Meet The Designer Behind Natalie Portman's Engagement Ring

By Bee-Shyuan Chang
March 17, 2011

Jamie Wolf put in 10 years as a dancer with the New York City Ballet before striking out on a new adventure: designing fine jewelry. Boasting graceful lines (naturally) and a delicate touch, her handmade, eponymous line of designer jewelry is now going five years strong. It's carried at Barneys, beloved by celebrities (Julie Robers, Mila Kunis, Cameron Diaz and many, many others have been seen in Jamie Wolf's jewelry designs) and has a serious buzz factor to boot.

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman and fiance Benjamin Millepied at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images)

Natalie Portman Close-up of ring (Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage), Natalie Portman's Jewelry (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Fine jewelry designer Jamie Wolf, who recently had a cameo turn in Darren Aronofsky's ballet-themed film "Black Swan," designed the real-life engagement ring for its Oscar-winning lead, actress Natalie Portman. We caught up with Jamie Wolf to learn about her time on the silver screen, her experience working with film choreographer (and actress Natalie Portman's fiancé!) Benjamin Millepied and what's on her spring eBay shopping list.

The Inside Source: You danced for 10 years with the New York City Ballet. That must have taken a tremendous amount of discipline! Do you ever miss it?

Jamie Wolf: It is such an amazing company to dance in; you perform so much and they have a wonderful repertoire. I definitely miss it, but the experience feels very much of a unique time and place. I had my time and I think of it with great affection.

The Inside Source: And then you transitioned to designing jewelry. Why fine jewelry versus costume jewelry pieces? I would think fine jewelry design is a tougher business to break into.

Jamie Wolf: I don't know if one is necessarily tougher, but I knew I didn't want to have a volume-based or trend-driven business. I actually wanted just the opposite: a business with limited and exclusive production and distribution.

The Inside Source: Let's talk about the buzzy "Black Swan" movie. Was it fun to do a cameo on the film?

Jamie Wolf: It was an incredible experience and I loved every moment. It was wonderful to be surrounded by such a passionate and committed group. Funnily enough, it actually wasn’t my first time on film. I was also in the movie "Center Stage".

The Inside Source: I'm guessing you knew the film's choreographer, Benjamin Millepied, from your New York City Ballet days?

Jamie Wolf: Yes, Benjamin and I danced together at New York City Ballet. He is both a very talented artist and a really, genuinely nice guy.

The Inside Source: How was it meeting Natalie Portman?

Jamie Wolf: Natalie is incredibly kind. She is so hardworking, of course very talented and totally grounded.

The Inside Source: Tell us about her engagement ring. Did think about her personality or vibe as you were designing it?

Jamie Wolf: Benjamin and I worked together to create a custom, one-of-a-kind engagement ring for Natalie. We both did our best to consider her taste and values in the design and production process. The center stone is an antique, the pavé diamonds were all certified by the Kimberly Process—a process by which stones are certified as "conflict free"—and the platinum is recycled. The piece was entirely handmade here in New York City.

The Inside Source: Famous engagement rings aside, your Spring 2011 fine jewelry collection is so elegant. What was the design inspiration?

Jamie Wolf: I work to evolve the collection organically. There usually isn't one point of inspiration; it's more of an ongoing awareness and influence of beautiful images, shapes, color palates, and ideas and [the experience of] translating these concepts relative to the collection.

Jamie Wolf's Spring 2011

Jamie Wolf's Spring 2011 Collection of Fine Jewelry Designs (images provided by Jamie Wolf)

The Inside Source: What other jewelry design projects do you have coming up?

Jamie Wolf: I'm doing a collection of gorgeous jewelry boxes with Brenda Houston. She has an amazing home collection and I'm really excited to be collaborating with her.

The Inside Source: Do you ever shop eBay for design ideas?

Jamie Wolf: I don’t really shop eBay for design ideas, but it is fun to check out all the unique items that people own.

The Inside Source: Any particularly memorable eBay shopping experiences?

Jamie Wolf: I sold a Marc Jacobs handbag on the site. There was actually a last minute bidding war and it went for a higher price than I purchased it for. It was exhilarating!