A double-digit drop in the number of in-store crimes was offset by a jump in off-premises attacks, JSA’s 2023 crime report shows.
3 Pieces with Judy Geib
Associate Editor Ashley Davis takes us into the studio of one of jewelry design’s most creative talents.
During a chat with Paul Schneider, owner of leading fine jewelry boutique Twist in Portland, Oregon, we chanced upon the subject of designer Judy Geib.
In detailing his love for Geib’s work, Paul explained to me that her oeuvre couldn’t be summed up with her imaginative, handmade jewelry; her art was also her joy for her craft, the way she lived, even the way she rode her bike to work.
When I visited Geib’s Brooklyn studio late last year, I understood exactly what Paul meant.
Geib’s workspace is in a magnificent converted factory along the border of Williamsburg and Bushwick; the kind of space that is becoming harder to find as the surrounding area is annihilated piece-by-piece to make way for pricey condos.
Every surface of Geib’s studio is covered in a medley of metals and gemstones. Sheets of gold are strewn haphazardly over bags of loose stones that monopolize the work tables. Tools of the trade mingle with emeralds, aquamarines, sapphires and random mementos like a broken kaleidoscope (more on that later).
A massive amethyst necklace begins to take shape atop slabs of marble next to a jotted-down recipe for Geib’s mother’s apple crisp. A fine gold dust seems to coat even the floor.
The studio is the ultimate work in progress, a perfect physical distillation of something rarely, if ever, captured--a designer’s mental processes and constructions.
The more I spoke with Geib about her work, the more I developed a sense that when she needed something specific cloaked in the apparent chaos of her studio, she knew exactly where to find it.
As I ask all subjects for this column to do, Geib chose three defining pieces of work that she has created since her start as a designer in 1996.
Below are her thoughts on what makes each one significant.
Judy Geib: In 2002 I made a filigree bracelet for a client and she said, “Will you make a pair of earrings that go with my bracelet the way you and your husband go together?”
When you melt gold it goes into a ball and I hammer it flat. It takes a lot of hammering.
I melted all the scraps from that filigree bracelet and pounded them into “squashes” to make those earrings for my client. I recycle all my gold
This bracelet is 18-karat gold but I also work with 22- or 24-karat; it depends.
My husband is a crazy guy. We’re opposites in a lot of ways, opposites who go together very well. He’s a writer, an activist, a philosopher, a reader. I’m a maker. But he’s playful, silly and serious. He’s also a great critic; he’s an honest critic of my work.
I think this piece is a touchstone for my method of working. I’m an improviser, and I try and explore things and figure out new ways to use things for myself in a way that excites me. I’m not saying I’m the first person who ever made a squash, but it works for me.
“Whenever I don’t know what to do, I make flowers.”It’s part of, I don’t know if I can say “philosophy of working,” but I try to use things for their own integrity and this is using the quality of the metal in a way that makes sense.
I remember there’s an artist named James Welling--he’s a photographer--and around 1980 I saw very graphic black-and-white images he made that were all big circles. It just made sense to me to put my squashes together that way.
I like different sizes of things; I like things to be random.
Mostly I liked that it was part of the process of using gold. It’s a comfort to know I can turn the scraps into something else.
JG: The Kaleidoscope series came about because I happened to have a broken kaleidoscope sitting around in the studio, and I just happened to look at a desk filled with stones and then had the idea that I could make it.
Lots of my pieces are sort of medallions but to me the unfolding aspect, the way the kaleidoscope divides things up into pieces that run into each other, there’s something exciting about that. It implies movement.
I’d love to have 100 of these, all different. I love doing them but it takes a long time to fix on the combination of colors. You want to make something you’re going to love, and I’ve loved what I’ve made. There are false starts but at certain points it feels right and then you go ahead.
I go from idea to idea in my work. It doesn’t mean I abandon an idea when I go to something else, but I like it to have an idea behind it.
“It’s a comfort to know I can turn the scraps into something else.”
JG: I chose this necklace because the flowers and the filigree have been a thread that’s gone through my work the whole time.
I like to try new things but new things take a lot of thought to make them work. Whenever I don’t know what to do, I make flowers.
I just love making these. They’re flattened wire and putting them together is almost, I don’t want to say, meditative. They’re strong, playful and I can make a million different variations. They’re always evolving.
This necklace is from 2014 but I think the first ring I ever made when I was 5 was a flower.
I like the endless possibility.
The Latest
Inspired by the Roman goddess of love, the designer looked to the sea for her new collection.
The luxury titan posted declining sales, weighed down by Gucci’s poor performance.
With Ho Brothers, you can unlock your brand's true potential and offer customers the personalized jewelry experiences they desire.
The selected nine organizations have outlined their plans for the funds.
The mining company’s Diavik Diamond Mine lost four employees in a plane crash in January.
The crown introduced a dozen timepieces in Geneva, including a heavy metal version of its deep-sea divers’ watch.
For over 30 years, JA has advocated for the industry, fought against harmful legislation and backed measures that help jewelry businesses.
Emmanuel Raheb recommends digging into demographic data, customizing your store’s communications, and retargeting ahead of May 12.
Located in the town of Queensbury, it features a dedicated bridal section and a Gabriel & Co. store-in-store.
A 203-carat diamond from the alluvial mine in Angola achieved the highest price.
Ruser was known for his figural jewelry with freshwater pearls and for his celebrity clientele.
The “Rebel Heart” campaign embodies rebellion, romance, and sensuality, the brand said.
The overhaul includes a new logo and enhanced digital marketplace.
The money will go toward supporting ongoing research and aftercare programs for childhood cancer survivors.
A new addition to the “Heirloom” collection, this one-of-a-kind piece features 32 custom-cut gemstones.
Last month in Dallas, David Walton pushed another jeweler, David Ettinger, who later died.
The move will allow the manufacturing company to offer a more “diverse and comprehensive” range of products.
From now through mid-May, GIA will be offering the reports at a 50 percent discount.
De Beers’ rough diamond sales were down 18 percent year-over-year in its latest round of sales.
Sponsored by the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show
The Patek Philippe expert will serve as personal curator for the brand-focused company.
The 553-square-foot shop is aboard the Carnival Jubilee cruise ship.
NDC filed a complaint against Skydiamond for use of phrases like “diamonds made entirely from the sky.”
John Carter received the AGS’s highest honor Tuesday afternoon at Conclave in Austin, Texas.
LVMH said the company performed well despite an uncertain geopolitical and economic environment.
B&D Sales and Service held a ribbon-cutting event for its new location in Cranston, Rhode Island.