I got tired of the words vintage-inspired. Vintage is beautiful, but it looks backward. I wanted to make jewelry that looks forward — something you buy today and still love when your daughter borrows it.

So I started calling it Future Heirloom. Jewelry with an Old-World Soul, made now.

What that actually means when you hold it:

1. Small-batch, not mass. We don’t make 10,000 of one thing. We make small runs. The back is as clean as the front.

2. Weight where it matters. Just enough that it doesn’t feel like costume. You put it on and it stays.

3. Details from old jewelry. I collect old earrings from flea markets in New York. The little milgrain edge, the soft floral carving — I bring those into our designs, but keep the shape modern.

An heirloom is not about price. It’s about that one piece you never throw away. That’s what I try to make.

— Cory