Designer Spotlight: Alexis Kletjian Jewelry

Alexis Kletjian Jewelry | Gem Gossip

For Alexis Kletjian, designing jewelry came about as she saw a void in the market for pieces that custom fit the wearer and had a “never-take-me-off” heirloom feel. Most designer pieces are made as a one-size-fits-all deal, where an “average” wrist may be far from average for most people. In a world where sizes range in the most beautiful way possible and a small may be large to someone or a large might be small, Alexis has come along with a line which solves these sizing issues with a made-to-fit promise and a high-quality feel that you don’t get anywhere else.

Knowing this as being the inspiration behind her jewelry line, meeting Alexis in person sort of ties everything together. As I approach most days as being 5-foot-1 on a good day, flats are not a part of my life and when people say to me, “Wow you’re so tiny,” let’s just say a response of “Wow you’re so average sized” is thankfully not said. Alexis totally can relate because she too is petite, and when she let me try on a few of her custom bangles she makes, I laughed in disbelief, as this was the first time in my ENTIRE life (no exaggeration) that I tried on a bangle bracelet that fit me! I’ve always never liked bangles and I fully understand now why I prematurely thought this–I’ve been trying on all the one-size-fits-all ones at stores, which are way too big for me! Her bangles feel amazing on and have a level of comfort to them I have never realized could come from a bangle. She had me hooked and I wanted to see/know more…

The Alexis Kletjian Jewelry line consists of three collections: Eternal, Lucky Star and Lotus, all handcrafted in 14k & 18k gold. Eternal consists of those incredible bangles I was just telling you about, as well as diamond eternity rings and plain eternity rings (great stackable staples for every jewelry collection). Everything designed with an eternal flow of sparkle as inspiration, enlightening everyone who calls these pieces personal favorites and wears them on a daily basis.

Alexis’ Lucky Star collection is inspired by the star motif found in Victorian jewelry, as Alexis is also a collector and admirer of antique jewelry. She says, “I wanted to pay homage to this classic design while also making it modern, and in essence, timeless. By using the historical motif and my own design interchangeably throughout my collection, I have created what I believe to be a classic and iconic design that can be identified and recognized as Alexis Kletjian.” Stacking bands is rose, yellow and white gold, as well as shield pendants, circular earrings and heart charms, all featuring the star-motif set diamond are a part of this collection.

Having the urge to create a modern-day talisman sparked the Lotus collection, which consists of shield pendants in a variety of gemstones and gold choices. This selection of pieces is more organic than the others, with nature and beauty as a main focus/inspiration. The shield represents protection, but is not all rigid as it may seem, as it is sparkles with gemstones which are set on the front.

As we sat and chatted all night upon our first meet-up, Alexis’ love for jewelry and where this all stemmed from was a fun conversation we had. She grew up playing with gems, as her parents owned a jewelry shop in the Boston Jewelers Building. Growing up, she went from playing behind the showcases, to playing with the gemstones and raw materials of jewelry. She recollects a strong connection to these things and although she went off to school for Fashion Design, jewelry was always present in everything she did. One huge thing fashion design has taught her is the importance of scale, which she incorporates into every design. We also talked about how amazing the Gemological Institute of America is and our classes; GIA prepares one to be a graduate gemologist, which Alexis is currently pursuing (as her daughter delightfully plays with her reference books from her studies when she is not using them).

Above you will see many of the pieces from her three collections, as well as a few that are not yet up on her website. A new and upcoming Bespoke collection is in the making, which features some special one-of-a-kind gemstones cut by TopNotch Faceting. A large portion of what Alexis does is custom, so if you want to work one-on-one with her, feel free to reach out by sending her an email at Hello@AlexisKletjian.com

She also curates her collection for retailers’ needs–offering flexibility in the creation of each piece through a choice of metals and gemstones, where each customer is offered the opportunity to personalize the design. Her main goal is to create fine jewelry that is destined to become a treasured piece, one that is never taken off, always in constant rotation, “quality, not quantity.”