TALENT ROSTER: signatory designers

Born in Guatemala City, Andrea Rosales-Balcarcel is an artist and jeweler currently based in Pennsylvania. Andrea attended Pratt Institute with a BFA in Jewelry. Andrea worked for David Yurman as an in-house bench jeweler and has participated in multiple international shows, including LOOT: Mad About Jewelry, Artistar Jewels and the Guan Tong-International Jewelry Art Exhibition in Beijing, China.

Born in Dominican Republic, Angely Martinez is an award winning jewelry designer based in New York City. Creating works that are big, bold and out-of-this-world, her work is influenced by the beauties of nature and the world of fantasy with a touch of romanticism and the avant-garde. These are themes that she has been obsessed with since childhood. 

Beads reflect a tradition dating back to 3000 BC. Bead stringing, properly speaking, is a form of rigging. Where a knot is placed, it strengthens the cord three-fold. I knot each bead into place, by hand. Beads and jewelry reflect where we are today, what we were, and who we will become. A.R.T. Precious & Collectible Jewelry has been online since 1998.

Ashley Khirea Wahba is an Egyptian-American artist working primarily in jewelry and digital media. Her work addresses notions of identity, ownership, reclamation, and resistance, often in conversation with humor and memetics. Each of her pendants are hand carved using alternative engraving methods which are both drawn from graffiti techniques and evocative of nameplate necklaces.

Experience glass jewelry that transforms throughout the day. Color shifting from aqua to purple,yellow to pink, green to grey and lavender to blue, our handmade earrings and pendants are truly an exploration of spectrum and light. Make all four transitions a part of your wardrobe this season.

Bliss Lau is a minority female owned and operated jewelry design business focused on conscious design.Established in 2003, Bliss Lau offers an expansive collection of elegant, fine jewelry, custom made to order pieces and one of a kind bridal designs. Bliss Lau’s visionary approach to jewelry design is rooted in the concept of jewelry as a physical experience and self-expression. 

CASTRO NYC brand is a entity that refuses to be boxed in by trends. Inspired by vivid dreams which produce shamanistic visions of animal skulls, outer universe and medieval details of a world without rules and borders. Each foreign object posses an unique energy & charm with an old world West African feel & quality. Which are made from found, common and uncommon objects and materials.

Emefa is a London based artist and jeweller who creates bold, distinctive wearable art which reflects the beauty of the ancient, geological treasures, archaeology, and the aesthetic passage that time creates. A graduate of The School of Art, Architecture and Design, Emefa’s work explores the transformative power of time. 

 Erika took her first metal smithing class in San Francisco in 2009. She is fascinated by the waythat a hard, durable material can be turned into something that appears delicate, soft and luminous. She makes all pieces from start to finish with classic fabrication techniques and hand tools using recycled metals whenever possible. Finding and selecting the most unique and eye-catching stones from ethicalsources is one of her all time favorite parts of the job.

Funlola Coker is Nigerian by birth. Coker’s current work explores her experience as an immigrant. Her wearable collections are influenced by North African architecture, West African textiles and the futurism of science fiction. Bold colors, patterns and unconventional shapes are present in these pieces. She believes that jewelry is a form or adornment, reserved not just for women, but for anyone with the desire to don a pair of earrings, a cuff or more.

Born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee by a Palestinian mother and an Indian father, moved to NYC in 2009 to pursue a degree and career in jewelry design and metalwork. Each piece is made to order and customizable. I create, market, pack, ship and communicate with my customers personally. As business develops, the theme of Community over Competition plays a really important role in how I navigate the jewelry industry. I continue to harness my voice alongside my friends and comrades working to collectively create systemic change in our industry.

With immigrant grandparents from both islands of Jamaica and Puerto Rico, I was always curious about their upbringing and traditions that were formed from their homeland. The colors, carnivals, art, beaches and language all inspired me to create and design. That’s when I knew I needed to design to bring me closer to the cultural connection of my ancestors. I created Jam + Rico (Jamaica and Puerto Rico) to dive deeper into my love of designing and the Caribbean

Kim Harrell is a silversmith and jewelry artist who makes distinctly textured and clean-lined jewelry and silver ware primarily using precious metals and occasionally combined with gemstones or unconventional materials such as felt, rubber and steel. Kim’s work can be found in private and corporate collections in the USA and Europe.

Kyle Abram has worked as Reflective Jewelry's Brand Catalyst since 2017. In addition to his brand management, online marketing, and SEO duties, he has been deeply involved in writing, editing, and conducting research on issues related tofair trade and ethical jewelry. He was also the sole editor of and a contributor to Marc Choyt’s Ethical Jewelry Exposé: Lies, Damn Lies, and Conflict Free Diamonds.

Originally from Los Angeles, CA, I am a first generation Jewelry Designer, Jeweler and Graduate Gemologist, forging my own way in the jewelry industry. I am passionate about all things gems and jewelry and love to design and fabricate all kinds of jewelry especially big, bold, colorful, pieces using my signature hammered textures, paired with rough and faceted natural gemstones incorporating mixed metals and mixed media. 

Lorraine West has always had an affinity for creating and donning unique jewelry. Made from precious metals including gold, sterling silver, brass and copper and inspired by symbology and geometric shapes, Lorraine West creates strikingly elegant pieces that allow clients to connect to their own beauty and power.  Lorraine West Jewelry is proudly handmade in NYC with Love.

Artisanal and afrocentric. Organic and structured. Asymmetric and balanced. These are the inspirations for my aesthetic framework. My designs are created as uniquely as the person who will wear them. No matter which piece you wear or which collection you choose, you will always embody a fluidity of style in your everyday life. 

Style tells a story. That story can be history.

Maggi Simpkins is an expert custom jewelry designer who creates hand-crafted heirlooms at the intersection of luxury and social consciousness.  All of Maggi's pieces are hand crafted in Los Angeles, using only ethically sourced stones and recycled materials whenever possible. 

Maribel Ruiz-Torres was born in PR and lived there through high school. She graduated from the University of Minnesota at Morris and developed her skills in jewelry design after college. She also completed introductory silversmithing courses at the Arlington County Community Education program in Arlington,VA.  Maribel jewelry designs explore the idiosincracy of being Puerto Rican as well as simplicity in design.

From her London studio Melanie combines traditional approaches with new applications, creating sculptural jewellery that uses geometry as a tool to explore the relationship of form to the body. An independent jewellery designer/maker with an individual style of jewellery handmade in precious metals to a very high standard she specialises in a bespoke service.

Merva Afshar is an Istanbul born jewelry designer currently residing in Brooklyn, NY. From the model making to the casting Merva is the sole creative hand in Merva Afshar Jewelry and consequently her pieces share a consistency and signature style that isn't jeopardized by larger scale production. It goes without saying that each place is a unique measure and equal share of the beauty that is Merva Afshar Jewelry.

 A born and raised New Yorker, Morgan Miller, participating in the success of several renowned galleries throughout the city, before being recruited to head up the wholesale sales and merchandising of a major fine jewelry brand. Morgan began consulting with a number of jewelry brands before she began her tenure at COUTURE. Morgan describes her current position as Senior Account Executive at The COUTURE Show as “a dream come true.” Her work alongside a team of equally dedicated professionals has given her the voice and platform to champion design on global scale, and is representative of her core beliefs—community, integrity, creativity and empowerment.

Born in the US and raised on the subtropical island of Taiwan, Olivia Shih grew upbalancing cultural differences and reading underlying emotions. Her well-tunedobservational skills allow her to imbue nuances and meticulous detailing into herjewelry, made for quiet and thoughtful humans. With dual degrees in writing and finearts, Olivia is also a freelance writer for Art Jewelry Forum.

Peggy Portals (born Sara Gonzalez-Bautista, 1996) is a multidisciplinary artist from San Francisco, CA currently based in Los Angeles, CA.As a sculptor and a self-taught jeweler, her work is largely inspired by an ongoing interrogation of absurdity, abstraction, history, systems/habits, and the occult. After one self-published oracle deck and two years of development, Common Rite Supply was officially launched Summer 2020. Sara produces handmade demi & fine jewelry, custom gold grillz and metaphysical tools. Inspired by everyday alchemy, these silver & gold artifacts embody the spirit of ritual practice and ceremonial magic.

I am largely self-taught, though I have attended numerous workshops and classes given by some wonderful jewelry artists.The knowledge that I gained from the educational exposure inspired me to teach several workshops and community programs on beadwork. Familiar with several techniques of jewelry making such as looming, weaving, wiring and stringing, stringing beads is what I am most drawn to. Inspired by my Indigenous background, I view jewelry as adornment and create pieces from the earth’s elements-semi-precious stones, copper, sterling silver and glass beads that are as unique as the person who adorns themselves with it.

Alex is member of the Navajo (dine) people, Born & raised on the Navajo Nation he has been apart of the frontline community &seeing the destructive nature of resource extraction he has been advocating for the betterment of indigenous people starting at an early age. Apart from being a Frontline activist he also is an Artist by trade & has mended the two together with his brand Resistance Art where he speaks of using cultural arts as a form of resistance against the ever destructive colonization he is also a writer & published poet & works in modern media including photography & videography to tell a complete narrative.

Robin Erfe's designs and creative process is founded on a love for creating beauty and adorning the body in elegance while being influenced by both the twist of nature and the city. Beginning as a childing building from cardboard, plastic from discarded envelopes, collecting rocks, working with beads, to ending up in a bench jewelers program at Studio Jewelers, Inc., in NYC, she found a love in manipulation of metal. Melting metal is a manifestation of exploring life in all its twisted magnificence and beauty. 

My jewelry line eschews formality, with a wink. Each piece defies preconceptions –of gender, of genre, of race –and though edgy, has its sharpness tempered by cheek and burnished by craftswomanship. My accessories attract eccentric rebels with a wicked sense of humor.I create jewelry that reflects elements of urban life and adornment–barbed wire, bottle caps and blunts, industrial landscapes, sharp hardware, and supple curves. I like things delicate and dangerous. My handcrafted designs represent my influences distilled into adornment: Afro punk, urban architecture, feminine strength, masculine polish,naughty humor, high art, pop culture and yogic grace.

Too often the focus of fine jewelry is marketed as male or female. Here we welcome and embrace everyone under the sun. Our jewelry becomes a part of you and defined by you. It’s with great pleasure that we welcome you into the Soelia universe. 

The process of creation and designing are very esoteric and holistic to me. I'm profoundly passionate about making, creating, drawing and collaborating with others. My mission is to represent stories and to project positivity through my jewelry designs. 

I'm deeply inspired by my heritage, being Brazilian - Costa Rican opened my mind to two different cultures and experiences that formed who I am today and how I express myself through my art. 

Theresa Kwong's design sensibility comes from years of practicing as an architect. Shell and tensile structures have always fascinated her with their clean lines and sinuous curves. The eye wants to follow the curves, and each curve brings excitement. This is what she wants for her jewelry. Her work expresses tremendous visual movement, reminiscent of Frank Gehry or Zaha Hadid structures.

TIMOSHII, built a reputation for itself second to none.A bootstrapped company from the ground up designing for Michael Jackson, The Hard Rock Cafe, Playboy, Art Basel, Issey Miyake, Emirates and the Lourve Museum Paris.TIMOSHII pushes designs beyond functional applications to create emotional connections and experiences. TIMOSHII’s expertise spans a significant number of subject areas in Design, Technology and the Arts

Born an artist and raised an engineer, Tonya has returned to her artistic roots as an accessory designer. With 14 years of experience as a jewelry designer and metalsmith, she has created an American jewelry brand influenced by her obsession with tactility and love of architecture .Specializing in hollow forms and textile manipulation in metal, Tonya is constantly pushing the boundaries of volume and tactility in her jewelry. 

Viviana is known for her intricate metal work, modern bridal styles, and one-of-a-kind pieces featuring unexpected hues, antique stones, and historical reference. Borrowing from the worlds offine art, cultural adornment, and design, her custom work appeals to the expressive and open-minded individual—those who value individuality, creative collaboration, and are unafraid to stand out.

Wing Yau is a Vancouver-born, New-York based designer. Hailing from a background in Sculpture at Rhode Island School of Design and a childhood of travel throughout the Pacific and South America, her passions lie somewhere between art and anthropology. After assisting art galleries and artists, Wing fell into design as a way to merge art with the intimacy of jewelry. In September 2013, she launched her elicatopal fine jewelry line,which has since garnered a cult following and the support from celebrities such as Rihanna, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson, Solange, and Zoe Kravitz.

Zulaikha Aziz is a human rights attorney focused on women's rights and access to justice globally. She is the founder of MAZAHRI, a purpose-driven fine jewelry company founded on the principle that business should be an important force for good in the world, and that jewelry can empower and celebrate the women and men involved in each step of its creation.