Elegance is Never Understated

Elegance is Never Understated

W

alking into Danuta, these words immediately come to mind: grace, class and sophistication. If the elegance of old-world Europe set up shop in sunny Santa Fe, Danuta is surely its incarnation. Whether you are a resident Santa Fean or just visiting, Danuta owners and designers Danuta Alyassin and Jonathan Duran have created a distinctive gallery of fine jewelry not to be missed.

Every place your eye falls, there’s the allure of exhilarating sparkle. Danuta has been dazzling Santa Fe for over 20 years, and now this impressive gallery has set roots in a bright new location on Palace Avenue, across the street from the acclaimed new restaurant in the Drury Hotel, Eloisa.

Danuta offers a little something different to the City Different. Poland born and raised Danuta comes from a long history

of jewelers. Not only did her family run a jewelry business in New York for 40 years, but she was also personally trained under Bulgari’s legendary master jewelry designer Omar Torres. “Wherever I look, I see jewelry. I can’t help myself. I see an object with an appealing shape and I just want to put diamonds on it,” Danuta exclaims.

Five years ago, Danuta saw the designs of Jonathan Duran and immediately

ABOVE Jonathan Duran, Danuta Alyassin Photo by Carolyn Wright

saw jewelry in them. Jonathan received his formal education at Carnegie Melon University and Pitzer College, earning a bachelors degree in both fine art and cultural anthropology. “My background in graphic design helped bridge my transition from fine art to jewelry.

Studying anthropology gave me a rich background to understand why people gravitate toward certain designs and symbols. I gained a greater perspective on taste, and I developed an eclectic style that borrows from traditions all over the world,” says Jonathan. Danuta adds, “I design more for women, but Jonathan can design for both men and women. And for men, he’s just amazing.”

You might expect an air of stuffiness from a gallery filled with jewelry of such quality and refinement, but this is not so with Danuta. The gallery is light and welcoming with tables and chairs on the front portico and windows everywhere including a view of the beautiful rear courtyard. “We encourage everyone to try on the jewelry. It’s a celebration of fine design and these amazing precious gemstones. It’s fun for our customers to give them life outside the glass,” says gallery assistant Corey Horne.

Custom design work and rare gemstone investment is a large part of Danuta’s business. Danuta and Jonathan both love to remake an existing piece of jewelry for their clients, either from a meaningful inherited piece or a piece that is simply

outdated. “When I work a new design, I talk to the client about what they want to use it for, what stones they want, when they want to wear it and their general lifestyle,” she notes. “I acquire all the stones directly. Everything is handmade and one-of-a-kind.”

Jonathan adds, “We try to create designs that enhance the stone itself. We work with some incredible and rare gemstones that need to have a kind of frame, if you will. We provide an energetic and elegant quality to our work that is distinct and never understated.”

No matter your budget, style or stone, Danuta and Jonathan have the skill and sensitivity to make your every jeweled dream a reality.

Danuta 227A East Palace Ave. 505.358.4181 info@danutajewelry.com www.danutajewelry.com