I am trying to find a jewelry designer that I once saw advertised in
an in-flight magazine (BA's Highlife). The designer had showrooms in
Tokyo, New York, Germany (somewhere) and maybe Paris. It had a german
name that started with W, like Wellinger, Wellington, Weigner or
something like that. The key thing about it is that most of the
jewlery it produced (mainly rings) have the signature letter W on
them. The rings looked like being precious metals, and had little or
no stones.

I am certain that the jewelry designer you're thinking of is
Wellendorff. Each piece of Wellendorff jewelry bears the letter W,
either engraved or set in diamonds.

"The creations of Ernst Alexander Wellendorff, master jeweller of
Pforzheim, Germany, first became famous over one hundred years ago, in
the days when the royal dynasties of Europe lived in a glittering
world of wealth, beauty and luxury. His designs graced the necks of
queens, adorned the hands of princesses, and became the gifts of
kings. His work, the highest sophistication of the goldsmith?s art,
was signed with the letter 'W' engraved on every piece of jewelry.
Worn by cool people who know what they want."

The Timeshare Beat: In Europe with Simone
http://www.thetimesharebeat.com/europe/euro19.htm

"Ernst Alexander Wellendorff recognized the power of an identifiable
status symbol even back in 1893, when he established his company. This
prominent German goldsmith, who catered to European royalty, decided
to mark each of his pieces with a diamond-studded W. Today,
Wellendorff jewelry still bears its diamond W, which is now a familiar
luxury logo among Germany's elite."

Robb Report: Family Practices
http://www.robbreport.com/Articles/Wealth-Management/2002-Articles/Family-Practices-6.asp

"German jewellery designer and retailer/jeweller Hans-Peter
Wellendorff, a pioneer in jewellery branding, provides the discussion
with a historical perspective. Today, Wellendorff's jewellery is
easily recognizable through its signature; the Diamond 'W', the mark
of high carat jewellery and the highest levels of craftsmanship.
Wellendorff himself studied at MIT in Boston before joining the family
firm in 1960. Today, he heads the company and works in close
collaboration with the next Wellendorff generation, his sons Christoph
and Georg, both managers in the firm."

Watches of the World: BASEL Forum 2000
http://www.watches-of-the-world.com/content/news/basel2000forum.html

Here you'll find the website for Wellendorff:

Wellendorff
http://www.wellendorff.com/

From the site:

"Each year a team of young and creative craftsmen designs a new and
fascinating collection of jewellery. Each individual valuable
jewellery masterpiece takes up to nine months to create. Each piece of
Wellendorff jewellery offers unmatched elegance, made by hand from 18
carat gold and signed with the diamond - W to guarantee the highest
quality and standards of gold craftsmanship."

Wellendorff: Design
http://www.wellendorff.com/fakten/fakten_design.html

The Wellendorff collection of fine jewelry:

Wellendorff: Collection
http://www.wellendorff.com/kollektion_set.html

I hope this is the jewelry designer you're looking for. If not, please
request clarification so that I can resume the quest. I'll be glad to
offer further assistance before you rate my answer.

Best wishes,
pinkfreud

This is exactly what I needed... any ideas what price ranges are they ?

Regarding the price of Wellendorff, it is definitely luxury-priced jewelry.

As an example, take a look at this ring that was offered on eBay not
long ago. The starting price was $12,000:

eBay.com
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2677942728&category=42941

You can get a Wellendorff catalog here:

Wellendorff: Catalog
http://www.wellendorff.com/kontakt/katalog/index.php

Wellendorff jewelry is expensive, but it is incredibly beautiful and
finely-made. My Great-Aunt Mary had an enamel-and-gold ring made by
Wellendorff. It was one of the most stunning pieces of jewelry I have
ever seen.