All posts filed under: Interviews

A CONVERSATION ABOUT LUXURY WITH OUR GUEST EXPERTS

Diamonds and Their Artisan Sparkle in a London Townhouse

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

Let’s go shopping for diamonds! Here at Dandelion Chandelier, we’ve been exploring the dazzling world of haute joaillarie. In the rarefied sphere of high jewelry, the highest possible level is bespoke pieces, custom-made for individual clients. Like haute couture, haute joaillerie items are made to order and crafted by hand, with intense collaboration and interaction between the jewelry designer and the client. The items are heirloom quality and – like royal jewels – each one has a story behind it. If you’re operating at this price point, you have the option of working with one of the storied European jewelry houses: Asprey, Bulgari, Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels, Graff, Cartier, Chanel and Dior. An alternative that many sophisticated clients are turning to is working directly with an artist who is designing jewelry independently. The advantage of this approach is that as a client, you are intimately involved in every step of the process. You’ll receive highly personal attention from a skilled artisan. You’ll also be the owner of a piece that is truly one-of-a-kind, …

See Luxury in a new light with: Jessica McCormack

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

The Dandelion Chandelier Luminary Café is the place to find a series of personal interviews with fascinating people who are stellar achievers in their chosen field of endeavor. Our Luminaries are sharing their origin stories, life philosophies, secret songs, guilty pleasures and hidden talents. It’s guaranteed to be illuminating.  Jessica McCormack designs exceptional diamond jewelry, handcrafted in her dedicated London atelier. The daughter of an auctioneer, Jessica grew up in New Zealand and inherited her father’s passion for interesting and unusual antiques, which led her to London to work in the jewelry department at Sotheby’s. In 2008, she began her career as a jeweler in partnership with diamantaire Michael Rosenfeld. Her bespoke and collection jewelry is hand-crafted and inspired by a wide-ranging set of influences, including contemporary African art, the Bauhaus movement, mid-Century American architecture, feminist photography and ancient design work. Her studio is located in a 19th century townhouse in the heart of Mayfair.

A Luxurious Vibrant Jewelry Garden of Earthly Delights

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

In the rarified sphere of high jewelry, the highest possible level is bespoke pieces, custom-made for individual clients. Like haute couture, haute joaillerie items are made to order and crafted by hand, with intense collaboration and interaction between the jewelry designer and the client. The items are heirloom quality and — like royal jewels – each one has a story behind it. If you’re operating at this price point, you have the option of working with one of the storied European jewelry houses: Asprey, Bulgari, Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpel, Graff, Cartier, Chanel and Dior all offer haute joaillerie designs that are essentially custom-made. An alternative that many sophisticated clients turn to is working directly with an artist who is classically trained in one of these maisons, but now creating work on their own. The advantage of that approach is that you are intimately involved in every step of the process, and you’ll receive highly personalized attention from a skilled artisan. You’ll also be the owner of a piece that is truly one-of-a-kind, created …

See Luxury in a New Light with: Sharon Khazzam

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

The Dandelion Chandelier Luminary Café is the place to find a series of personal interviews with fascinating people who are stellar achievers in their chosen field of endeavor. Our Luminaries are sharing their origin stories, life philosophies, secret songs, guilty pleasures and hidden talents. It’s guaranteed to be illuminating.  Award winning jewelry designer Sharon Khazzam is a star in the world of haute joaillerie. She was the sole in-house jewelry designer for Asprey for eight years. With Asprey’s support, in 1993 Sharon launched her eponymous collection, which reflects her tastes as an artist and also her expertise with gemstones. You can find her one-of-a-kind collection of earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces at Barneys New York, Isetan and Mitsukoshi in Tokyo, and Ylang 23 in Dallas. Or you can work directly with her to create a bespoke piece, choosing stones that speak to you, and seeing the design and the final product come to life in her studio.

See Luxury in a new light with: Anna Deavere Smith

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

The Dandelion Chandelier Luminary Café is the place to find a series of personal interviews with fascinating people who are stellar achievers in their chosen field of endeavor. Our Luminaries are sharing their origin stories, life philosophies, secret songs, guilty pleasures and hidden talents. It’s guaranteed to be illuminating.  Anna Deavere Smith is a playwright, actress, professor and journalist. She has delivered riveting theatrical performances in her one-woman plays, including Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and Other Identities; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; and Notes from the Field. All were shaped from stories she elicited through recorded interviews, which she then personally portrayed on stage. Anna has portrayed Presidential advisers on television and in film in The West Wing, The American President, and Dave. She has played roles on the hit shows Nurse Jackie and Black-ish. She has served as a professor at Stanford and New York University. She is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship “genius” grant; a National Humanities Medal, which she received from President Barack Obama; and a George Polk Career Award, one …