Gold American Folk Heart Pendant with Old Mine Diamond

Dunton Ellerkamp is a New York jewelry brand founded by Owen Dunton Ellerkamp in 2022. Self-taught, he works out of a Brooklyn studio and feels free from the conventions and gendered notions that run through much of traditional jewelry. He grew up in New England, and the quiet of the natural world there shapes how he sees the world.

Each piece begins as a block of wax, hand-carved, then cast in solid silver or gold using lost wax casting, a technique essentially unchanged since 4000 BCE. The studio finishes every piece by hand through tumbling, sanding, and filing, which gives each one a textured skin that shows the maker's hand.

The American Folk Heart is drawn from how the heart appeared in early American decorative arts. This version is solid 14-karat gold set with an old mine-cut diamond, an antique cut with its own history and irregular charm. This piece is made to be handed down and worn for generations.

True Love Always carries fine jewelry for customers from Solvang, Los Olivos, and Santa Barbara. The shop is at 1115 Coast Village Road in Montecito.