Modern heirlooms. New heritage.

Like so many American stories, SLANE begins with a vision, a vision to take something humble and make it extraordinary. In 1995, sisters Heath and Landon Slane set about transforming silver—always perceived as the less precious metal—into the foundation of their new line of sculptural fine jewelry. From staple to statement, each of the Slane sisters’ clean, versatile, sterling silver pieces were designed to be iconic, and crafted with the loving care generally reserved for 18 karat gold: Hand-assembled, hand-set, and hand-finished with innumerable intimate details intended to be enjoyed by the wearer alone.

Fifteen years on, SLANE encompasses not only the line’s signature sterling silver, but a full range of fine jewelry made with the same values and the same vision that have defined SLANE from the start. Diamonds, freshwater pearls, colored gemstones and—yes—18 karat gold are incorporated into the SLANE wardrobe of timeless, dress-up/dress-down styles. There’s a distinctly American point-of-view at work here: Heath and Landon design for today, inventing a new vocabulary of shape and texture, and create for tomorrow, knowing that these pieces will be the prized heirlooms of future generations.

With that in mind, Heath and Landon Slane have maintained their commitment to producing SLANE jewelry in the U.S.A., with most work taking place within walking distance of the brand’s offices in New York City. The sisters’ values are also reflected in their decision, early on, to produce SLANE jewelry as sustainably as possible: 100% of the sterling silver used in SLANE jewelry is recycled, as is 80% of the gold.

But SLANE jewelry best reflects the Slane sisters’ sensibility in its design. Heath and Landon Slane design for women like themselves—busy, multifaceted women with an appreciation for elegance, an appetite for the eclectic, and the confidence to assimilate new aesthetics into her own, singular sense of style. The Slane sisters believe that fine jewelry is an everyday luxury, a gift a woman gives herself each time she clasps on a necklace or caresses the hidden embellishment on the bracelet hugging her wrist. There’s a message in every piece of jewelry made by SLANE: It’s your moment; today is your day.

Landon Slane has a pursuit for simplicity. You can see it in the clean lines of SLANE jewelry, in each SLANE piece’s measured proportions and sculptural restraint. And you can sense it in the way all those pieces work together, summoning a fine balance. This is the work of a woman who knows—in her bones—the principle of just-enoughness. It’s the creation of a wife, a mother and an entrepreneur who understands what it means to reach into her jewelry drawer for that one right thing, and put it on, and feel complete.

“My area of expression has always been jewelry,” explains Landon, who founded SLANE in 1995 with her sister, Heath. “I like to keep my silhouettes simple. I like to find out how many different looks I can create with one black dress, and a wardrobe of exceptional jewelry.”

For Landon Slane, however, “simplicity” is not the same thing as minimalism. The simplicity she’s written into the SLANE jewelry DNA has nothing to do with shearing off, and everything to do with filling up—embracing a whole universe of references on a path to the essential. Sculptural design, intrinsic movement and fine detail work together to create a harmonious statement. Over the years, Landon has brought her studies of art and architecture, of history and mythology and sacred geometry to the design of SLANE jewelry. She has also brought to bear a keen curiosity about materials and jewelry-making technology, and a passion for the environment that has made SLANE a leader in sustainability.

But according to Landon, it all comes back to simplicity.

“Every woman deserves that one moment,” she says, “when she puts on a piece of jewelry that makes her feel special. It’s a simple thing, but it matters.”

According to Heath Slane, the seeds of SLANE were planted on her 16th birthday. Like her sister Landon, Heath was given the opportunity to design her own ring as a birthday gift. And though that ring didn’t start Heath daydreaming about building her own fine jewelry line, as she would later in life, it did inspire her to think about jewelry in a new way, a way that defines SLANE to this day.

For Heath, jewelry is a thread through time, and through different selves. First there was the birthday ring; then there were her bangles. Everywhere she went, Heath collected sterling silver bangle bracelets; at one point she was wearing as many as two dozen every day. “I slept in them,” she recalls. “They were part of my body.” Each one of those bangles represented something different—a place, a person, a particular moment in her life—and each one was subtly distinct in look and feel. Together, however, they were the palette Heath Slane used to paint a portrait of herself.

Today, Heath Slane lives in Los Angeles, and collaborates coast-to-coast with Landon on every aspect of SLANE. They share an unspoken language of hand and balance that informs the design of each piece. Together they explore different textures, play with weight, experiment with presence and value the highest level of craftsmanship. But for Heath, it’s still that idea of jewelry as a thread through time that inspires her most. “I want each piece to be beautiful and meaningful to the woman who wears it,” she notes. “But as much as I love individual pieces, and I do, what I really love is creating a palette of shapes and textures that can be combined in endless ways.” For Heath Slane, each piece of SLANE jewelry is like a gesture. And all those gestures add up to a singular personality.