designer interview

Lois Hill, Traveling Joaillier - Exclusive Interview

Filed under: Jewelry, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Lois Hill is a jewelry designer who travels the world to unearth native and ancient methods of jewelry-making. From granulation (tiny silver dots) dating back to King Tut's Tomb to metal weaves spotted in museum artifacts, Hill's natural curiosity and love of travel has taken her all over the globe to learn, create and teach.

"I think of it as 'working to preserve lost arts,'" says Hill. Her fascination with ancient techniques began with Scandinavian filigree. Born to a Norwegian mother in Illinois, she grew up in a crafty house which strictly believed in principles like "That's not a walnut. That's a Christmas tree ornament or a magnet," Hill recalls with a smile.

Gallery: Lois Hill "Globally Inspired" Jewelry

Tags: Breastcancer.org, CARE, designer interview, Doctors Without Borders, jewelry, jewelry designers, jewelry-making, Lois Hill, travel

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Evan Yurman, Next in Line for the David Yurman Empire - Exclusive Interview

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Last year when we talked to David Yurman (David Yurman at Bloomingdales - Exclusive Interview), he spoke about working as a husband-and-wife team and alluded to the increasing involvement of his son in the family business. Evan Yurman has helped with the men's collections, and now, has even designed his own collection of women's eyewear (known to non-industry folks as "sunglasses") for David Yurman.

We talked to Evan Yurman, the next in line for the David Yurman empire, about more than just fancy shades -- read the interview below for a peek inside this fiery fashion heir; a talented designer in his own right. Just scroll down to see the amethyst-studded beauties which grace his sparkling collection ($695).

Luxist: Have you always been involved in the family business?

Evan Yurman: I officially joined the company in 2004. Before then, I spent time cutting and carving with my knife collection; it was part of my eventual growth into design. Creativity has always been part of my life, so it is great to have an outlet to explore my ideas.

L: What do you foresee in the future of the Yurman collections?

EY: We will continue to incorporate unique, artisanal elements into our collections while staying true to our brand DNA of innovation in the modern tradition. I like integrating different textures and motifs -- rhino, sea urchin, waves, chevron are some of my favorites.

Tags: David Yurman, DavidYurman, designer interview, DesignerInterview, Evan Yurman, EvanYurman, eyewear, sunglasses

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Gemvara - the First Website for Custom Designer Jewelry, Exclusive Interview

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Gemvara is "the world's first site for creating custom designer jewelry." You may have reservations about the possibility of ordering custom jewelry online. I know I do. I interviewed the VP of Content and Merchandising Cheryl Kremkow (former editor-in-chief of Modern Jeweler, pictured below) about how Gemvara works, curious about the first of what will surely lead to many online custom jewelry services. Does it save money? What if you don't like the piece? How can one be assured of quality? These questions and more are answered below.

Luxist: Do you think it's wise to have jewelry custom-made online? Why?

Cheryl Kremkow: What's different about designing jewelry on the Gemvara site is that it's interactive. You find a design concept you like, then you can click to change all the gemstones and metals to create exactly the look you want. You don't have to imagine how it will look, you can see it. Every design on our site can be made any way, which means you can create jewelry that suits both your style and your budget. We make pieces in platinum and diamonds and pieces in amethyst and sterling silver: or diamond and sterling and platinum and amethyst, if that's what you want. We've done both.

L: What if someone gets the final piece and doesn't like it, will you take it back?

CK: Yes, of course. We want to make sure people are delighted with their jewelry. Actually, we haven't had any returns yet. I think it's because our customers create exactly what they want themselves and see exactly how it will look. Most people tell us that the real piece looks even better than they expected. Fortunately, our customers have good taste, so the pieces really do look great!

L: Are there significant savings associated with buying online?

CK: We don't carry inventory since we make each piece to order, just for you, one at a time. So, we are able to offer a really good value, even if you don't consider the added luxury of having the piece made just for you just the way you want it.

Gallery: Gemvara Custom Jewelry

Stargazer Earrings (14k yellow gold with citrine)

Lotus Ring (in white gold with diamonds and a blue sapphire)

Tags: bracelets, Cheryl Kremkow, custom jewelry, designer interview, Gemvara, jewelry, necklaces, rings

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What Makes Hudson Denim Resurrection Jeans Worth $995?

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Hudson Jeans, a denim company with celebrity fans including Sandra Bullock, Pink and Gisele Bündchen, has a new concept hitting stores this month: one-of-a-kind, hand-cut and hand-sewn jeans, available at your usual fine retailers for the steep price of $995.. They may not be bespoke, but the result is the same; you can find a pair that's uniquely "you," whether that means sideways back pockets and zippers everywhere or whitewashed denim with artfully placed seams in unusual places, and be certain no one else will have the same pair of blues.

The collection is called Resurrection (right), and comes at a premium price of $995 per pair (most Hudson denim goes for $215 to $325). We chatted with designer Ben Taverniti (below), who has been creating couture pieces featured in the likes of French Vogue since age 19, about the collection, his philosophies and all things Hudson Jeans.

Luxist: What makes Hudson jeans so special and worth so much more than other brands?

Benjamin Taverniti: The Spring/Summer 2010 HUDSON Collection is the ultimate expression of the HUDSON brand consisting of four distinct groups - Minimalist, D.I.Y., Subversion and Resurrection (each jean is one of a kind). We source our fabric from the finest mills in Japan and Italy. Design, construction, and quality are our utmost priority.

L: How has your notorious couture past influenced the way you design jeans?

BT: It's trained my eye to be extremely critical and precise with fits, which is the most important thing when it comes to denim.

L: Do you have any advice for men and women who want to look hot in their jeans? What should they look for?

BT: Jeans do not make you ... you make the jeans ... Style should be fearless and confident.

Tags: ben taverniti, benjamin taverniti, denim, designer interview, designer jeans, expensive jeans, hudson, jeans, pricey denim

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Temple St. Clair Makes Fine Jewelry for Dolphins

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Charity

Temple St. Clair is a jeweler we love, and finding out she'd created a collection in support of Japanese dolphins (like the 18K Dolphin Pendant with Blue Moonstone at right, $8,750.00) made us love her all the more.

Forty percent of the proceeds from Temple's Dolphin Pendants and Ring collection is being donated to Save Japan Dolphins, an organization working to fight the sharp decline in the dolphin population which was recently exposed in the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove.

We asked Temple about her collection and how her past inspired her to create jewelry for dolphins -- or at least in support of them.

Luxist: How long has the collection existed, and has it always been in support of Japan Dolphins?

Temple St. Clair: The dolphin pendants are part of my Tree of Life collection, an environmentally inspired collection. In this collection, a dragonfly represents clean air; a lion cub represents conservation of our terrestrial environment; and the dolphin symbolizes the wellbeing of our oceans. My dolphin image is inspired by the classical Greek representation of a dolphin that saved a drowning boy and delivered him safely to the shore of the modern day Italian city, Taranto. A beautiful Greek coin exists with the image of the boy riding the dolphin. I made several dolphins as part of the Tree of Life collection both with blue sapphires and diamonds and in all gold. There has been such a positive reaction to the dolphins, along with a passionate desire to support them, that I have recently added a silver dolphin pendant so that the cause can expand more widely.

L: How did you get involved with the Japanese dolphin cause?

TSC: I have been involved with the sea since a very young age, learning to scuba dive at fourteen. I seriously considered pursuing marine biology, participating in marine study projects in the Caribbean and Honduras with Jean-Michel Cousteau during college summers. I also spent my teenage years surrounded by dolphins in the tidal creeks on the coast of South Carolina where my family lived. After seeing The Cove, Ric O'Barry's remark, "Either you are an activist or a non-activist," inspired me to be active. The most logical way for me to be "active" is through the medium I work in. If I can make my jewelry work for a cause, it is a great satisfaction and inspiration for me that I can help make a difference.

L: How long will the opportunity to support dolphins with purchase be available?

TSC: I plan to continue my support of the efforts made by Ric O'Barry and SaveJapanDolphins.org until the slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan is stopped. I plan to continue support of marine mammals in general, and to raise awareness regarding Sea World and "swim with dolphins" programs. Marine mammals are highly developed social creatures that should not be held in captivity to serve as circus animals. Operations such as Sea World, drive the slaughter of dolphins in Japan by creating a high priced market for the animals. The "show worthy" dolphins are captured to put on display while the rest are slaughtered; their very toxic flesh is sold as whale meat to unsuspecting Japanese.

You can view the entire collection here in our gallery, or visit Temple St. Clair to purchase.

Gallery: Temple St. Clair - Save the Dolphins

18K Small Dolphin Pendant with Pav� Diamonds

Tags: designer interview, Dolphins, Sea World, Temple St. Clair, The Cove

Padma Lakshmi's Seedy New Jewelry Line

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Celebrity Design

Padma Lakshmi models her own jewelry designs

Padma Lakshmi has the career of seven women. She's a model, author, a TV host (most notably Top Chef) and now, the new mom has a jewelry line.

PADMA launched in May 2009 and consists of 40+ earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings inspired by Lakshmi's eclectic past. She was born in India, raised in both India and the US, and has lived in France, Spain and Italy. "I love the rich heritage and beauty of traditional Indian jewelry, but I wanted something more modern and delicate. I also wanted to create something that women would love to wear everyday; pieces that work with jeans and cocktail dresses, jewelry that highlights the myriad sides of a woman's personality without upstaging her."

The collection features an India-inspired hand piece, a "back to front" necklace which "adorns a woman's back as much as her décolleté, cascading down the neck on both sides" and a micro-collection called "the Nav," which is based around traditional Hindu beliefs, incorporating stones which represent the nine planets and harnessing their energy.

Even her foodie experience has influenced her designs. "In hunting for the most precious spices, I found the shapes of seeds and pods exquisite, a purity of proportion and form that had an inherent sensuality to them." We find the designs subtle and thoughtful with a distinct womanliness. The collection's seed and pod themes are exceptionally well-suited to make gifts for pregnant women -- how apt that Padma just gave birth to a baby girl, Krishna.

We interviewed Padma via email about her new jewelry collection, her career and her life.

Luxist: How has your multi-faceted career led you to jewelry?

Padma Lakshmi: Even before my fifteen years in fashion, as a child I was always attracted to my mother's jewel box. Over the years I've been lucky enough to gather some beautiful pieces through my travels along the way. But at a certain point, I wasn't finding exactly what I was looking for in the accessories marketplace and it turned out that others weren't either. I started reproducing the bespoke custom pieces that I had created for myself; that's pretty much the organic process of how the company came about.

Gallery: PADMA by Padma Lakshmi

Tags: celebrity, designer interview, DesignerInterview, jewelry, Padma Lakshmi, PadmaLakshmi, pregnancy, Top Chef, TopChef

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Anna Hu, Custom Jeweler to the Lucky

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Celebrity Shopping

"In the Chinese folktale, we have this god, the god of the moon. He's quite old, he's like Zeus in mythology. He ties red strings around babies before they are born, and then they are destined to be together. So, it's very symbolic."

Anna Hu (right) sat across the table from me at her shop beneath the legendary Plaza Hotel, presiding over a collection of flawless stones worth millions, arranged neatly by color like baubles in a bead shop. On my wrist I wore the bracelet version of this knot ring (below) -- probably the only one in existence. The highest volume of any item Hu has ever produced, with the exception of the linked items at Kabiri at Selfridges, is three.

"The technique is to really feel like a red string. At first, I was going to make it as a bangle, and then I thought, 'But people could copy that.' So, I converted it. The shape of the heart is stable, but [the rest] is flexible."

"Would you give it to someone who was getting married?" I asked.

"It's more of a romance-related item. I created the item because a lot of couples are so deeply in love with each other, but if the timing's not right ... before marriage, why don't we have a pre-bridal collection? We could call it 'Romance.'"

Ruby Knot Bracelet

Anna Hu is a jewelry designer who came to America from Taiwan as a cello prodigy when she was 14 years old to attend Walnut Hill, a prestigious arts boarding school. She went on to The New England Conservatory of Music, but hurt her shoulder. It was then that she decided to join the family business; her father is a gems dealer. "I went to my father. It was all meant to be," she said humbly. The pain of losing her first love to an injury was palpable as she talked about the switch:

"Well, I hurt my shoulder, so what could I do?"

Apparently, a lot. Hu went on to obtain a masters degree in Art History from Parsons School of Design and a second in Arts Administration at Columbia University, as well as a Graduate Gemologist Degree from the Gemological Institute of America. She started her jewelry brand at age 29.

Hu's music background is more than evident in her work. She is inspired by music and musicians she meets, such as Madonna, for whom she has created several pieces. She listens to music while she designs, and can remember exactly what she was listening to when she looks at her completed works.

"I have to listen to music," says Hu. "Rachmaninoff, Bach, sometimes I can only listen to Pacanini ... I feel all the technical challenge, and like, convert it into jewelry." ... "I have this sense of illusion of movement. If a jewelry piece cannot move, I have to make it look as though it's moving."

Gallery: Anna Hu - One of a Kind Designer

Tags: Anna Hu, AnnaHu, designer interview, DesignerInterview, haute joaillerie, HauteJoaillerie, interview, jewelry, jewelry designers, JewelryDesigners, Madonna, the plaza, ThePlaza

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DANNIJO Explodes in 2009 - A Recession Miracle

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Sister jewelry wonders, Danielle and Jodie Snyder

DANNIJO is a jewelry line from sisters Danielle and Jodie Snyder (right), and though they only started up in 2008, their handmade-in-NYC collections have been seen on an extensive list of A-list celebrities from Beyonce to Natalie Portman, featured on The Today Show and in countless magazines. I first ran into them at a Fashion Week party in 2008, and I've been more than impressed by their progress, especially during a recession -- the whole industry has. In this exclusive interview, I asked Danielle Snyder how they made it happen.

Luxist: What has been the most exciting moment for your company so far?

DANNIJO: As a start-up company, there is constantly excitement. Being on the TODAY show with Natalie Morales was a huge honor. This past weekend, I went to an SNL rehearsal and saw the jewelry worn in several skits. Being featured in New York Mag was also very exciting, and just seeing the jewelry worn by random people on the streets of New York is always cool.

L: What have celebs been saying about your jewelry -- any fun celebrity anecdotes?

D: Milla Jovovich told People StyleWatch " [DANNIJO is] Elegant but modern -- my favorite new find." Beyonce bought one of our signature entangled necklaces at Bergdorf Goodman and has been photographed wearing it several times. Rihanna ended up keeping a pair of earrings that she wore in a recent music video, and Natalie Portman recommended DANNIJO on Dailybeast.com's buzz board. Natalie had brought back some stones and material from a Paris flea market that we custom-made into a cool bib-necklace for her.

L: Which are your favorite pieces?

D: I love the entangled Celia and Bahlia necklaces and chainy Harley necklaces because you can wear them several ways and get tons of use out of them. They are statement yet effortless, which is perfect for day into night. I also love our stackable mini cuffs and oversized rings. I'm especially loving our signature holiday Coco ring. I've been wearing it non-stop to all the holiday cocktail parties.

L: What's coming next for Dannijo?

D: We just opened a pop-up shop at Henri Bendel on the 3rd floor which features an entire wall of DANNIJO. We have DANNIJO reps run the shop to ensure that customers get a real personal shopping experience. We just revamped dannijo.com with tons of new user-friendly features for the ultimate accessory shopping experience. You can now shop an interactive lookbook; share, email and wishlist products; shop celebrity style; find the perfect gift by browsing the DANNIJO gift guide and consult an in-house style-expert for the perfect accessories for your look.

L: How have you grown so quickly?

D: We've been very focused on organically growing and establishing solid partnerships with select high-end retailers. We've been careful to not grow too quickly and ensure that the product is never oversaturated. DANNIJO has been fortunate enough to have a solid celebrity clientele and it's really given the brand a lot of exposure.

So there you have it -- good, old-fashioned solid business practices and a couple of lucky contacts have helped, but the real reason we think DANNIJO is such a success is the goods. Check out their stunning designs, including Danielle's favorites and some as-seen-on-celebs selections, in the gallery below.

Gallery: DANNIJO - Celebrity and Designer Favorites

Tags: dannijo, designer interview, interview, jewelry, jewelry designers, JewelryDesigners

True Blood Jewelry Designer Wants to be a Vampire - Exclusive Interview

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Udi Behr at the launch of his True Blood collection

The hit HBO vampire series True Blood has a terrific new collection of modern goth jewelry designed by Udi Behr (right), the Chief Designer for Love Peace and Hope. We attended the launch party for the fierce new True Blood line and chatted with Behr himself about all things jewelry and vampires. Read the interview to find out why Udi Behr wants to be a vampire, and then check out the gallery of the sexy bling True Blood inspired.

Luxist: Do you like True Blood?

Udi Behr: I love True Blood! I don't do anything I don't love.

L: What's your background? Where are you from?

UB: My background is very confusing. My father is Dutch, my mother is English, and they met in Israel, so I was born and raised in Israel. I moved to New York 26 years ago on Halloween Day.

L: Perfect.

UB: My first night in New York was the Village on Halloween night.

L: How old were you?

UB: I was 23.

L: Oh my gosh, that must have been the best night of your life.

UB: Exactly -- if you ask me what happened, this is all because of that first night in New York. I blame it all on the first night in New York! I live near the village today, and I still remember what I saw 26 years ago, but I don't remember what I saw last year.

L: So your True Blood designs are based around the infinity symbol?

UB: The infinity symbol and two fangs that link into it. If you look at my line, a couple of the specific iconic shapes are teardrops of blood with rubies, I'm doing the 8, eternity, and the chains. I use either leather or stainless steel, because vampires get very damaged if they wear silver, so, just in case Louisiana vampires or Texas vampires want to buy jewelry, tada! They can!

L: So, there's no silver in the collection?

UB: The rings are silver, and the earrings are silver.

L: So the vampires should shy away from those.

UB: Yes -- but there are people who want to protect themselves from vampires, too. Not all vampires are great. But, on a serious note, it's hard to manipulate stainless steel in rings, so all the rings and earrings are silver, and all the chains are stainless steel or leather.

L: So, who's your favorite True Blood character?

UB: That's a good question. Let's see, everybody likes Eric. Everybody wants to be Eric, he's the coolest vampire. He's so cool, you know? He's not in love, he doesn't want a girlfriend, and Tara, I like Tara very much, she's a really cool girl.

L: What do you think of her boyfriend?

UB: Well, for me, he just pisses me off every time I go to the gym. It's hard for guys to compete, you know?

L: I would imagine!

UB: I want to be a vampire. That's why I'm doing this. You sleep all day and you party all night! And you live forever! Only one thing: I like to go to the beach.

You can shop for Udi Behr's hot new True Blood collection at TrueBloodJewelry.com.

Gallery: Udi Behr's True Blood Collection