Variance Objects

About the Jewelry

The pieces and process are inspired by the materials. They use the materials of traditional fine jewelry, but they approach the process in a minimalist way. They cut and polish all of their stones, but they do it with a different set of priorities in mind.  They look to capture the nature of the stone, and preserve its inherent textures, color patterns, and light qualities rather than transforming them into a sparkly made object. Then, because of the way they cut stones, they are able to approach metals and settings in a completely different way. They fabricate everything so there is no duplication in the way that there can be with cast metal. Plus tehy mix gold and silver, melt metals together and leave everything only semi-polished, the final polishing comes with wear. 

Their jewelry starts out dark and then brightens over time. It can be brought back to its original darkness with a dip in our Anti-Polish. Silver has always needed ongoing care. Their jewelry is no different but it's care in the opposite direction.

About the Artist

Nicole Rimedio, the artist behind Variance Objects, creates jewelry that highlights the natural beauty of raw materials. Her jewelry shows the earth, fire, and hand that it came from. While she received her BA in Architecture and Urbanism from Smith College, and her master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from UC Berkeley, making jewelry has always been her path. Nicole founded Variance in 2013 with her partner Scott Zankman. Scott captures the beauty of Nicole's jewelry in his photography of each piece she creates; he also manages sales and operations for Variance. They both have a passion for gemstones and together they source the finest natural and unusual gem specimens and rough rock. Nicole and Scott live and work in Santa Cruz, California.