Makri would seem an inspired choice for Reinstein Ross, whose work tends to be substantial and chunky. She thinks like a sculptor, and her pieces have a satisfying three-dimensionality that jibes with her new employer’s aesthetic. Just as important: Makri has a long list of bestsellers. Her colorful evil eye pendants and snake rings are grails for jewelry lovers, identifiably hers and more valuable for being so. The pieces she designed for The Row circa 2012 (Ashley Olsen is a Makri collector) instantly sold out.
In their ’90s heyday, designer Susan Reinstein and gem expert Brian Ross had hits of their own; they made pieces with a solidity and heft that matched the minimal clothes of the time, and their tiny shop on Prince Street was a popular destination. “It was the sort of jewelry to wear with a Jil Sander suit,” a Vogue editor who shopped the label recalls. “It said you were unfussy and interesting and had good taste.” Best of all it was artisanally and locally made. The house founders are no longer affiliated with the company.
Makri’s hire comes at a propitious time. For years, dainty, delicate jewelry has been trending; now, the pendulum seems to be swinging back towards bold, statement-making pieces of the sort that both Reinstein Ross and Makri specialize in. On the runways it’s a moment for “investment clothes”—and investment clothes call for investment jewels, even better if they’re handmade. Makri’s new pieces for Reinstein Ross, arriving in the brand’s two Manhattan stores and and its website in February 2020, certainly fit the description. “Everything comes from old traditions at Reinstein Ross… Indian, Etruscan, some Roman,” Makri explains, “so I thought of going into ancient Greek jewelry.” It’s a subject that she knows intimately; Greek born, she makes her home in Athens, and she takes much inspiration from historical jewels.
That said, Makri will be spending a fair bit more time stateside with the new appointment and maintaining the distinctions between her own collection and Reinstein Ross’s will be paramount. “Reinstein Ross is a brand that I feel has authenticity, heritage, and vision; this is something that motivates me.”
