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Two Rivers pendant
by Saundra Messinger
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Saundra Messinger grew up in Memphis and journeyed to New York
in 1975 in pursuit of a singing career. Not only did she accomplish that dream,
recording an album and singing in nightclubs, but she also met and married her
husband, a record producer.
Today, several dreams later, Messinger sells her own jewelry
designs from a studio in Nyack, New York, located in the same building in which
she lives. Her jewelry career was formed during the years after she left music
for a job in the fashion industry, when she worked for apparel designer Eileen
Fisher. Beginning as Fisher’s administrative assistant, she rose to the level
of executive vice president within six years. As part of her duties, Messinger
styled photo shoots and bought accessories for the retailer’s stores. When she
purchased pieces from jewelry designers, she would often suggest new ideas or
changes to existing pieces. Finally, one of the designers told her she should
try her hand at jewelry design, advice she took to heart.
STARTING WITH A SAMPLE
Initially, Messinger was in the wholesale side of the business.
By the fall of 1999, she had her first sample line and in May of 2000, she
exhibited in her first trade show and began to attract clients and build her
company. During the recession, which hit small businesses hard, Messinger made
the decision to “whittle down” her wholesale operation, limiting it to just 35
accounts.
Today, Messinger designs her jewelry at her studio and
oversees its manufacturing by firms on 47th Street. The studio is a tiny jewel
of a space, occupying just 270 square feet. It is open three days a week. When
the location became available in 2011, she enlisted the help of a designer
friend and opened the retail shop in just six weeks.
Within the store are a number of special elements. One is a
treasure box containing either a new item or a special purchase. There are
shelves where merchandise is arranged by price: $50, $75, $100, $200. The bulk
of sales are in the $200-to-$3,000 range.
Messinger’s client list has grown steadily and includes
local shoppers, many of whom are artists or retired professionals from nearby
New York City. The scenic town also attracts visitors from New York and
northern New Jersey. A great majority of customers are women buying jewelry for
themselves, and the list includes such celebrities as Debra Messing and Bette
Midler.
The retail operation provides a dual benefit for Messinger,
serving both as a supplement to her wholesale business and a laboratory for
testing new designs. She conducts in-store trunk shows to introduce new
collections and enjoys the opportunity to create some “amazing, one-of-a-kind
pieces.”
While she was largely untrained in jewelry design, Messinger
says she has been “taught and inspired by life.” Of special significance are her two favorite rivers — the
Mississippi and the Hudson — the movement of the water and the softened,
asymmetric edges of glass that has been tumbled in it.
INSPIRED PIECES
Messinger’s jewelry is distinctive and recognizable, often
with asymmetrical shapes and unusual textures. She refers to her designs as
“organic” and “perfectly imperfect,” saying that when a woman wears them, they
feel like a part of her. Messinger’s medium is sterling silver with a matte
finish, often accented with diamonds. In this respect, she was at the forefront
of today’s trend of combining silver and diamonds.
The jewelry is divided into themed collections and frequently,
pieces are offered in a choice of sizes. “I don’t want to leave anyone out,”
she says, “so I make adjustments for size and taste.” Messinger herself prefers
bold, oversized pieces, but for women who prefer smaller pieces, she offers
little pendants and cuffs and half necklaces.
While she sometimes accents her jewelry with gold, Messinger
says she loves the whiteness of sterling silver, especially when enhanced by a
sprinkling of diamonds. The diamonds are small — the large majority from ¾ to 1
point — and qualities vary, but all are fully faceted and designed to “wink at
you” from the piece.
BUILDING CLIENTELE
During the recession, Messinger made the decision to stop all
direct mailings and reached out to her clients by email and a website. Except
for local media, she does very little advertising, but her dramatic designs
have received valuable editorial coverage from Vogue and other magazines.
Communication with her wholesale and retail clients is
essential, Messinger says, and she looks forward to the experience of talking
with them to learn their needs. Most clients are fine jewelers and galleries
and she frequently does trunk shows in their stores. She enjoys this part of
her work as it gives her fresh ideas about what women want. “I don’t know
everything,” she says. “You always learn something valuable when you’re forced
to rethink aspects of your designs.”
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - May 2012. To subscribe click here.