A pair of square gold earrings inlaid with black jade and opal in a checkered pattern, in 18k. Angela Cummings for Tiffany & Co.

A tour de force of twentieth-century jewelry design, Angela Cummings received her artistic training in Europe, graduating with degrees in goldsmithing and gemology. She started her career in jewelry at Tiffany & Co. in 1967 and designed a collection for them under her name in 1975. She established her own company in 1984, which allowed her to retain artistic freedom and eventually expand into silver, housewares, and leather goods. Her designs are known for their fine craftsmanship, easy wearability, sporty sensibility, and use of semi-precious stones inlaid in organic or geometric patterns.