Hunting for Treasure

While countless women own a stash of jewellery, serious jewellery collectors elevate acquisition into an art form. For them, a collection suggests size, but also the curation of pieces lovingly and discerningly singled out.

Enter Philadelphia-born Susan Grant Lewin, an eminent collector in the contemporary jewellery world. With an extraordinary collection spanning over 500 pieces meticulously sourced from all four corners of the globe, her name is synonymous with game-changing talent.

Animated with warmth and infectious enthusiasm, Lewin is also a delight. After five minutes with her, even the most apathetic of listeners find themselves utterly inspired by her favourite topic—jewellery.

“I was on the subway, and a very cool lady wearing an incredible ring got on,” Lewin says. I was determined to have it, so I walked over and introduced myself. She turned out to be the famous jewellery artist Biba Schutz. I said, ‘I’ve always wanted to meet you, and I love that ring. Is it for sale?’ I wrote out a check there and then—and got off the subway wearing the ring.”

A lifelong passion

Though she has gained prominence as a respected collector of over 30 years, Lewin’s passion for jewellery spans a lifetime. Her fixation started in childhood, watching her mother get dressed. “Going through my mother’s jewellery box was a tremendous fascination,” she says.

As a teenager, Lewin accompanied her mother on shopping trips to Philadelphia’s “Antique Row,” a goldmine for hidden gems. While perusing displays of aged stick pins, old watch fobs, and ornate bracelets, the young woman developed a lifelong fascination with jewellery.

“Victorian jewellery [in particular] intrigued me beyond anything that I could imagine. That was the beginning for me,” she says.

Lewin went on to hone her eye for refined aesthetics during a 40-plus-year career as a successful architecture and design journalist (including a stint as editor of WWD’s Home Furnishings Daily). However, her interest in jewellery flared during a work trip to Copenhagen, where she first discovered the striking Scandinavian styles.

“I fell madly in love with the jewellery of Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe. The first ring I ever bought was by her. My first real collection started with Vivianna; it was then that I really became interested in Scandinavian jewellery.”