Press Room

Unique designs are inspired by ancient techniques combined with modern aesthetic

Thursday, November 19, 6:00-8:00
The Store at MAD

New York, NY (November 13, 2009)

Jewelry designer Stephanie Albertson will showcase her latest designs Thursday, November 19, 6:00pm-8:30 pm at The Store at MAD, 2 Columbus Circle, NYC. Albertson’s unique jewelry, currently featured in Town + Country’s December 2009 issue, is breathtaking. Inspired by vibrant colors, luxurious textures and irresistible-to-the-touch materials, Albertson’s jewelry combines her appreciation of classical gold smithing with a strong sense of elegance and impeccable style.

“In her training, Stephanie focused on the classical principles and techniques of jewelry making as it was done in the Byzantine era,” says Franci Sagar, VP and Director of Retail and Brand Development at the museum. “What is innovative about her work is that she has taken these ancient techniques out of their traditional context and applied them to her modern aesthetic, making them fresh, modern and timeless. Her style and technique fit perfectly with The Store’s principal mission to offer products that maintain the connection with the hand and soul of their makers. We are very proud to be showcasing Stephanie and her work.”

Each piece in Albertson’s collection is made "from scratch" beginning with pure 24K gold that she alloys to her signature 22K formula. The gold is then made into a sheet, or wire, from which each piece is carefully hand-crafted into its final form. Each piece is polished - although not to a high shine, but to Stephanie’s trademark finish, before and after the stones are set. Stephanie prefers the natural beauty and surface texture of the gold and these slight variations in the metal are characteristic of her work. Because each piece is hand made, and each stone carefully chosen, no two pieces in the line will ever be exactly the same, but have a personality and life of its own.

“In keeping with the Museum’s mission to explore how craft, art and design intersect, The Store at MAD offers unique products that celebrate materials and the transformative processes through which artists and designers create objects,” states Sagar. “Stephanie’s jewelry is the embodiment of our mission.”

“My jewelry is a balance of color, texture and a clean, modern aesthetic,” states the designer. “I love the magical and expressive power of jewelry, and especially the notion that jewelry should be fun to wear.”

Albertson sold her first necklace at the age of 12 and has been designing and making jewelry ever since. She began her career in fashion at Harper’s Bazaar in 1995, where she spent four years working as the assistant to the magazine’s renewed editor-in-chief, Liz Tilberis. While at the magazine, she continued making jewelry at her spare time. She studied at The Jewelry Arts Institute in New York and began her business when friends and colleagues began commissioning her pieces. Her collection is currently sold in selected venues across the United States, the UK, and the Bahamas and in Mexico. Albertson lives and works in New York City.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND DESIGN
The Museum of Arts and Design explores how craftsmanship, art, and design intersect in the visual arts today. The Museum focuses on contemporary creativity and the ways in which artists and designers from around the world transform materials through processes ranging from the handmade to cutting edge technologies.

The Museum’s exhibition program explores and illuminates issues and ideas, highlights creativity and craftsmanship, and celebrates the limitless potential of materials and techniques when used by creative and innovative artists. MAD’s permanent collection is global in scope and focuses on art, craft, and design from 1950 to the present day.

At the center of the Museum’s mission is education. The Museum’s dynamic new facility features classrooms and studios for master classes, seminars, and workshops for students, families and adults. Three open artist studios engage visitors in the creative processes of artists at work and enhance the exhibition programs. Lectures, films, performances and symposia related to the Museum’s collection and topical subjects affecting the world of contemporary art, craft and design are held in a renovated 150-seat auditorium.