JL Walsh Metalsmith
Jennifer and John Walsh live in Bozeman, Montana with their three daughters and the occasional bear wandering through their studio from the nearby woods. They fabricate contemporary jewelry using ancient techniques and materials. Using a variety of surface treatments and patinas that mimic decay, they then elevate these “low” materials by using precious metals and stones, giving them a luster and brilliance foreign to the world around them. Their work reflects a fascination with the natural world and often includes stones gathered from local rivers, hand-cut bones, shells, and bits of wood.
Jennifer Surine Jewelry
Jennifer Surine is a metalsmith and jeweler whose designs offer a unique elegance. She began creating jewelry as a teenager and went on to earn her BFA in Art and Design with an emphasis in metals in 2008 from Grand Valley State University. She now works full-time out of her home studio making jewelry, which she has sold around the world. Her modern and stylish hand-crafted designs primarily utilize sterling silver. Her designs were featured in two Lark Books on jewelry making in 2010 and 2011. Jennifer resides in Portage, Michigan with her husband Steve and her yellow lab Kylan.
Hilary Koster Jewelry
Hilary Koster is a jewelry designer and metalsmith living & working in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She combines traditional fiber techniques and metal to create unique sterling silver jewelry. Hilary graduated in 2008 from Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design. The large-scale crochet neckpieces from her thesis work inspired the translation of her designs into the everyday wearable. Fascination with the intricate lace patterns and delicate nature of her grandmother’s hand-tatted doilies inspires her modern twist on the traditional. Primarily working with sterling silver, fine silver and copper, crocheted wire elements are the focus of her designs.
The Empty Nest Jewelry
What happens when your children grow up and leave home? For Lisa Portenga of Newaygo, Michigan, a newly empty nest (and a commitment to the environment) led to the creation of these kitschy, quirky, “upcycled” goodies. Lisa scoures antique shops and flea markets, rescuing old and unused objects to later turn into wearable pieces of art. From vintage typewriter and computer keys to old nuts and bolts, game pieces, dictionaries, atlases, and glass marbles — repurposing found objects into her unique “vintage meets urban industrial” style has become a passion. As an avid upcycler — committed to converting otherwise unused objects into new products of a higher value — Lisa is proud that her Empty Nest Jewelry creations are helping the environment, even in a small way
Shiraleah handbags
Combining the hottest colors of the season with the latest styles, Shiraleah handbags are all created from responsible, earth-friendly materials such as vegan leather, cotton, and shell. The production is both safer (avoiding the toxic output of tanning leather) and healthier to carry. Practical and more lightweight than leather, these handbags can be wiped clean, making them ideal for busy students, travelers, and moms. Three percent of all purchases go directly to a support center for disabled children in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Belart Jewelry
Belart jewelry is comprised of tagua also known as “vegetable ivory”. It is collected between Columbia, Ecuador, and the Amazon basin where the palm is native. The plants provide food for people and animals from the region. By acquiring a tagua creation from Belart you are directly embracing the ethics of fair trade, the preservation of cultural traditions, the sustentation of elephants (as this is replacing ivory), tropical rain forests, and thus our endangered environment. You are also supporting the economic well-being of entire families, entrepreneurial women’s groups, and their fragile communities that have been displaced by Colombia’s sixty year old civil war, and those who have found a sustainable way of life in harvesting and working with tagua.
Projects Watches
For nearly 30 years Project Watches has dedicated itself to celebrating the role architecture and design play in our daily lives. Each watch is Architect-designed and aims to raise the collective consciousness of design, regardless of what form it may take.
EweCuffs
The EweCuff was created by Brandon Perhacs and is made from 100% wool felt with a sleek and easy magnetic clasp. It is reversible and the die-cut shapes can be pushed in or out to create different looks. The felt surface is liquid and stain resistant so spills can easily be wiped or shaken off before they soak into the fabric without leaving a mark. Mild soap and water may also be used. Use a lint roller to remove dust or hair. The EweCuff may be slightly stiff when new, but will become supple after a little loving use.
Sonia Spencer Cufflinks
Launching her business in the late 80’s in the UK, Sonia targets directly to a breed of man who is interested in fashion and style and the details that make an entire outfit come together. Keeping her eye on the ball and tongue slightly in the cheek, she is quick to spot trends, ensuring each seasons range is as fresh as the last. Comprised of rhodium, a nickel-free metal within the platinum family, these cufflinks combine both a whimsical charm and a professional distinction to your ensemble.
San Diego Hat Company
A passion for world travel and an enduring love for hats led two San Diego-based friends Andrew Bleecher and Teresa Gardner to design the Original Cotton Crotchet Hat ® that launched their business in Bali, Indonesia in 1993. Dedicated to providing a better and ever-changing assortment of fashion trends in color, style and fabric, it could be said their company is more about fashion than merely hats.
Rebel Designs
Rebel Designs is the brainchild of designer and sole proprietor Gina Riley. Growing up in Battle Creek, Michigan, Gina was always fascinated by fashion and was thrilled to have the chance to carve out her own niche in the “big apple". The heart of New York City is where her business remains today. Her designs incorporate semi-precious stones and Swarovski crystal in antique brass. The resulting look meets in a beautiful balance between costume and estate jewelry, making a statement which belies the age in which it was created. This jewelry will leave you looking like the bell of the ball, however its everyday application is well suited for the fun and funky, calling on the rebel within.
Philippa Roberts
Born in South Africa into a jewelry-making family, Philippa was naturally drawn to working with metals and stones. She graduated from Miami University (in Ohio) with a BFA in Metal Design and Photography. With California calling, she moved to San Francisco in 1995 to start her career in jewelry design, and remains there to this day. The simplicity and organic nature of her brushed sterling silver and vermeil pieces are distinct and timeless, appealing to a large audience ranging from the most eclectic to the most conservative of tastes.
Shansu Jewelry
Botanical themes are a rich source of inspiration for this jewelry. The variety of beans, seeds, semi-precious stones, sterling silver and other natural resources serve as a huge palette of color and texture in Shansu’s creative designs. It’s no wonder people have been decorating their bodies with the beauty of these natural objects throughout history. The process required to create each piece is elaborate and time consuming. Collecting seeds and beans from different regions in Mexico makes for a difficult task, as some are limited to seasonal availability, while others remain accessible all year long. Get this as a gift for the granola-girl in your life or expand your hippie street-cred.
Avant Garde
For those looking for something a little different that still appeals to a wide audience, Avant Garde usually hits the mark. The jewelry is comprised of a pewter base, plated in silver and brass and then varnished to preserve color. Select items are further adorned with Swarovsky stones, glass, and crystal. The final result has a sleek and modern appearance with touches of more worldly influences. The family-run operation creates these limited edition pieces with a Parisian group of designers called Duo, boasting over 15 years of experience. Every item is hypoallergenic, nickel-free, lead-free, and inspected to maintain the highest standards of quality. Combining simplicity and boldness, the distinction of materials makes these stand-out and highly wearable pieces an asset to any wardrobe.
BauXo
BauXo jewelry is often a favorite for summer months, but due to its lightweight and versatile appearance, you may be surprised to find yourself sporting it all year long! Rugged elements like leather, wood, and bone are transformed into sophisticated and polished pieces containing all the presence of chunky substantial jewelry with none of the weight. The idea for BauXo was born when two Canadian women, Jeneen Gacek and Diana DeLuca, decided to take a sabbatical from their corporate lives and backpack through Southeast Asia. On a beach in Bali they met Javanese designer, Hariyono. The trio combined talents to turn their entrepreneurial dream into a reality, bringing you the best in workmanship and ingenuity.
Celadon Jewelry
Who says jewelry made of natural materials must be devoid of the vivid colors found in beads and gemstones? Certainly not this unique jewelry, crafted by expert artisans, and made from tagua (known as vegetable ivory). Tagua is a seed that can be found on palm trees growing in South America. When the ripe nut falls to the ground, it is gathered and dried for up to 2 years, resulting in an extremely hard (ivory-like) material. Today, tagua is replacing the slaughter of mammals for ivory in the textile and fashion industries. Very affordable in price, these make wonderful gifts- each piece as naturally different as the people you’re buying for.
Ann Egan
Stylistically, Anne Egan's jewelry pieces are sometimes compared to Rebel Designs, but with a few chief differences: color, color, color! Ann studied painting at the New York City School of Visual Arts, and found herself managing and designing for a jewelry company in New York City. Combining her knowledge of painting and composition, a complex color vocabulary, and mindful appropriation from the past, these pieces truly bridge a gap between present contemporary and dignified vintage. Comprised of antique brass, colorful bakelite-like resin, semi precious stones, and Austrian crystal, these pieces work wonderfully dressed up or down.
Jessica Lee
After journeys across the United States, Europe, and Asia, Jessica studied jewelry design and silver work at the College of San Francisco, where she apprenticed under several prominent silversmiths. In 2008, her studio moved to Portland, OR. Her work is set in sterling silver, and is composed of a variety of recycled materials including sea glass, vintage pottery, buttons, semi-precious stones, and freshwater pearls. Largely known as Seaglass Jewelry, Jessica's pieces are a popular addition for water lovers and environmentally savvy shoppers alike. Pieces with history themselves make a wonderful sentiment for those you share history with.
Italianissimo
For centuries, the Venetian Island of Murano has been praised for producing the most beautiful glass in the world. Our unique Murano glass rings combine skill and passion from these Italian glass makers with the creativity of high fashion and modern Italian design. Arriving in a juicy assortment of colors, this gift says, “I spared no expense at an art gallery”, while still showing “amore” to your pocketbook. Give these to the truly bold in your life or make a serious statement of your own.
Nixon Watches
It could be said that this company based in Pasadena, CA does not merely follow trends, but are the ones that create them. These watches guarantee an entirely personalized statement about those who wear them, but also deliver the durability you need in work and play environments. Skateboarders, snowboarders, surfers, and rock stars with demanding physical schedules have become a huge endorsement for this brand, but we find there is no limit to the age or lifestyle of our clients who have become collectors. Each watch comes with a two year warranty covering all workmanship in movement. Special orders are available upon request.
LIP Watches
Like vintage? The 141 year-old French watch brand LIP is reintroducing some of their most important wristwatches. This series from the early 1970’s remains as visionary today as when first unveiled almost four decades ago. These timepieces were created from a melting pot of Pan European industrial, architectural, interior and graphic designers, making them some of the most original watches ever produced. For the first time ever, LIP watches are available in the United States, offered only at various Barneys NY locations and Underground Studio! Each watch comes with a two year warranty covering all workmanship in movement.
STORM Watches
Storm is a British-based company founded in 1989. Sold in over 40 countries worldwide, it is one of the top watch brands in the UK. All products are designed in London with a distinctive emphasis on color, texture and shape. These watches are made with features that defy the conventional. Signature dials, domed glass, and unusual shape are key elements to Storm’s innovation. Warranty covers any movement defects within one year of purchase.
