The engagement of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce caused a stir not only for its romantic flower-filled setting, but also for the unique design of the engagement ring. Behind that jewel is Kindred Lubeck, an emerging jewelry designer based in New York City who, after the Page Six revelation, became a top trending search on Google.
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Who designed Taylor Swift’s engagement ring?
According to the U.S. media outlet Page Six, Travis Kelce not only chose the engagement ring he gave to Taylor Swift, but co-designed it with Kindred Lubeck, founder of Artifex Fine Jewelry, a handmade jewelry brand based in New York City.
The piece features an old mine brilliant-cut diamond — an antique shape known for its timeless elegance — set in a gold bezel mounting. The design was custom-made from scratch by Kelce and Lubeck, making the ring a one-of-a-kind piece full of symbolism, just as Taylor Swift has done with each of her songs.
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What is Kindred Lubeck’s background before founding Artifex Fine Jewelry?
As soon as the news broke that Lubeck was behind the ring, thousands of users began searching her name on Google and social media. Her Instagram account, @artifexfine, quickly gained new followers, and fashion and jewelry outlets started highlighting her work. The ring she designed not only sealed the engagement of one of the most high-profile couples of the moment but also catapulted her career onto the global stage.
Lubeck was not always dedicated to jewelry. In an interview with Voyage Jacksonville, she shared that she is the daughter of well-known goldsmith Jay Lubeck, from Neptune Beach, Florida. Although she studied Psychology at Florida State University, she felt professionally lost. After quitting a law firm job during the 2019 pandemic, she asked her father for temporary work.
What started as an emergency solution became a vocational discovery. During the COVID lockdown, Jay taught her the fundamentals of goldsmithing. “I was hooked immediately,” said Kindred.
What was her path to becoming a professional jeweler?
She began working with sterling silver and eventually moved on to gold. She trained in hand engraving, a technique involving the carving of designs into metal using fine tools. “It’s like tattooing rings,” she explains. This detailed style is what put her “on the digital map,” thanks to viral videos showcasing her creative process.
In 2023, she had the idea to move to New York City, and by June 2024, she made it happen without any external financial support: no loans, no donations, no investors. She built her studio from scratch with her own effort.
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After settling in NYC, Lubeck acknowledged that the biggest challenge was balancing her personal and professional life. In her words, she reached the edge of burnout: “I wasn’t seeing my friends, I wasn’t exploring the city, or practicing yoga like I used to.” As a result, she made the difficult decision to take a temporary break from custom jewelry orders to reorganize her business model and prioritize her mental health.
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What makes Kindred Lubeck’s work special?
Lubeck stands out for her meticulous attention to detail and her commitment to traditional craftsmanship. Her hand engraving technique turns each ring into a one-of-a-kind piece. She also masters ancient methods such as granulation, which she learned from her jewelry idol Kent Raible during a workshop in Washington.
It was there that she created her favorite piece: a ring featuring a champagne diamond she had purchased in New York’s jewelry district, which she kept for herself due to its emotional value.
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