Shopping Spree

Fashion > Forward

by Felicia D'Ambrosio

Bario-Neal

View collections and custom work at bario-neal.com; select pieces available at Vagabond, 37 N. Third St., 215-671-0737, and Arcadia Boutique, 819 N. Second St., 215-667-8099

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Modern, timeless and gimme are the first words that spring to mind when glancing through local jeweler Bario-Neal's Alluvial collection. Responsible business practices and down-to-earth prices register across the brain, as well. But mostly, it's just gimme.

Owners Anna Bario, 25, and Page Neal, 27, met as undergrads at Oberlin College, studying psychology and sculpture, respectively. Though the two friends lived on opposite coasts after graduating, their mutual passion for designing jewelry kept them in touch. Outpriced in New York and San Francisco, they chose Philadelphia as the place they would launch their collaborative label. "One of the reasons we wanted to start the label was to make jewelry that we could afford," says Neal.

Their energized, graceful collections reflect their youth, and draw inspiration from such unlikely sources as Harold Fisk's maps of the 1944 exploration of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (hence the collection name).

Bario-Neal also exemplifies ethical business practices in a politically charged industry. All jewelry is cast from reclaimed precious metals, colored stones are sourced from a women's mining collective in Tanzania that gives back to the community and ethically mined diamonds come from Canada. Custom pieces represent a large part of Bario-Neal's work, especially commitment and wedding rings. Grandmother's diamonds can be set into a ring the client designs with the jewelers. They have even turned a bullet casing from a funeral salute into a man's wedding ring with an elegant and meaningful result.

The jewelers provide free consultations to anyone interested in custom work. "Our engagement line is more affordable because we're one-on-one," Neal says. "Using family diamonds or metals keeps things accessible, exciting for the client and also, sentimental."

Pick up ready-to-wear pieces from the Alluvial and Camac collections at Arcadia and Vagabond boutiques. The Camac pieces were inspired by childhood dandelion chains, referencing both women's first experiences with jewelry-making. The smooth enameled chains and organic shapes of those pieces inspire a childish pleasure — like crowning yourself with dandelions of your own design.