling. It was like a museum. 

I remember walking in the store one day  when I was about 16 years old and mother was sitting down with Greta Garbo one of her good customers.  I’ll never forget her navy blue eyes as she looked up at me. 

When I created my own jewelry collection I knew exactly where I was going inspired as I was by everything I had ever seen. Using pure gold like the ancients and colored gem stones in simple settings.  My jewelry had to have real value something to be traded like barter.  My 22k gold nugget necklace with each bead shaped like rice is weighty in the hand and like barter could be traded in its leather pouch instead of cash for at least two camels anywhere.