It started small — and slightly accidental. Two summers ago, designer Nicole Carosella’s son, Milo, folded her a paper airplane with an emotional handwritten message, “I love you, Mama.” She knew she’d lose the paper plane one day and was determined not to let that happen. “Wait! I’m jewellery designer, I can make it in gold,” she told herself. And that instinct, equal parts maternal and professional, became the seed of Sorellina’s new collection, Postscript.
One keepsake piece thus inspired a whole collection. Nicole, meanwhile, found herself researching the Victorian era, a beloved touchstone for the brand, this time through its culture of letter-writing — secret codes, floriography, quiet intimacy. The designer spent many hours surfing the internet and reading correspondence, including letters between Van Gogh and his brother, and traced how people once used objects, not just words, to say what couldn’t be spoken. For instance, “a fan’s flutter could signal romantic interest; gemstones spelled out sentiments. Even floriography from the Victorian era, where specific blooms and in certain colours and arrangements used to communicate, piqued Nicole’s interest, as sister Kim Carosella, the brand’s co-founder and head of operations, let her soak up all the inspiration she needed for the Postscript line.
Nicole wanted each piece to function as a message someone could carry — not only words from someone else, but reminders to oneself. “There’s always a time in your life where you want to remind yourself that you can be strong,” she says.
The paper airplane became Sorellina’s opening line, and the envelope, in her words, “the next logical piece.” Mythology followed: thinking about how messages might be protected on their journey, Nicole landed on Pegasus, the winged horse she read about as a guardian carrying messages between realms — “fitting, given the Year of the Horse.”
Morse code and the ellipsis became the collection’s secret alphabet. The long drop diamond earrings reimagine a quill dipped in ink, diamonds trailing off like droplets: that’s Nicole’s way of visualizing a story still being written. She also layered in the idea of “to be continued,” merging it with Morse code’s dots and dashes, delighting in how “Victorian and Greek mythology, and ellipses and Morse code” all coexist in one wearable narrative.
Stone choices followed a similar instinct. A purple spinel set into a necklace was found in Tucson, where Nicole sources gems through longstanding vendor relationships. She spotted it mid-greeting, before she’d even said hello. Its hue struck her as “magical, mystical, royal,” and its cut recalled “the curved edge” of a paper airplane’s wing. She wanted it set into something both special-occasion and every day. The necklace runs true to her instinct; “diamond tennis necklaces,” are something “you wear to the gym.” Around it, mismatched diamonds mimic her own erratic handwriting, scattered “like three different people drew it.”
The Lucky Letter Lock Pendant, shaped like a heart, came from hours spent cutting up paper. Nicole wanted its surface faceted rather than smooth, recalling scissor-cut edges, with texture echoing imperfect Victorian paper rather than today’s machine-smooth sheets. The Morse code diamonds along its surface sit slightly raised, evoking a wax seal. Inside, it can be engraved with anything its wearer chooses — a child’s name, a birthdate, a favourite line of poetry — though the production version carries symbols Nicole chose for their associations with luck.
Manufacturer David Hakimian of DEH Jewelry Solutions in New York helped bring Nicole’s vision to reality. Engineering the pieces to actually function — clicking open and locked shut, wearable as a heart or unfolded into a clover leaf — took considerable time. “It’s why the design wasn’t entered into Couture Show awards this season.” There wasn’t a second piece to spare.
Varied finishes run through Postscript, each carrying its own meaning. A Florentine finish creates fine engraved lines mimicking notepaper, while a sandblasted texture makes engravings stand out. A high polish, used on the bracelet, ring, and quill earrings, represents what Nicole calls “modern paper” — “smooth, unmarked.”
Even the hardware on the pendants traces back to memory. The paper plane’s clasp evolved into a horseshoe-style clip, inspired by Nicole’s fascination with ornate letter openers. An early pin-shaped version was simplified for function. The folding patterns drew from how she folded notes for Milo’s summer camp letters — “a ritual” she fondly calls a “bus note.”
The Postscript collection made in 18k yellow gold includes pieces such as Love Note rings, hoops and bangles, Cadence hoops, double piercing earrings, linear drops and bracelets, Ellipses ear cuffs, and Quill earrings in various sizes. The price ranges from USD $1,500 for gold and diamond set mini studs to USD $68,000 for the spinel and diamond necklace.
The collection took nearly two years from idea to finish — long enough that Milo, eight when he wrote the note, is ten now. He’s already laid claim to the locket heart, insisting he deserves one since he inspired it. Nicole, half-joking, points out she’s the one who made it. The collection, meaningful and sparkly, deserves a space in your jewellery box — and your heart.