Originally published in The New York Times
Not Your Grandma’s Jewels
By Madison Shimoda
So you think you’re too young to wear your mother’s jewelry? It’s all a matter of how you wear it, says Theresa Bruno, the designer of Jordan Alexander. Her fine jewelry collection is a mélange of lustrous Tahitian pearls, twisted strands of quartz and diamond-encrusted gold ornaments, with unexpected touches of macramé, sandalwood and 300-year-old Yemen prayer beads — all strung together with boho leather and silk knots.
An Alabama native who divides her time between Birmingham, Ala., Los Angeles and New York, Bruno credits her foremothers for her inspiration. “I grew up with a gorgeous Southern grandmother and mother who wore serious pearls,” she says. “I wanted jewelry that looked beautiful like theirs, but not like that.”
Bruno didn’t start selling her collection until last August, but began melding her mother’s clutch-pearls primness and her own free-spirited style 30 years ago. When asked to describe her mix of hippie beads and estate-sale baubles, Bruno pauses and says, “Elegant funk.” Grandma would approve.
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