Originally published on HUFFPOST
Contributor
Theresa Bruno
Designer, Jordan Alexander
I have always had a love and appreciation for beauty and artistry. In fact, I spent my childhood and early adult years training to be a classical musician. This training helped define me as a person and influenced my life’s creative journey as a musician, designer, arts educator and film producer.
I love the creativity of the human spirit; whether it is playing a magnificent sonata or designing a stellar piece of jewelry. I believe it is all about the same thing — creating something beautiful. One of the reasons this comes naturally to me is because of my Southern heritage. Growing up in the South, I was deeply influenced by my beautiful and sophisticated Mother and Grandmother, whose soft, Southern style is certainly reflected in my jewelry designs.
I have strived to create a look that combines my mother’s and grandmother’s classic approach and my edgier sense of design. I often refer to my look as Boho Chic. For instance, I adore pearls. I love the way they look against the skin and the luminescent quality of them, but I don’t feel like myself in traditional pearls. So I began to pair big, baroque pearls with chunky mine-cut diamond pieces, and an unexpected tying method. That design gave me the juxtaposition of elegance and hipness I was looking for and was the beginning of the Jordan Alexander Collection.
I am constantly searching for stones and materials that are sumptuous and gorgeous, but a little out of the ordinary—like the 300-year-old prayer beads or the big, rough-cut Burmese Rubies I’ve used in the collection.
Most of the designs for Jordan Alexander are produced in LA. However, I have stayed close to my Southern roots and our home office is located in Birmingham, Alabama. My business partner and I each have two sons. The name of our line combines the names of our oldest children, Jordan and Alexander.
Thank you for your interest in Jordan Alexander. I hope you enjoy wearing these pieces as much as I have enjoyed designing them.
