Fashion

What Does an Editor-in-Chief Buy Herself When She Gets a Promotion?

For Town & Country’s Stellene Volandes, it comes from Verdura and involves *a lot* of gold.

What Does an Editor-in-Chief Buy Herself When She Gets a Promotion?
Alec Kugler
Laurel Pantin

When you’re a bona fide jewelry expert (Rizzoli approached her to write a book on the matter), not to mention the newly minted EIC of one of our all-time favorite magazines, and you’re universally beloved within your (notoriously un-friendly) industry—what do you do to treat yourself? We might say, “Eat an entire pizza while soaking in the tub and binge-watching old episodes of Friday Night Lights,” or perhaps “Grab our two best girlfriends and head to Miami for the weekend.” Stellene Volandes, the editor in chief of Town & Country, has a much, *much* better plan.

When she secured the top spot at T&C and nabbed her book deal, she purchased herself a Verdura Maltese cross necklace, which she now wears every day. With more and more women buying themselves jewelry (a trend we’re 100 percent behind), we can’t think of a better way to celebrate your own accomplishments—otherwise known as treating yourself.

And that cross is in excellent company. From stacks of Sidney Garber rolling bracelets to a pair of Nina Runsdorf opal earrings (apparently opals are just now being used in jewelry again—for over a century they were thought to be bad luck based on a misreading of a 19th century novel...this is the kind of serious jewelry knowledge Volandes spouts), we’ve never seen anything like the contents of her walk-in closet.

Click through to hear about her personal collection, what sets Town & Country apart, and what buying yourself a piece of jewelry can do for you.


7 / 22
“The first three are by my great friend Tito Pedrini. He is a really dashing figure in the jewelry world, but he also happens to be a certified gemologist, which is rarer than you might think in the jewelry world. He really understands stones and their properties and how to combine them. This combination of lapis and citrine is one of my favorites. My other favorite is turquoise and amethyst. The center ring is a rock crystal ring of his that I wear so much because it almost disappears on your hand, but it is so intricately carved from the inside that it is a real masterpiece. I always try to have an evil eye on me, whether very discreetly or in the form of this ring, not so discreetly! This ring is actually made by the mother of the Greek artist Konstantin Kakanias. It has all the color and wit of his work, and she has done very, very few pieces, but I was lucky enough to get this one when she was in New York!”

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