Kindred Lubeck, Taylor Swift's Ring Designer, Talks Jewelry at 92NY

When Travis Kelce set out to commission a custom engagement ring, he reportedly recalled a video Taylor Swift had shown him a year and a half earlier, featuring a jeweler whose hand-engraved gold work she had called "so cool." That jeweler was Kindred Lubeck, founder of Artifex Fine Jewelry. Lubeck will tell her story in a public conversation at the 92nd Street Y in New York on April 15, joined by Jonathan Wahl, senior director of the 92NY Jewelry Center, for a wide-ranging discussion covering life, work, jewelry, and her hopes for a bridal line and high jewelry.

The New York-based goldsmith behind Artifex Fine Jewelry is celebrated for sculptural silhouettes, antique sensibilities, and hand-engraved details that feel as personal as handwriting. She specializes in one-of-a-kind natural gemstones as well as vintage and antique cuts; Swift's ring is believed to feature a sizable old mine-cut diamond. Swift herself confirmed the draw: "She does all of her gold engraving by hand, and I just thought her stuff was so cool," Swift said on British radio show "Heart Breakfast." The Instagram post announcing the engagement has since accumulated more than 37 million likes.

Lubeck has studied engraving in Emporia, Kansas; trained with Kent Raible in Washington state; and, most recently, learned high jewelry techniques at the Gerardi school in Rome. That rigorous, self-directed path is part of what makes Wahl's invitation to 92NY feel significant. "To me, Kindred is a jeweler's jeweler," Wahl says. "Her level of craftsmanship and technique is extremely defined for an artist at this point in her career." He added that he wanted Lubeck at 92NY because she is "an inspiration for jewelers who appreciate and aspire to the master of technique."

Lubeck grew up in Neptune Beach, Florida, where her father was a goldsmith. She started working in his shop in late 2019, and after the coronavirus pandemic hit, he began training her in the art of goldsmithing in earnest. As her skills developed, she began sharing her jewelry on social media, eventually founding Artifex in October 2022 — fully self-funded. She has described the brand as a "fine gold jewelry line crafted by hand, borne of rebellion," a phrase rooted in her conviction that she was building something on her own terms. Since Swift's engagement, Lubeck and her work have been featured in Vogue, People, and USA Today, and on the Today show; she has also held a special jewelry auction with Sotheby's, and pieces she lists on social media tend to sell out immediately.

At 92NY, Lubeck is expected to address the flood of interest in her work and how she is handling jewelry fame now. In-person tickets cost $35, with discounts available for 92NY members and supporters; streaming access is $25. For anyone tracking where craft goldsmithing intersects with cultural moment, it is a rare chance to hear the full arc directly from the bench.