BluerSkiesDesign

I am the designer and creator of Adornments NYC, and now Bluer Skies Design handmade jewelry and accessories. I am also a freelance set and costume designer for theatre and opera. The first pieces of jewelry I ever made were for the stage. Some were very realistic period recreations based on paintings and photographs and some were more bold theatrical interpretations. In most cases I started working with found objects, and mostly vintage materials. There is a quality to vintage materials that I love that you don't find in many modern materials, and I quickly became obsessed with hunting down vintage treasures to use in my own creations. I am drawn to not only the intricate details in vintage findings, but also the history that each piece has - it's story. When using vintage materials I like to honor their history, not erase it. I like the patina that vintage metals have - to me they just feel like they have more life to them. I clean them up very carefully and then seal them with museum quality sealers to protect these precious treasures. For me, working with vintage materials is a chance to give them a new life. Sometime I start with old, worn, maybe broken pieces that I take apart and use elements of and sometimes I use vintage "dead stock" that has never been made into anything. I see it as letting these precious little forlorn treasures achieve their destiny. My creations combine vintage chandelier crystals, vintage skeleton keys, vintage filigree, vintage coins and vintage beads. I like to combine them with modern materials including semi precious gems, pearls and other treasures. If I am using something ornate and victorian, I like to combine it with organically or roughly faceted stones, often hung or mounted in a way that is not formal, so that there is a contrast between the intricate and the organic, the old and the new. I often try to make my pieces feel like casual collections that the wearer has had forever - just precious little bits that have been collected over the years. The aesthetic is romantic and nostalgic, but with a clear, modern sensibility. I allow the vintage elements to shine, without being too precious about the way I use them. The combination of intricate victorian elements with modern, even industrial elements and handmade techniques gives my designs a distinct energy and makes them distinctly Adornments NYC designs.

In addition to my creations for real people, I have created custom jewelry and other accessories for imaginary people for various theatre companies including Seattle Repertory Theatre, Santa Fe Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Papermill Playhouse and Goodspeed Musicals. I have also created custom pieces for The Wedding Singer on Broadway, Kinky Boots on Broadway, Teatro Zinzanni, Bumbershoot and for the cast of the Green Day musical "American Idiot" for their performance with Green Day on the Grammy Awards. I also created all the custom crowns and jewelry for Frozen on Broadway, including Elsa’s crown. My jewelry and theatrical creations have been worn by celebrities such as Lynn Redgrave, Anne Wilson, Donna McKechnie and most recently, Madonna on her Rebel Heart World Tour. I have also created custom jewelry collections for the gift shops at both the Smithsonian Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.