Introducing...Digby & Iona

The Label: Digby & Iona
Based In: Brooklyn, New York
Designed By: Aaron Ruff, who was raised in Maine, where he loved discovering hidden treasures and ancient relics. The son of a craftsman, Ruff studied furniture design at Parsons before switching his major to jewelry. The name, Digby & Iona, is taken from two seaside towns in Nova Scotia that Ruff fell in love with while traveling.
Looks Like: In keeping with his original inspiration, Ruff's playful, antiquated pieces—silver tree stumps carved with hearts, finely wrought arrows, compass lockets and signet rings, bone and musket pendants, vintage-inspired keys, distressed bullet, dice and domino necklaces—do, indeed, recall old timey trinkets (or cool detritus overlooked in our fast-moving culture) that you might've discovered while out for a stroll in the woods. And the Inspector Clouseau and Phileas Fogg necklaces pay tribute to their mustachioed namesakes while calling to mind more modern bewhiskered Brooklyn denizens. "My collections always draw inspiration from immersing myself in different historical periods; this time I looked to prehistory," Ruff told The Fashion Informer of his latest collection. "Also after Signet, my spring 2011 collection, which was full of extremely meticulous, high detail engraved pieces, I wanted to create a simple, well crafted collection where the materials could take the spotlight (and wanted an excuse to play around with some feathers)!" Ruff also collaborated with UK children's book author Oliver Jeffers on a limited-edition collection this past fall.
Sold At: Digby & Iona is sold at specialty boutiques worldwide, including Catbird in Williamsburg, Atomic Garden in San Francisco, Dirtbox in Australia, and on the Digby & Iona website.