Edie Charles, Jewellery Designer

Edie Charles is a jewellery designer and certified gemologist based in New York. She has a lifelong passion for jewelry, and began her training in metalworking at age fourteen in New York City. Edie earned a BA in Jewellery Design from Central Saint Martins in London in 2014 – where her designs won the Boodles Award. After graduating she lived and worked in London for a few years, collaborating with artisans in the historic Hatton Garden to cultivate her signature style. A designer whose work is informed by the materiality of the precious gemstones she sources, Edie returned to New York where she earned a certificate of Graduate Gemology from the Gemological Institute of America in 2017. She currently lives and works in upstate New York, where she is making and producing her designs. 

Embracing Authenticity

Edie Charles is a trans woman jeweler and gemologist championing authenticity through ornamentation. She turned to jewelry during her transition as a way of connecting to the inspirational women in her life, forging connections between craft, femininity, and authenticity. Reflecting this journey, her signature collection of signet rings features a silhouette of her profile. By using an historical form, the silhouette, and placing her likeness in its frame, she is working to make a place for trans women within a legacy of artistry and representation.

Profile of Edie Charles in NUE Magazine, 2014. Written by Sarah Humphries, photography by Lia Clay.