Be sure to visit to pia silver at the perimeter mall in Atlanta on black Friday. We’ve got in a ton of new silver pieces that will make excellent holiday gifts!
JANICE GIRARDI has traveled throughout Southeast Asia since the early 1970′s, where she has had the opportunity to meet and work with some of the finest stone cutters and jewelers in the world. Janice currently resides in Bali, Indonesia and her jewelry line is sold around the world, most notably in the USA where she sells to major department stores, Fifth Avenue boutiques and a wide range of museum stores and galleries. Janice’s artistic sense of color and design has given her work a distinctive name not only in the fashion industry, but also in the classical art of adornment. Uniquely combining modern elegance with ancient drama in her designs, Janice’s work has become well known for its unusual combinations of metals, stones and mixed media. Janice’s use of color and shape bring these elements together creating elegant and truly innovative pieces of jewelry.
Mother-daughter duo, Avril and Cindy Joffe, combine their passion for unique and beautiful objects to create handcrafted jewelry using unusual combinations of diamonds, semi-precious gemstones, antiqued sterling silver, hammered gold vermeil and rare beads from around the world. Over the years, Avril and Cindy used their time away from their careers as lawyers and business owners to nurture their creativity at the family mountain cabin overlooking pastures, pristine lakes, and the never-ending Blue Ridge Mountains. The influence of such natural beauty is reflected in their work. When Cindy became severely ill in 2002, Avril inspired her to focus on her creative talents. Together, with a shared passion for jewelry designing, they spent their days creating exquisite designs. Having lived in Africa and traveled the world, their designs reflect cultures from across the globe. Each piece of jewelry has its own distinct personality and mystique.
The rest is history. In just a short time, Avril and Cindy formed avindy. Cindy left her career as a trademark attorney at Kilpatrick Stockton and Avril stepped down from running the family owned chain of car washes. The pair gained amazing momentum in the beginning stages, hosting several fabulously successful trunk shows. Their big break came when Fragments,the country’s most exclusive jewelry showroom, offered avindy representation. In the first month, Fragments placed avindy jewelry in Saks Fifth Avenue, Barney’s Japan and on Brittney Spears and Naomi Watts! avindy is still with Fragments today and can be found in over 500 stores and catalogs worldwide!
Avindy’s success has not gone unnoticed! avindy jewelry has been featured in nearly every major magazine including InStyle, Lucky, Oprah’s O magazine, Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Glamour, Seventeen, Bride, Cookie and many more. The avindy story also caught the eye of the Today Show and Donny Deutsch. The Today Show flew a crew out to the avindy studio to shoot a feature story on mothers and daughters in business together. Donny Deutsch then flew Avril and Cindy to New Jersey for a feature spot on his CNBC show The Big Idea.
Avril and Cindy make avindy in their historic loft studio in Atlanta with a dedicated staff of artistic women and oftentimes their dogs and Cindy’s children Dylan and Jonah.
Eclectic and versatile, with more than a dash of fun; people often use these words to describe not only Zina’s designs, but also Zina herself. From her earliest days, she was surrounded by varied influences and characterized by her desire for new experiences.
As the child of Polish immigrants, Zina spoke Yiddish before learning English. Because of her bilingual status, Zina served as the unofficial liaison for her father’s New York jewelry factory. Her job duties in the family business weren’t limited to translation. Most notably, she performed collections on delinquent accounts. “There I was – this little girl,” she remembers, “walking down to the Bowery, which was pretty rough at the time. But nobody bothered me, and it got the debtors to pay up. They couldn’t tell a little girl ‘no.’”
Inspired by her father’s example and surrounded by the artisans in his factory, Zina had fallen in love with design by age twelve. Although she could have entered the family business, Zina – never a fan of predictability – chose a different path. Encouraged by her mother, whom Zina describes as “a fabulous feminist before anyone knew what that meant,” she entered the teaching profession. Fearing that a safe, suburban school would be boring, Zina chose to teach at 125th Street in Harlem. “It definitely wasn’t boring,” she says.
Soon, marriage took her to El Paso, where she encountered an entirely different world. She reacted with characteristic openness. “I looked up and thought, ‘Purple Mountains’ Majesty!’” she remembers. While in El Paso, Zina worked in the television industry and delighted in the unique opportunities of a border town, including visits to booming Ciudad Juarez. This experience awakened her love of travel and interest in different cultures, and she dreamed up a more ambitious trip.
She and her husband sold everything and set off for Europe with their two, small children. When asked if this was some kind of “American abroad” indulgence, Zina laughs. She wasn’t trying to find herself; as always, Zina was just looking for a new, fun experience. “That’s what I love about travel,” she says. “The possibility of surprise, of something wonderful happening, which generally doesn’t happen if you’re sitting at home.”
After a year of traveling through England, France, Switzerland, and Italy, Zina and her family returned to the U.S. “We ran out of money,” she laughs. “So it was time to do something else.” They ultimately settled in Los Angeles, largely because it was different, and then something exciting and unexpected happened. Zina reentered the jewelry world, just as inventive designers were beginning to see the possibilities in sterling silver. The artistic instincts that had first emerged during her childhood were still there, made stronger by her adventures. Throughout her travels, two things had remained constant: Zina loved moving forward and she viewed life with an artist’s eye. She used those qualities to create a line of jewelry that was totally fresh and new.
Understanding that the traditional jewelry industry focused on special occasion pieces, Zina envisioned a sterling line that was fashion-forward and accessible. “Women want everyday items for work and dinner,” she explains. “Jewelry you can purchase for yourself and that tells the world how you want to be interpreted.”
In 1983, Zina founded her business in Beverly Hills offering a retail store and a small line that she sold to other independent jewelers. The business quickly became a destination for dynamic, inventive merchandise. Always offering customers something new and different, Zina expanded her jewelry line to include pieces with diamonds and 18 karat gold. Additionally, she created her own brand of clothing in gorgeous Thai silks and cottons. .
Today, after 25 years of success in the heart of Beverly Hills, Zina is still going strong. Zina’s jewelry can be found at ‘specialty’ retailers and jewelers from coast to coast.
Lilly Barrack, the daughter of an engineer & artist, has always been surrounded by art. She studied at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas for a degree in Studio Art. After years of painting, she has turned her talent to the creation of Jewelry.
Lilly’s world travels have resulted in cross-cultural influences with Africa playing a major role. Her designs are geometric and simple yet filled with expression and power.
Since her pieces are handmade, only a limited number of each are produced, making every piece unique.
Now Living in the southwest, she designs from a small studio with Indian silversmiths as her craftspeople. Using sterling silver, 14kt gold and untreated natural stones, she creates wonderful original works of art.
One-of-a-kind Amy Kahn Russell is the forerunner in a naturalistic trend in jewelry. A fine arts graduate of Tulane, the artist’s personal studies and experience often influence her designs, reflecting on visions from museums or images seen during her extensive travels.
Transcending seasons and time, the new distinctive pieces incorporate sterling silver, sometimes with 14Kt and 18Kt gold, with natural minerals, pearls, fossils, and semi-precious stones for a clean fresh look. The bold impressive collection consists of pins doubling as pendants, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings.
To heighten designer awareness, Amy Kahn Russell pieces come to its owner with history and a label describing the components. The high demand and popularity of her work are directly related to the fact that she painstakingly designs every piece. Often the rarity and individuality of the material limit the duplication of style. Although extremely fashion forward, the versatile line also caters to the more conservative or Fine Jewelry customer. High quality goods at affordable prices are an essential part of Amy’s basic philosophy.
The unique jewelry has been displayed on the necks and arms of the rich and famous such as Madonna, model Iman, Halle Berry, and designer Mary McFadden. Russell’s designs have appeared regularly on TV and movie screens, as well as in photo shoots for Vogue, Essence, Mirabella, Glamour, Revlon, and Emmanuel Ungaro to name a few. The designer pieces are exhibited in numerous museums including the Natural History Museum, American Craft Museum, Smithsonian Museum and Asia Society as well as upscale art-to-wear venues. They are distributed in art galleries, prestigious boutiques, catalogs, and specialty stores. The true beauty of the Amy Kahn Russell collection is in the uniqueness and quality of each item. These collectable museum pieces capture history. The distinct, unusual elements that comprise every piece make each a timeless work of art, highly prized and desired by many.
Amy Kahn RussellTranscending seasons and time, the new distinctive pieces incorporate sterling silver, sometimes with 14Kt and 18Kt gold, with natural minerals, pearls, fossils, and semi-precious stones for a clean fresh look. The bold impressive collection consists of pins doubling as pendants, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings.To heighten designer awareness, Amy Kahn Russell pieces come to its owner with history and a label describing the components. The high demand and popularity of her work are directly related to the fact that she painstakingly designs every piece. Often the rarity and individuality of the material limit the duplication of style. Although extremely fashion forward, the versatile line also caters to the more conservative or Fine Jewelry customer. High quality goods at affordable prices are an essential part of Amy’s basic philosophy.The unique jewelry has been displayed on the necks and arms of the rich and famous such as Madonna, model Iman, Halle Berry, and designer Mary McFadden. Russell’s designs have appeared regularly on TV and movie screens, as well as in photo shoots for Vogue, Essence, Mirabella, Glamour, Revlon, and Emmanuel Ungaro to name a few. The designer pieces are exhibited in numerous museums including the Natural History Museum, American Craft Museum, Smithsonian Museum and Asia Society as well as upscale art-to-wear venues. They are distributed in art galleries, prestigious boutiques, catalogs, and specialty stores.The true beauty of the Amy Kahn Russell collection is in the uniqueness and quality of each item. These collectable museum pieces capture history. The distinct, unusual elements that comprise every piece make each a timeless work of art, highly prized and desired by many.
My work focuses on the textural differences between the silver & the pearls & gemstones that I use. I like to combine smooth pearls with textured & oxidized metal. The silver beads, slides, clasps, and chain links are designed in wax, and then cast in sterling silver. All of my designs are very simple, and focus on the intrinsic beauty of the materials.
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, I have always been interested in crafts – focusing primarily on the fiber arts. After a long career in retail, I decided to escape the corporate world. I left in May, 2000 to start my own business, to pursue an education as a jeweler, and most importantly, to spend more time with my family.
I have a staff of 4 part time college students & recent college graduates who work with me in my studio. They didn’t have any experience making jewelry, so it has been fun teaching them a great skill. I also have a woman who makes jewelry for me in her home on a “by the piece” basis. I still make jewelry every day, but spend most of my time managing and overseeing my assistants, talking to customers, and handling the paperwork.
My jewelry is shown in galleries in the US, Canada, Mexico, & several locations overseas. I continue to do juried fine arts & crafts shows in the Southwest. I live in Phoenix, Arizona with my husband Michael, my sons, Pat & Connor, Max the dog, and 3 desert tortoises.
Sara Blaine thought it would be more fun to start designing her own jewelry to match her unique sense of style. Ten years ago, Sara along with her husband Mendel decided to form their own designer jewelry line, to share Sara’s elegant fashion-sense with the world. It was in 1999, that Sara and Mendel decided to launch Sara Blaine Jewelry as a luxury designer jewelry line. Their knowledge in the best quality stones has made them well known for producing beautiful handcrafted pieces. Sara uses faceted semi-precious gemstones set in 18k gold or sterling silver bezels. All of the Jewelry is handmade in Bali by skilled artisans. Their signature “Gold and Silver Lace Collection” has been what sets Sara Blaine Jewelry apart from other luxury jewelry designers. This beautiful technique makes jewelry-wearing an art form. Her use of brightly colored semi-precious faceted bead and pearls has been a staple in the Sara Blaine line over the past year. Many of Sara’s designs are inspired from natural floral patterns. This, along with her unique mixture of stone colors creates a solid piece to be worn on Special occasions or Everyday events.
The Philosophy
The idea behind Sara Blaine Jewelry has always been to create beautiful jewelry using the best quality stones. Sara has successfully found the happy medium between “the trend” and a timeless elegant piece. Her ability to mix unique colors on the stone color pallet sets her apart from other high-end jewelry designers. Brilliant color mixtures that one may not think to put together, Sara combines with ease. This design inspiration is complimented by a company that places great value on a genuine and gracious manner in all relationships. Sara Blaine Jewelry is elegance meets color meets quality. Jewelry-wearing is not just an accessory to Sara, but a statement. Sara is in tune with the importance of our personal sense of style and has created a jewelry line successfully reaching all types of women.
Lois began with a small team of 7 artisans while researching ancient techniques and now she is responsible for training hundreds of artisan world wide. With a clear vision of preserving lost arts and melding cultures and time; her quest takes her from the depths of the Amazon to the peaks of Bhutan and Tibet. It may be the weaving of a hut in Africa or the cultural and indigenous use of jewelry that serves as her next inspiration. Influences are often subtle and blended with other places and eras. When holding a piece of her jewelry, hopefully you will see and feel this cultural richness and global inspiration
Armed with a plane ticket and an adventurous spirit, Lori Bonn left her job in computer sales to see the world. Along the way she became enraptured by Eastern European jewelry and in 1991 created her first collection featuring sterling silver and amber.
Mixing bold silhouettes with intricate detailing, Lori has struck upon a style that has won her a loyal following — including celebrities like Alicia Silverstone and Hilary Duff — and has even been featured on the hit TV show 24.
Today Lori leads the company’s design efforts while her husband Bill Gallagher manages the business. As a mother of two balancing family, career, and self, Lori truly understands the joys and challenges of being a modern woman — and the amazing things that happen when you follow your dreams.
Lori Bonn Design, Inc. is a Northern California–based company that designs, manufactures, and distributes semiprecious jewelry. Our manufacturing is done by master silversmiths throughout Asia, in countries where detailed metalwork is an integral part of the crafts tradition. Our collections are available at specialty retailers, department stores, and catalogs throughout the United States.
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube
