Catbird

Catbird opened its first store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2004, when the neighborhood was in the middle of the decade that defined its identity as an independent creative district. The jewelry brand that Rony Vardi founded there was organized around a premise that the fine jewelry market had not widely explored: that a 14k gold ring could be worn every day, could be layered with other rings on the same finger, and could be priced accessibly enough that a customer might own five or ten rather than the single occasional piece that the traditional jewelry market designed toward. The Georgetown location at 3066 M Street NW opened in 2024, making it the brand’s second physical location and its first outside Brooklyn.

The material standard at Catbird is built on recycled 14k gold, with more than 95% of the metal in its pieces sourced from recycled material rather than newly mined. The diamonds in Catbird pieces are similarly recycled or lab-grown, depending on the design. For a jewelry brand founded in a neighborhood where ecological and ethical sourcing was part of the cultural air, the recycled materials choice was natural; it has also become a significant marketing point as consumer awareness of mining supply chains has developed over the decades since the brand’s founding.

The stacking ring is the product most associated with the brand. A stacking ring is a slender band, typically 14k gold, designed to be worn alongside other rings rather than as a standalone piece. The appeal of the format is cumulative: one ring is a small gesture, five rings on the same finger arranged by varying widths, finishes, and small gemstones becomes a personal visual language. Catbird has been one of the primary drivers of the stacking ring trend that became one of the defining fine jewelry shifts of the 2010s and 2020s, partly through the accessibility of its pricing and partly through the aesthetic coherence of its collection.

The Georgetown store’s opening on M Street in 2024 was covered by the Washington Post as a significant retail arrival, which reflects the brand’s standing in the fine jewelry market at a level that earns mainstream press attention for a location opening. The M Street address at 3066 is in the lower section of Georgetown’s commercial block, in a stretch that has a mix of independent and national retailers. The store design reflects the same intimate aesthetic as the Brooklyn original: small, carefully lit, with the jewelry displayed in a way that invites close examination rather than the distanced display of high-security fine jewelry retail.

Hours run from 11am daily across all seven days of the week. The phone is (202) 990-3120. The website at catbirdnyc.com carries the full collection, with online ordering available for customers outside the Georgetown area. For a first visit, the stacking ring selection is the natural starting point; the store staff can help navigate the combinations of width, finish, and stone that produce a coherent layered result, which is a more nuanced decision than picking a single ring.