our resident travel planner’s trip recap

for years, our jewelry buyer susie has visited studios around the globe, discovering talented artisans and selecting pieces for scarpa's collection. our first scarpa via trip invited customers behind the scenes to experience these studio visits and relationships firsthand. over the course of a week, we explored the studios of two extraordinary fine jewelry designers—jemima hargreaves in stockholm and lene vibe in copenhagen—witnessing their creative process and the stories behind each handcrafted piece.

lene and jemima each shared insights into their craft, like how antique diamonds were hand-cut by candlelight (and still sparkle best in that glow), the slow process of pearl formation, and how swedish yellow gold has its own distinctive warmth. we also embraced the art of flanør—visiting museums, browsing local shops, and toasting with snaps over smørrebrød. read on for a closer look at where we went, what we saw, and why we can’t wait to do it again.

stockholm: ghost ships, toast skagen, and the hargreaves stockholm studio

we touched down in stockholm and checked into villa dagmar, where the spa worked its magic on our jet lag. that night, we kicked things off with a cozy welcome dinner at riche, over plates of toast skagen, swedish meatballs, and plenty of table talk.

after an incredible breakfast spread at the hotel, our first morning took us to the vasa museum, where we learned from our fantastic guide about the spectacular warship that capsized in 1628 after sailing barely a mile into its maiden voyage. the vasa then spent over 300 years on the seafloor before being raised in near perfect condition, preserved by the cold waters surrounding the stockholm archipelago. we took an afternoon ferry to gamla stan, the charming old town full of colorful architecture and royal heritage, and enjoyed meandering the narrow cobblestone streets.

on our last day in sweden, we visited master goldsmith jemima hargreaves’ vibrant studio, the highlight of our time in stockholm. jemi welcomed us with swedish fika and gold-dusted champagne, and showed us some of what she’s currently working on, including gemstone-studded hare and bear rings that are bound for upcoming jewelry shows. we watched as she polished swedish yellow gold—a metal with a naturally warm, reddish glow—into links for her moa chains. she showed us antique diamonds, each hand-cut under candlelight (which, fittingly, is still the light where they sparkle best), now adorning her iconic hagstones. her process is a bit like alchemy, turning historic materials into modern-day heirlooms imbued with deep symbolic meaning.

copenhagen: lene vibe, snaps, and a pup named matilda

a scenic train ride with cardamom buns for the road brought us to copenhagen, where we kicked things off with drinks along the nyhavn canal and dinner at admiralgade 26, before turning in for our first night at villa copenhagen.

the next morning, the lovely lene vibe gave us a tour of her favorite hidden corners of the city before bringing us to her studio—a charming space in a centuries-old building, where we were greeted by bejeweled studio pup matilda and trays of luminous pearls. lene shared how her pieces begin—often with a single pearl—which evolve into sculptural, intimate designs inspired by the natural world. she draws on her awe of nature and mastery of goldsmithing to create what feels like tiny talismans: whimsical, wild, and wholly unique.

from there, she gave us a tour of the danish crown jewels at rosenborg castle, followed by a traditional smørrebrød lunch, complete with a round of snaps to toast the day. lene also introduced us to the worlds of two of her creative friends: flower artist tage andersen, whose space is as theatrical as it is botanical, and fellow goldsmith nanna schou, who we are excited to now represent in the store!

the following morning, I had the privilege of working with lene to design a custom pendant. she laid out saltwater pearls sourced from cortez, tahiti, and the south sea, explaining how oysters create them one by one—and how the largest ones take years to form. together, we chose my stone, a blue-tinted pearl from fiji, and personal design elements—a cluster of gold flowers accented by a tiny diamond. every lene vibe piece is handmade, but there's something magical about knowing this pendant exists solely because of our collaboration—a one-of-a-kind piece that reflects both her artistry and my personal aesthetic.

we spent our final afternoon at the louisiana museum of modern art, where the sculpture garden spills right into the sea—sweden visible in the distance. a quiet, breathtaking end to a whirlwind week.

what’s next for scarpa via?

scarpa via is just getting started! we came home inspired, grateful, and carrying some very special pieces—now displayed in our cases, waiting to be discovered. best of all, we’re already planning the next trip. want to come along?