In Her Latest Collection, Viviana Langhoff Is Leaning Into Gold

Chicago—Earlier this spring, Viviana Langhoff introduced “AU79,” a capsule collection of chunky gold pieces that takes its name from the symbol (AU) and atomic number for gold.

The collection is a departure for the Chicago-based designer and owner of jewelry store Adornment + Theory in two ways.  

First, the design is bolder—or, as she puts it on her website, more “substantial and grounded”—than Langhoff’s usual work, which often employs filigree and negative space for a light, delicate look.  

Second, “AU79” goes all in on gold at a time when the high price of the metal has some designers pulling back.   

“I’ve spoken to a lot of my contemporaries [and] some designers are hollowing things out, doing 9-carat, 10-karat [gold], using more gemstones and less gold, diving into two-tone,” Langhoff said in an interview with National Jeweler.   

She’s not going that route with “AU79,” because it’s not what her clients want. 

Langhoff said she continually has customers asking for thicker, chunkier pieces in gold—a trend in engagement rings this year—set with lab-grown diamonds.  

She said there is a lot of chatter on social media about the long-term investment value of gold, which is currently approaching $3,400/ounce.  

Adornment + Theory clients, who are mainly millennial and Gen-Z consumers, see these conversations but a lot of them can’t afford a chunky gold band and a natural diamond, so they opt for a lab-grown stone instead, viewing gold as the better investment in the long run.  

“They all would rather have real solid gold and lab diamonds,” Langhoff said, though she added that customers can opt to have a natural diamond if they want one.  

“AU79” officially was introduced May 2 at a party held at Adornment & Theory, which is located in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood, an area known for its arts scene, music venues, and locally owned shops. 

Langhoff said while the collection is designed to be 20 pieces in total, she started with rings, making eight different designs priced between about $2,000-$6,000.

On the Adornment + Theory website, the designer explains that the collection is “a testament to gold’s eternal allure—an exploration of its form, function, and meaning.”

“Gold is a story told in metal—a symbol of permanence, transformation, and power. In my latest collection, AU79, I explore the elemental essence of gold itself, embracing its weight, richness, and history,” Langhoff writes, adding that the rings are “meant to be felt as much as they are seen.” 

Initially, she made just one of each ring, advertising them for pre-order via social media. 

She said every piece sold the weekend they were launched, with initial feedback from customers praising the rings’ design and the engraving.   

For the “AU79” launch event, Langhoff had a calligrapher who did live engraving on little jewelry trays. 

She also organized what she described as a mini exhibition on gold that walks people through the metal’s history in civilization, as well what goes into the mining and extraction of gold and the tools that are used for processing it into fine jewelry.  

The exhibition will be up through the summer at Adornment +Theory.   

“People really loved it,” Langhoff said. “Everybody got it.”