For Gemstones

sarah nguyen worked at Ammon Carver Studio before setting up a studio in her Bushwick home, where she specializes in ornate, bejeweled manicures. Brand consultant Jenn Jann first saw Nguyen’s work on a friend’s set of opaladorned nails based on a family heirloom. Jann immediately booked with Nguyen; her first set (from $150) by Nguyen was a nudecolored Japanese gel with one gem on each nail (Japanese gel is known to last longer than other professional gel products), but she’s since progressed to more intricate designs, like a set fashioned after the 2018 Met Gala theme “Heavenly Bodies”— specifically a cross necklace by Dolce & Gabbana. “She knows how to interpret my ideas without making it so literal,” says Jann of the mix of gems (rubies, emeralds, and pearls—but no sapphires so that it wouldn’t look gaudy) set on nude polish. “If I brought those photos to somebody else, they would’ve just followed the pattern of the jewelry as closely as possible. Sarah understands how to balance everything out.” Even with the gluedon hardware, Jann says, her manicures typically last five weeks, thanks to the way Nguyen places gems on areas less prone to chipping, like the middle of the nail instead of the tip.