Southern California native Robin Haley has been making jewelry for over 35 years, and it all started with an apprenticeship in Fine Gold Jewelry upon graduation from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise. Three years after her apprenticeship, she started her own business, and within five years she was selling her works to Nordstrom, Fred Segel, Warner Brothers’ and Bubank Studios. Today, she and her team can be found in Nashville, Tennessee, where all of the jewelry is constructed by hand – custom and made-to-order for each customer – with recycled metals, conflict-free gemstones and African Glass Beads that…
Category: Design of the Times
Design of the Times: Brooke Gregson
CommentsKnown for her original creations and unmistakable use of color and craftsmanship, Brooke Gregson is a Los Angeles born designer moving onto her 14th year of designing jewelry. Gregson focuses on attention to detail, the craft of creating jewelry itself and the meaning and purpose of her jewelry to each customer. A lover of jewelry and art at a young age, Gregson studied Art History and Geology in college before later delving into designing and creating herself. Today, she offers seasonal Fine Jewelry collections, along with Astrology necklaces with diamond constellations. Her signature layering style is created through her hand…
Design of the Times: Sarah Graham
CommentsSarah Graham has a distinct style in her jewelry designs: her works are organic and textural with a muted palate, feminine yet substantial, and unique yet universal in appeal. Graham draws her inspiration from the natural environment, giving her designs lasting beauty and sustainability through textures and styles found in nature. A matte black finish of oxidized cobalt chrome contrasted with 18k yellow, rose and white gold, set with colored diamonds, is also incorporated. This combination of natural shapes and textures with a glamorous finish is what creates the captivating and unique quality of her designs, and what has earned…
Design of the Times: Alex Sepkus
CommentsAlex Sepkus is a jewelry designer known for his remarkable focus and artistic expression. He concentrates so heavily on detail that his workforce requires microscopes to execute his designs. Drawing inspiration from ancient Greek, medieval churches, and his favorite fantasy literature, Sepkus expresses an enticing playfulness and an unparalleled style of work as a goldsmith. See what he had to say about his design process, his inspirations, and how he began working in jewelry: What is your background in the jewelry industry, and how did you get your start? I studied industrial design at the Vilnius Institute of Arts. The…
Design of the Times: John Atencio
CommentsThis month, we got the chance to speak with John Atencio, who has designed fine jewelry in Colorado for more than 40 years. It all started when he was a business student at Colorado State University and wanted to give his girlfriend a ring. Little did he know this would be the launch of a newfound passion and his own jewelry brand. He made his girlfriend’s ring himself out of silver and since then, has designed thousands of more pieces of jewelry. Atencio hand designs each of the brand’s pieces of fine jewelry to ensure the creation of something distinctive,…
