This designer thrives on turning colored gemstones into structural works of art.

Schneider Style

 Designer Mark Schneider thrives on competition. In fact, he attributes the start of this signature style – modern, sculptural jewelry with bold, colored gemstones – to his first entry in the AGTA Spectrum Awards in the early 1990s. “Before that, competitions were mostly about diamonds. Because my real love was working with color, Spectrum gave me the opportunity to design out of the box,” says Schneider. “Competition gives me the stimulation to create.”

Since then, Schneider has won numerous Spectrum Awards, as well as JQ International’s 2008 Retailers’’ Choice Designer Awards “Designer of the Year.” And while some designers go outrageous for design competitions but keep it simple in their fashion lines, Schneider sees the pieces he sells as a continuation of his daring competition creations. “I often do line extensions from my competition pieces,” he reveals. “I’ve even made reproductions of them.”

The Appeal of Color

While Schneider does design contemporary diamonds and platinum engagement rings with swirling, contemporary lines and pave details, his true calling card is color. “Color adds another dimension, as far as what you can do,” he states.

Among Schneider’s favorite gemstones to work with is tanzanite. “I’m fascinated by its rich, velvety color – and how it can look either purple or blue, depending how you accent it and the way the stone is cut,” enthuses Schneider. He likes to create stark contrast by pairing deep tanzanite with the white of platinum, while giving the metal texture (such as a sandpaper finish).

Inspired by Architecture

Some might call Schneider’s ultra modern pieces architectural – and they’re absolutely right. “There’s a direct relationship between my designs and architecture,” explains Schneider. “I’m inspired by Frank Gehry and Frank Lloyd Wright. Gehry pushed the envelope, and Wright would build a home to fit into the environment, even using materials found nearby in its construction.” Schneider enjoys mixing the two design theories by creating bold, unexpected, structural pieces and making them the perfect, comfortable fit for the wearer’s hand.

A Rewarding Collaboration

Often, when designing pieces, Schneider starts with a gemstone and builds the design around it. Not only does the process showcase the stone, it also allows for a more organic creation process. Most recently an opal inspired him to create a jellyfish design and lace agates were used as the tutus for a series of twelve ballerinas.

In turn, working with cutters is a rewarding collaboration process for Schneider. He’s particularly delighted to work with those who are doing fantasy cuts – stones with concave cuts made from underneath, creating unexpected patterns of radiance. “it’s not just a gemstone, it’s an artist’s interpretation,” explains Schneider. “When you’re buying my pieces, you’re often buying the work of two artists – the cutter’s and mine.”

What’s Next

Schneider finds that continuing to do new things keeps his work fresh. He’s recently begun working with natural color diamonds. He’s set to release a collection of men’s rings in platinum, accented with cognac and black diamonds. To keep up with the trends, he’s also working with uncut diamonds – as well as ones that have been faceted on one side but left in their natural state on the other. These new pieces will fit right in to Schneider’s signature experimental style. He boasts: “I love to design things that make people ask questions.”