A fresh crop of young jewelry designers is setting the stage for the look of today. They each have their own story to tell as to what led them to jewelry design and each designer has a style that reflects their personal life experiences. Rapaport Magazine editor in chief, Amber Michelle, sat down with four designers and had a chat with each of them in the New York Rapaport Magazine offices about getting started as a designer, promoting jewelry and shifting careers, among other topics.
Launched: 2015
Shahla Karimi has been into jewelry since she was born. Her
parents had her ears pierced when she was just two weeks old and began putting
bangles on her at a very young age. She took a trip to Iran where she started
collecting jewelry that she found in the local bazaars. Back in New York City
she worked in the merchandising department at Warner Music Group and later at
Code and Theory, a digital creative agency. It was then that Karimi decided to
pursue her true passion — jewelry design. In 2008, Karimi began taking jewelry
classes at 3rd Ward in Brooklyn, New York. She was so committed to making the
time for her classes that she moved into an apartment near the school. While at
3rd Ward, Karimi learned how to design on the computer and also trained as a bench
jeweler. Many of her pieces are inspired by architecture and famous buildings,
such as the Chrysler Building in New York City. Karimi describes her jewelry as
romantic, modern and sleek as well as simple and minimal. Each piece has to be
something that she would wear herself. Her interpretation of good design is a
piece that is simple, and has good proportions — and also, it has to be clever.
“If I think, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ then I know it has to be good
design. The design has to make me feel something.”
What is your favorite vacation?
It’s Vieques, an island off of Puerto Rico where there is a
bio bay. The food is amazing. There are wild horses that run around on the
island that you can feed. The beaches are beautiful and there are not a lot of
people there.
Who is your favorite fictional character?
Alice, from Alice in Wonderland. I sometimes feel
like Alice going down the rabbit hole. I have fun in my life and surround
myself with interesting characters and people.
Who is the designer — in any field — that you most
admire?
It has to be jewelry designer Selin Kent. I started
following her before I started designing jewelry. She surprises me each season.
She’s very talented. Everything that she does is high quality and her designs
are beautiful.
Launched: 2013
Inspired by old Hollywood, ancient Egypt and Art Deco,
jewelry designer Angie Marei got the name for her company from a 1960s movie
poster. She was fascinated by singer/actress Julie London and found her on a
poster with the words Diaboli Kill. Marei liked the phrase — pronounced like
diabolical — and decided to use it for the name of her company. Half Egyptian
and half Dominican, Marei went to Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New
York City to be a fashion designer, but discovered that she hated sewing.
Instead she got into graphic design and advertising, but found that she missed
making things by hand. She got laid off from an advertising job and started
free-lancing as an ad designer. While at work, Marei met a woman who made her
own jewelry. In 2011, Marei started studying at the Kristin Hanson Fine Jewelry
School in Manhattan, where she learned the wax method, something she
particularly enjoyed as she likes to sculpt. From there she went to the
Fitzgerald Jewelry School in Brooklyn. But after she became pregnant, she
couldn’t do any soldering because she couldn’t take the fumes. That led her
back to her roots of graphic design. She used those skills to create her
jewelry designs. After her baby was born, Marei started making jewelry and
built a website to showcase her creations. One of her important design motifs
is the tusk, which was inspired by the headdress of the Egyptian Queen
Nefertiti.
Who or what is your muse?
Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Monica Bellucci — women who
are ultra-feminine, very classy, with an underlying sense of seduction. They
could wear a simple, long sleeve, high-neck black dress but still look sexy
walking into a room — va-va-voom. I want to make jewelry that will make a woman
feel that way, that when she slips it on, she feels beautiful and empowered.
What is your favorite city?
I love New York because I am from here.Everything is easy to find and you meet so
many interesting people here — people here are friendly, even if they are
always in a hurry. I was born in Harlem Hospital and lived in the area for a
while before moving to Queens. We had a close-knit community of multicultural
people. I grew up with so many different cultures. When I got older, it was fun
going to the clubs; there are so many different people here and they all
intermix.
What is your favorite gemstone?
Black onyx. I love it because it has a stark contrast to
metal and I love black; it’s used to create contrast. Also, in the Art Deco
period, there was a lot of black onyx used. But it’s not used as much today,
you find it mostly in older jewelry. The energy of black onyx absorbs negative
energy — it is protective.
Launched: 2016
A stylist-turned-jewelry-designer from Toronto, Canada,
Gillian Steinhardt came to New York City to study fashion design at Parsons
School of Design. From there she went on to study textiles in Montreal. After
she completed her studies, Steinhardt moved back to Toronto, where she began
working as a stylist for movies, television and music videos. Her first job was
as an assistant stylist on the David Bowie video “Dead Man Walking.” Her work
as a stylist eventually took her to Los Angeles, California, where she worked
with Mariah Carey and Michael Bublé among others before making her way to New
York City. There, she continued her work with various musicians, including
Cher. Steinhardt loved working with her hands so she began taking
jewelry-making classes at Studio Jewelers Ltd., where she learned wax carving,
stone setting and metalsmithing. She began creating large pieces in bronze and
silver. Her jewelry was picked up by London-based fashion website Avenue 32,
which garnered her pieces exposure in Vogue and Elle magazines.
Steinhardt took some time off to have a baby and then came back into the
jewelry world with a collection of fine jewelry. Her pieces are created with
the idea of being a modern heirloom, of ancient artifacts resurrected for the
modern world. She uses hand-motifs, strong lines, architectural shapes and Art
Deco inspirations. Her Goddess collection of intaglios is one of her signature
looks. She found the stones in the grand bazaar in Istanbul and created power
rings for the modern woman.
What piece of jewelry do you always wear?
My wedding ring. I don’t have an engagement ring. I told my
fiancé at the time that if I was going to wear it every day I wanted to design
it. I wanted an eternity band with salt-and-pepper diamonds, gray and black
diamonds, and a blue sapphire. The stones are all rose cuts in different shapes
set in 18-karat white gold.
What would you do if you were not a jewelry designer?
I would be a costume curator. I like to work with clothes
and textiles and I like the idea of being an academic and an historian of
clothes and costumes. It’s what I like to study. And I could see myself putting
together shows.
What is your favorite season?
Summer, it’s a more relaxed time. It’s about socializing and
spending time with friends. People are more energetic and happier in the
summer. You can sit on the patio and have a cocktail.
Launched: 2016
Vanessa Perel-Panar got into jewelry when she was just seven
years old. The Vancouver, British Columbia–native played with her grandma’s
jewelry box for hours, intuitively knowing that each piece of jewelry told a
story. She studied art history and philosophy at Queens University in Ontario,
Canada. After college she moved back to Vancouver and began taking jewelry classes.
Meanwhile she noticed that her dad, who was a dentist and made crowns in the
basement of the family home, had many of the same tools that were used for
jewelry making. Perel-Panar began making jewelry in the basement using her
dad’s tools. She started selling her creations and after about a year, she was
in ten stores. With some success under her belt, Perel-Panar came to New York
City to study at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). She landed a job at
Reinstein Ross, where she worked for seven years honing her skills as a
goldsmith. During that time, Perel-Panar developed mantra signet rings for
women, which she put online and posted on Instagram. People began following her
and buying the rings. With her childhood friend, Shirin Eskandani, who is an
opera singer at the Met, she began mantra workshops called “Wear Your Mantra,”
based around the signet rings. The workshops use meditation to help women get
in touch with their inner mantra that is then translated into a mantra ring.
She has a celebrity following including singer Katy Perry, who is shown wearing
a mantra ring on a recent cover of Vogue magazine.
What are you currently reading?
The Power of Why by Richard Weylman. It’s a marketing
book about the why behind the product.Making jewelry to empower women has always been what I do, but reading
this gave me more clarity. I’m also trying to keep up with my stack of The
New Yorker magazines.
Are you a morning or night person?
I am a 9:00 a.m. person. From 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., I’m
super productive, but after 11:00 p.m., not much happens. I feel most sharp,
ready and productive in the morning.
Who is your favorite musician?
I’m really enjoying Sampha and a song called “(No One Knows
Me) Like the Piano.” It’s about being an artist and the creative and formative
years of an artist, when you are honing your skills and no one knows who you
are. It reminds me of creating my first pieces in my dad’s lab with no creative
restraints and feeling so excited about it.
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - July 2017. To subscribe click here.