Skip to content
  • Articles
    • Design
      • Architecture
      • Art & Antiques
      • Books
      • Garden
      • Gifts
      • Interior design
    • Entertainment
      • Entertaining
      • Food and drink
      • Holiday
      • Tabletop
    • Style
      • Fashion
      • Jewelry
    • Travel
      • Nantucket
    • At Home with Max Sinsteden in Rhode Island
  • Shop
    • Home & Decor
      • Accessories
      • Antiques
      • Art
      • Lighting
      • Trays
    • Tableware
      • Baskets
      • Glassware
      • Linens
      • Flatware
      • Plates
    • Fashion
      • Bags
      • Clothing
      • Jewelry
    • Exclusives
      • Tableware
      • Fashion
      • Home & Decor
    • Vintage Italian Embroidered Linen Tablecloth Set
  • Video
    • Exclusive insider tours visiting top designers and tastemakers at home around the world
      VIEW ALL
    • At Home with Max Sinsteden in Rhode Island
    • At Home on Paros with Ceramic Artist Todd Marshard
    • At Home in Charleston with Michael Mitchell
    • At Home with Laura Kirar and Richard Frazier in Yucatan, Mexico
Quintessence

Quintessence

Lifestyle blog | Living Well with Style and Substance

  • Books
    • Books that I have collaborated on, as photographer, with design author Susanna Salk
      VIEW ALL
    • At Home with Dogs and Their Designers: Sharing a Stylish Life
    • At Home in the English Countryside: Designers and Their Dogs
    • At Home with Designers and Tastemakers: Creating Beautiful and Personal Interiors
    • Making a House a Home: Designing Your Interiors from the Floor Up
  • About
  • Articles
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Books
  • About

Jewelry

TEFAF New York Fall Preview
Art & Antiques, Design, Interior design, Jewelry

TEFAF New York Fall Preview

TEFAF (The European Fine Art Fair) is widely regarded as the world’s most distinguished art and antiques fair. Established in 1988, it has showcased… Read More

Jeweler by Stellene Volandes
Art & Antiques, Books, Fashion, Jewelry

Jeweler by Stellene Volandes

In her stunning new book, Jeweler: Masters, Mavericks, and Visionaries of Modern Design, Stellene Volandes, jewelry expert and Editor-in-Chief at Town… Read More

2016 Biennale des Antiquaires and Robert de Balkany at Sotheby’s
Art & Antiques, Interior design, Jewelry, Travel

2016 Biennale des Antiquaires and Robert de Balkany at Sotheby’s

This week and next are going to be a very busy couple of weeks in Paris for the world of… Read More

Friday Five Favorite Finds X Part II
Fashion, Gifts, Jewelry, Nantucket, Travel

Friday Five Favorite Finds X Part II

As summer winds down and flip flops and straw hats segue into less casual attire, thoughts turn to fashion for fall…. Read More

Tony Duquette Jewelry at Sotheby’s
Fashion, Jewelry

Tony Duquette Jewelry at Sotheby’s

Before we return to activities on Nantucket, I wanted to be sure that the legions of readers who are Tony… Read More

Friday Five Favorite Finds
Art & Antiques, Fashion, Interior design, Jewelry, Nantucket, Travel

Friday Five Favorite Finds

For this summer, I am initiating a fun little weekly series, Friday Five Favorite Finds, which I find on my travels out… Read More

Tony Duquette | Hutton Wilkinson Jewelry at Kentshire
Design, Fashion, Jewelry

Tony Duquette | Hutton Wilkinson Jewelry at Kentshire

The brilliant and multi-talented Tony Duquette was a creative force whose designs extended from from painting and sculpture to stage sets… Read More

Sotheby’s Fine Jewels Auction
Fashion, Jewelry

Sotheby’s Fine Jewels Auction

As with furniture, fine and decorative art, buying jewelry at auctions is a great way to learn as well as often… Read More

Week of Best Intentions (and Inspiration)
Architecture, Art & Antiques, Jewelry, Travel

Week of Best Intentions (and Inspiration)

This was a week of best intentions. While I had planned on sharing so many inspiring visits, life just got… Read More

ASHA Bespoke Fine Jewelry
Fashion, Jewelry

ASHA Bespoke Fine Jewelry

While Ashley Dodgen-McCormick may have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, her  jewelry business, ASHA, owes some of its success to… Read More

At Home with Susanna Salk and Hutton Wilkinson
Architecture, Books, Garden, Interior design, Jewelry, Travel

At Home with Susanna Salk and Hutton Wilkinson

A multi-talented creative force, Hutton Wilkinson began his career at the age of 18 as apprentice to design icon Tony Duquette. He went… Read More

The Brilliant Beauty of Belperron
Books, Fashion, Gifts, Jewelry

The Brilliant Beauty of Belperron

It was in the 1960’s and early 70’s, when Ward Landrigan, then head of Sotheby’s jewelry department, first spied the distinctive work… Read More

Posts navigation

Older Posts Older Posts
Newer Posts Newer Posts
Illustration of camera

Follow

Some people never seem to run out of ideas. Design Some people never seem to run out of ideas. Designer @maxsinsteden is one of them!

Tag along with me and @susannasalk as we visit Max at his wonderfully inventive Rhode Island cottage.
From clever custom details and ingenious decorating solutions to extraordinary collections and plenty of personality, Max has created a house that’s as elegant as it is relaxed. And he’s wonderfully generous about sharing the thinking behind it all.

Trust me, there are plenty of ideas worth stealing!
Watch the full episode on Quintessence and YouTube. LINK IN PROFILE.
Bridging the seasons with soft pink and amber, a b Bridging the seasons with soft pink and amber, a bevy of dahlias and beautiful hand blown Brume de Verre glasses from @ascherparis
40 years ❤️ 40 years ❤️
A magical retreat on Paros. There’s something so c A magical retreat on Paros. There’s something so compelling about the home of an artist and collector and @toddmarshard’s is as distinctive and personal as his work @Marshard.Paros . The ceramic artist has filled his stunning home with art and collections gathered over a lifetime. Our latest At Home With is now live - LINK IN PROFILE

Architecture: ALONI | Architects — Elena Terzi @iaveria & Dimitris Popotas
Nantucket baskets are suddenly everywhere this sum Nantucket baskets are suddenly everywhere this summer — filling Instagram feeds, appearing in the pages of The New York Times and garnering attention in publications around the world. Coveted by collectors and a whole new generation of enthusiasts, these iconic baskets are having an undeniable moment. Yet behind all the current excitement is a fascinating story of history, tradition, ingenuity and exceptional craftsmanship.

Five years ago, I had the privilege of making this film with @Mary_emery_design, Director of Heritage Craft for the @nantuckethistoricalassociation , exploring the history and evolution of Nantucket lightship baskets through the people who know them best. We visited master basket makers Karl and Susan Ottison, Tim Parsons and Nap Plank, and heard about legendary maker José Reyes from his son-in-law, Maurice Gibbs. We also spent time with Nantucket scrimshander Michael Vienneau, whose work illustrates another chapter in the continuing evolution of the basket.

The film was made at the time the Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum became affiliated with the Nantucket Historical Association, bringing its extraordinary collection — and the stories and traditions it represents — into the care of the NHA.

With Nantucket baskets now capturing the attention of an entirely new audience, it seemed the perfect time to revisit the film and celebrate the remarkable makers, history and craftsmanship behind this enduring Nantucket tradition.

Watch the full film at the link in bio.
© 2026 Quintessence Design LLC
Site design by The Beaux Arts Digital
FAQ & Shipping Terms of Use Privacy Policy
X Illustration of hand
Never Miss A Post
Get insider access to the most inspiring and informative design stories straight to your inbox. Satisfy your style curiosity, quench your sophisticated shopping thirst and scratch your discerning need-to-know itch - sign up so you never miss a thing.