Lindley Gray: The New Moderne Jewelry
Lindley Gray launched her namesake collection in 2017 with ultra contemporary pieces, evoking a streamlined, geometric and minimalistic aesthetic and an affinity for the Art Deco movement in jewelry. After obtaining a BFA in jewelry in 2010 from Pratt Institute, Grey went on to apprentice Phillip Crangi and Alexis Bittar, and then as a designer/creative consultant and diamond manufacturers. Her bench training has provided her with the knowledge of different fabrication techniques and the skills to create a collection of unparalleled craftsmanship. With a studio in Philadelphia and production in New York City, Lindley’s collection also focuses on ethical and transparent sourcing, always natural, GIA certified diamonds and colored gemstones; 14K and 18K Fairmined gold whenever possible or “recycled” metals. Her focus is on the millennial and Gen X self-purchaser or customers that are highly involved in selecting their engagement rings.
Here we speak to Lindley about when she fell in love with jewelry, her inspiration, aesthetic, customer and her favorite pieces:
Lindley Gray
When did you first realize that jewelry made your heart skip a beat?
LG: “When my grandmother, a pioneering art therapist, brought out a classic jewelry box filled with costume and beaded pieces from her travels. The colors, textures and mechanisms started my brain up. I was given the box after she passed away and it’s moved with me everywhere since.”
What was the first piece of jewelry you coveted?
LG: “I fell in love with William Spratling’s Taxco produced silver work from the 1930s and 1940s as a jewelry student. Particularly his ‘Caviar’ necklaces. Learning about his career led me into an obsession with researching jewelry historically.”
When did you get into the jewelry business?
LG: “The first designs I ever sold were when before I even was in school for jewelry. They were more naïve designs and I sold them to a store in Houston, where I lived at the time, owned by a recent Project Runway winner. During my college years at Pratt Institute, I began working for a jewelry supply company on 47th street and met many interesting contacts there. In 2010, when I graduated, these meetings lead me find apprenticeships with independent jewelers until I was hired as a designer after graduating at more commercial companies.”
What the first designs that you created on your own that inspired your brand?
LG: “I’ve been influenced by Art Deco since the beginning. My first brass and silver collection incorporated simple, repetitive geometric patterns on a more sculptural scale. For commercial brands, I was designing drastically different work, and it was a great balance.”
The Mercer Street Studs with natural pink sapphire in recycled 14K yellow gold, from the SoHo Collection
A custom birthstone necklace with aquamarine, green tourmaline, black pearl, amethyst, and opal in 14k recycled yellow gold.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
LG: “Clean, streamlined and modern, with deference to antiquity.”
Who is the woman for whom you are designing?
LG: “A woman who knows herself and what she wants. She’s honest, open minded, comfortable going against the grain and carving out her own world. She gravitates towards effortless pieces that are angular or geometric yet feminine.”
Foundation Black Diamond Signet ring
What is your favorite design from your collection?
LG: “Ten years after first making it, I still wear the genderless Foundation Black Diamond Trillion Signet on my pinky every day. I also really love the studs named after streets in Manhattan with mixed diamond and/or gemstone cuts that nod to the Art Deco period. I prefer one, two or three of them worn together on the same ear.”
A mismatched pair of SoHo studs worn on the same ear
What pieces do you collect for your personal collection?
LG: “I’m always searching for modernist Mexican silver, whether it’s an unsigned masterpiece or rare classic by Antonio Pineda or William Spratling. I’m also really proud when I acquire pieces by peers or friends in the industry, especially after seeing their work evolve over time.”
How do you wear your jewelry?
“Now that I am approaching forty, I choose pieces that are effortless but have impact. I’m a quick dresser and appreciate easy-to-wear looks, such as layered hoop earrings or a few statement rings on one hand. On a no earring day, I’ll wear several wide bands on the same hand as a trio of thicker cuffs. I really love to wear jewelry and feel slightly vulnerable without it. Mood or sentimentality is another driving force in the pieces I chose. I add in anything I feel like I “need” energetically that day, kind of the opposite of what Chanel was quoted as saying, and I am paraphrasing here, ‘take one thing off before leaving the house.’”
One of the Lindley’s favorite bespoke bridal commissions to date
The Permanence cuff bracelets in solid 14K recycled yellow gold, shown here with green amethyst
How do you see women wearing your jewelry?
LG: “Deeply personal styles that are an emotional investment. They seek out pieces they want to live in throughout their lives and which will express their individuality succinctly.”
Black diamond rings
Pieces from the brand’s silver collection, which includes limited styles from the Permanence collection.
Favorite sentimental piece handed down to you?
“In the future, I hope to own my Mom’s very classic Fred, (the renowned Parisian jewelry brand designed by Fred Samuel) bracelet, which my father bought for her as newlyweds. She has never been a real ‘jewelry enthusiast’ but as she tells it, he just insisted on buying it for her one day. I remember finding it in her closet as she was getting dressed for an evening out, surprised she didn’t wear it more. She was going to lend it to me for my wedding, but in true form, she ended up hiding so well the night before for safekeeping that she forgot where she put it. I can laugh about it now but I so wanted to wear it on my special day. As time went on it began to humorously represent so much about my mother as also the sentiment of my parents relationship.”
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LINDLEY GRAY
