I was thrilled to be able to attend the “speakeasy” US launch party for UBERKATE Jewelry’s fabulous new Everyday Cocktail Ring collection! And yes, it really did take place in a speakeasy called The Back Room at 102 Norfolk Street that has remained untouched except for the fixtures for over 90 years. Back in the day, it was known as the Back Room Of Ratner’s and it was a major hangout for Bugsy Siegal and his henchmen as well as major celebrities of the Prohibition Era. 
UBERKATE owner Kate Sutton flew in from Sydney for the event and also attended a couple of the jewelry expos around town last week. (The former journalist has actually had her jewelry business in Australia for fifteen years but is just breaking into the US market now.) She chose a 1920s speakeasy to host influencers because of how cocktail rings originally became popular—90 years ago women first started to work for themselves and buy themselves their own jewelry. The cocktail ring because a status and high fashion item. 
Kate’s cocktail ring designs are simple but bold—she uses gorgeous color semi-precious stones like Sea Marine, Larimar, Azurite, Lapis Lazuli, Pink Opal, Black Agate, Smoky Quartz and Green Amethyst in large sizes (about the equivalent of 8-10 carats) and places them on a simple semi-wide sterling or gold-toned sterling band. She favors stones cut in a triangular shape that rest on three prongs securely. All rings in her Everyday Gemstone Ring collection are reasonably priced at $225 no matter the stone or metal. She creates matching dangling earrings for $255 each and simple stud earrings with classic post backs for $150. These simple stud earrings feature semi-precious stones in about the five carat range and are a great gift idea for ladies of all ages. It’s a simple, classic, clean and modern look that is sure to please all tastes in jewelry.
Pendants that match the cocktail rings and earrings cost $225 and come on delicate looking yet sturdy sterling chains that are both natural silver and goldplated. Shown above is the pendant necklace in Larimar. Kate also does customized pieces that can feature stones from inherited pieces from relatives and even your children’s handwriting. You have to write in on the www.uberkate.com website for quotes on Kate’s bespoke work.
Also now gaining popularity in the UBERKATE line are the Living Necklaces, Earrings, Bangles and Rings while are simple hoop shaped sterling pieces. Customers add additional hoops to each necklace for each of their children (names can be engraved as well) but one simple “living circle” on these darling necklaces look nice and elegant to me. The highest end piece in this collection is the one that is not a circle but a basic thin sterling cuff bracelet with about eight different semi-precious stones embedded in it.
I can’t wait to see what else UBERKATE launches in the near future as a lot of the self-designed jewelry that she wears herself is super-innovative and I would like to see it comes to “market.” I spent the better part of an hour of her launch event at The Back Room perusing piles of cocktail rings that she brought with her and I could not tell what stone I loved the most or if I was falling in love with Kate’s Duet Rings. You can see a couple of them pictured above. The duet rings are adjustable and feature two different medium sized stones across from each other. They can be teamed with an Everyday Gemstone ring for a bold three-stone statement. I hope that I get to see Kate Sutton on her next trip to the US and get upclose and personal with her next set of brilliant designs!
