Our Story
SHW Jewelry was founded by Lithuanian-born, American jewelry designer and certified diamond gemologist Urte Tylaite when she opened her store in New York City’s East Village in 2011.
The SHW collection moves away from antiquated traditions, reinterpreting timeless jewelry styles and viewing them through a contemporary lens. Featuring unexpected and exciting riffs on familiar jewelry designs, each piece is made for all genders with the intention of creating future heirlooms. By combining timeproven metalsmithing techniques with innovative technology, SHW continues pushing the boundaries of fine jewelry to craft forward-thinking accessories and one of a kind jewelry objects.
Urte Tylaite works in collaboration with a small team of expert jewelers to design and produce the SHW collection locally in New York City. SHW embraces the potential of the future by handcrafting each piece with lasting, quality materials that are sustainably sourced such as recycled 14k yellow, white, rose gold, platinum and .925 sterling silver. The collection features both lab-grown and reclaimed or ethically mined gemstones, sparking new life into forms that may otherwise be obsolete.
Urte Tylaite was enamored with design at a young age, her childhood embraced painting, sculpting, drawing and her love for the arts has never stopped. Urte’s passion for design led her to New York, where she graduated from Pratt Institute with a Bachelors in Fine Arts. Not long after graduating, she discovered her passion for jewelry design and continued her studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s jewelry department and recieved certification as a Diamond Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America. In 2011, Urte opened a design gallery and launched her own jewelry line with the premise of designing fine jewelry as wearable art objects.
Urte is simultaneously inspired by Lithuanian culture, her attachment to nature as well as the restless and beautiful city of New York she now calls home. Urte loves being surprised by the sudden turns and nooks in the downtown of her birthplace, Vilnius and exploring unexpected patterns found in Lithuanian folklore textiles. She loves discovering the intricate details nature inevitably presents during a walk through the woods and the endless creativity New York has to offer. Through her jewelry designs, Urte strives to celebrate the unexpected details her world is captivated by in hopes that the element of discovery will bring surprise and joy to the wearer.
