JACQUELINE RABUN (b.1961)
Jacqueline Rabun, born in Germany in 1961, is an esteemed jewelry designer currently based in Los Angeles, California, known for her minimalist and gender-neutral creations. Rabun’s style is defined by her African heritage, elegance, and minimalism, as well as fluid and organic forms that are warm and tactile, beautifully rendered in sterling silver or 18-karat gold with diamonds, aventurine, or rutilated quartz crystal.
Rabun traveled extensively during her childhood, eventually settling with her family in Northern California. She began designing jewelry in Los Angeles in 1988 after initially studying fashion design at the Fashion Institute in San Francisco. A job at a jewelry gallery in Los Angeles called M Gallery made her realize that she had found her true calling.
In 1990, she launched the “Raw Elegance” series, gaining immediate success at Barney’s New York. Notable clients include Madonna, U2, and Lenny Kravitz. Inspired by human experiences, her designs reflect relationships, stillness, and compassion, evident in series like “Offspring” (2001), inspired by the birth of her own son, and “Mercy” (2019). Rabun’s designs demonstrate a respect for both organic and geometric forms.
In 1999, she entered a long-term collaboration with Georg Jensen, an iconic hub of early Nordic modernism. Rabun, along with Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe and Nanna Ditzel, is part of a legacy of female designers at Jensen. Rabun’s intuitive ability to interpret Scandinavian design has seen her creations exhibited at Staten Museum for Kunst Georg Jensen’s 100 Years (2004) and Koldinghus Museum’s Georg Jensen a Tale of Danish Silver (2015).
A highly regarded designer, Rabun has been the subject of international press including the New York Times, Wallpaper, British Vogue, 1stdibs’ Introspective, and Interview, among many others. Rabun’s work was part of the Melanie Grant-curated exhibitions Brilliant & Black: A Jewelry Renaissance held at Sotheby’s New York (2021) and London (2022).
Visit our exhibition page for “MEDITATIONS ON MODERNISM: Thirty Years of Jewelry Design by Jacqueline Rabun, 1990–2022 and Selections from Notable Post-WWII Nordic Jewelry” to learn more about our innovative and exquisite Nordic jewelry in our collection.
