MINI LETTER: this may be the *one* marketplace I can actually get behind...
All that glitters is gold.
Famously, I started a marketplace and parted ways with it because I no longer believed a DTC marketplace model could succeed in this macroeconomic/retail environment. I’ve written at length about the details of that, as well as my thoughts on the space in general. See here and here, if you’re a new reader.
I’ve seen many influencers and writers link At Present, and I’ve clicked through here and there, thought, “oh, that’s nice.” I never really gave it a full go of things, mostly because I love jewelry.
I love jewelry so much. I am always coveting more jewelry. And I actively need to try to restrain myself from encountering more jewelry, because it is my kryptonite. If I ever come into money, I will be quitting my job and starting a jewelry line with a companion boutique. My phone is littered with screenshots of strangers hands— signet ring inspo— along with hundreds of folders of saved pieces or vintage Etsy sources or super zoomed in photos of something I saw and coveted through a glass case. I. Cannot. Get. Enough.
When I say I love jewelry: I mean I love the unique, nobody-else-has-it, “where did you get that?”, independently designed stuff. I like blobs and globs of mixed metals. I don’t mean diamonds, necessarily, though if you want to get me diamonds, I will happily accept. Dorsey is about as far up the “wear everyday” and fine jewelry tree as I will bark on a regular basis, and I mostly love their stuff because it too has an air of vintage-inspired nostalgia that’s not replicable at every Bloomingdale’s nationwide. (No shade to Bloomies.)
At Present, it seems, was made for me in a lab.
I don’t know much about its back of house or origin, the About page and LinkedIn are delightfully vague, other than it seems to have been founded by a man with a lot of experience in the legacy jewelry business. Well, he did it. Well done, sir. You’ve made a multi-brand marketplace that I actually love, that feels differentiated in the market from the other options, and that serves as a perfect platform to discover new designers and pieces.
I don’t know enough to comment on whether or not this has venture scale or forever longevity— but if your goal isn’t to be a $10-100 million dollar business, it almost doesn’t matter. A marketplace makes it based on margin, and expensive jewelry has margin to spare.
If you shop At Present regularly, I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments.
Here are a few of the pieces that took me from a passive state of “that’s cool” to a full throttle lover of At Present. (These range from outlandishly expensive to something I might treat myself to for a reasonable life milestone.)
This sneaky pill box ring from mother-daughter duo and California brand Monbouquette, whose snapback earrings and reversible rings are cool, creative, and fiercely practical for someone who wants two pieces in one.
I’m a sucker for mariner charms and chains and have been dying for one— Lionheart’s puffy charm is a unique take I haven’t seen a ton of. Their charms, dog clips and chains are luxe and fun at the same time.
White/Space does really cool things with negative space and shapes. I can’t get enough of this one wavy ring that is sooooooooo up my alley. It will stay in my mind for a long time!
If freshwater pearls and colorblocked beads sound like your beat, you’ll love Joie DiGiovanni’s lariats, bracelets and chokers. I love some of the leather pieces too.
Anita Berisha’s wavy and ocean inspired pieces are so me I could scream. The contrast of chunky, asymmetrical metals and delicate shells and pearls are stunning. Her pieces are what brought me to At Present in the first place, and they are the ones I feel will undoubtedly grace my collection as soon as possible. I’m not going to link any specific pieces because I want them all! I am sickly with desire!
Honorable mention and other bits and bobs from At Present:
Funky fun beaded earrings with a pearl accent from Susana Vega
Julietta’s upcycled glittery heart statement earrings that are perfect for a night out in Williamsburg
Like the tennis necklace trend that’s sweeping the nation but don’t want to look like everyone else? (Me too, always.) This wiggly, wavy version from Lady Grey is so fun.
Another wavy ring that has my whole heart, from Akaila Reid.
Diamond studs by M. Hisae that are anything but boring.
I love a structural, blobby, sculpty ring. This one from Stacy Nolan reminds me of a gold one I just bought in Portugal from a local jeweler in Ericeira that I love to visit each year.
That’s it for today’s Mini Letter! This is not sponsored by At Present at all— motivated purely by personal interest and jewelry frenzy. :)
I’d love to hear what you think, if there are other independent marketplaces you think actually have legs in this climate, and of course, I am open to cool jewelry recs always— however dangerous for me that may be.
Liked this diversion? Here are some similar Mini Letters I’ve written about this space.
wow so much I love here esp that pill ring and the negative space rings!
I needed didn’t need that! Great find 😁