Silk, Stone, and Chain: Q&A with L.A. Designer Brooke Gregson!

-What is your favorite piece of jewelry? I have two answers to this. My favorite piece of jewelry which I wear all the time is one of the first diamond slice pieces I ever made almost 10 years ago. It is a mosaic style yellow diamond slice ring which reminds me that I will always be a fan of texture unique stones, modern design and good craftsmanship.  My other favorite piece of jewelry was given to me by my father and sits in my jewelry drawer, coming out only on special occasions. It is from the 1930's , a favorite style decade of mine and my father's and is a mix of Aquamarine, rose gold and rubies. I try to live up to its timeless design and beautiful craftwork.   [caption id="attachment_349" align="aligncenter" width="662"] Mosaic Yellow Diamond Slice Ring[/caption] -What is your guilty pleasure? I am a real Instagram and Pinterest junkie which is not so great for my already short attention span!  Although luckily social media has proven to be a great self-marketing tool so I never feel too guilty spending time on them. -What are you currently reading? I am currently reading  a great  book called Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter which is mainly set on a little Italian coastline and filled with characters  who I want to know,  which is my biggest test in deciding if I am going to like a book or not. -Favorite movie? One of my favorite movies is The Graduate with Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. It is a coming of age story with a great soundtrack (lots of moody Simon and Garfunkel) and an unforgettable ending although not the typical happy ending you would expect. -What was the first piece you ever designed? The first piece I ever created was a simple wire wrapped gold necklace with peridot and apatite stone beads. I soon started exploring new jewelry techniques so that I could create more advanced designs.  There is definitely a difference between designing and creating and I soon realised my strengths were in designing. -Five random items on your desk: A water-colour image I painted,  a picture of my two daughters making funny faces in black and white, Peruvian opal stones, aquamarine , and boulder opal stones since I am gearing up for Spring Summer and looking at these stones helps me avoid the gloomy London weather. -Artists you are currently listening to:  I am listening to Jake Bugg, A Song About Love, for the romantic in me and Santigold, Les Artistes to satisfy the rebel in me. -Any jewelry you never take off? Please see the answer to the first question along with my three woven silk/chain and stone woven bracelets that are like my talismans. The wovens are very tactile and comforting to me so when I forget to put them on before I leave my house I soon feel a sense of loss! -If you had another career, what would it be? Definitely a musician of some kind! I try to play guitar on my free time which reminds me that I will only ever be an amateur musician at best. -Favorite vacation spot? It has been many years since I have been there but I still remember the funny little hotel just an hour from the border of California and Mexico which has its own private beach, called La Fonda. It is a walking distance from a very untouristy Mexican town with beautiful silver jewellery stores. There was jazz night at the hotel on Thursday nights and they made the best margaritas. What more could you ask for?

[caption id="attachment_356" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Silk, Stone, and Chain Bracelets by Brooke Gregson[/caption]