About us
Luminous, Ethereal Jewelry
Our Story
Fade To Black was born of a legacy and connection to Australian opals. All of the stones used in the collections are ethically sourced from Lightning Ridge and some parts of Queensland, and production is monitored by the founder’s father, Mario Ikasovic, a world renowned gem cutter for over 40 years. His masterful expertise and unparalleled level of precision cutting ability has made him the top opal supplier to the world’s most respected jewelers and fashion houses.
Polishing, cutting and setting is all done in house without any outsourcing, guaranteeing complete control over the quality of each piece produced. Fade To Black has built close relationships with miners over generations, which allows not only first selection to an array of prized gemstones, but ensures the miners are paid fairly and the best price can be achieved from mine to market.
Founder
Born in Sydney, Tatiana was quickly introduced to the nomadic life, travelling between NYC and parts of Europe as a toddler before settling for a few years in the polar opposite, the swelteringly hot and barren mining town of Lightning Ridge, Australia, where her father procured, cut and sold precious opals. She returned to NYC to attend a prestigious film school where she nurtured her passion for film, writing and the arts.
Fade To Black was born out of a desire to combine her family history in the gemstone industry with her love for design, travel and storytelling to create a sustainable, modern take on gemstone jewelry.
Her unique life and wealth of experience is reflected in her designs, which strive to imbue its wearers with an inner sense of both femininity and sophisticated individualism by blending the organic, elemental nature of the stones against modern, timeless designs.
Tatiana currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
Sustainability
Fade To Black prides itself on quality and price transparency. Each piece is handcrafted with materials that are made to last: solid, natural Australian opals, fair mined diamonds, ethical and conflict free gemstones, and solid 14 and 18 karat gold.
The precious opals are sourced as close to the earth as possible, cutting out the middleman in order to keep prices reasonable, whilst using the very best materials to ensure the highest standard of quality every time.
The skilled team of artisans respect the delicate nature of the materials at hand and work consciously to minimize waste by not overproducing inventory and working around the natural, organic shapes of the stones.
Unlike other forms of mining, Opal mining is as low scale and minimally invasive on the earth as possible. It provides much needed jobs to the local community and the miners are required to refill their mines when they are finished, often planting trees on top of the site. Because of the nature of the sandstone, within years the excavation regenerates to it's prior form.