Designer Spotlight: Brooke Gregson

Brooke Gregson combines her love for astrology and geology when designing jewelry.  Her Planetary and Astrology collections recreate the constellations and the surface of the moon by using 14k gold and diamonds. Brooke’s latest designs take silk, gold and precious gemstones and transform them into beautiful, wearable objects. Jet-setting between London and Los Angeles, we luckily got to catch up with the designer herself to update us on what is going on in her world. Enjoy!  

At the moment I am collaborating with incredibly talented metalsmiths in London to create one of a kind hand crafted pieces using unusual stones and colored diamonds such as boulder opals and raw rose cut grey diamonds. Alongside this project I am also working on a collection that combines my strong textile background along with other textile designers and jewellers to create hand-woven fine silk pieces intertwined with gold or silver chain and raw diamonds. While creating these two collections, my goal is to bring back the artistic fine craftsmanship that was ubiquitous before the Industrial Revolution. I have also always kept in mind that jewelry is a very personal medium and has the magic of not only being an aesthetic piece for its wearer but can also become a talisman or represent something symbolic.

My most popular piece that launched my career as a jeweller is the Diamond Astrology necklace. I think it is successful because it brings all of my passions together: Astronomy, Textiles (the texture of the pendant looks like moon’s surface) and Symbolism.

I have been lucky to have a few proud moments as a jeweller but I think the moment that stands out is when I created wedding rings for a couple who were both on their second marriage. They wanted to express that the rings would prove that their love was “infinite”. This project inspired me to think about aesthetics and the real symbolic nature of what a wedding ring means.

Since I do have an artists approach to designing my environment, my clients and new techniques constantly inspire me. My hope is to find a balance between commercial success and my desire to bring back the craftsmanship that designers such as William Morris and The Wiener Werkstatte Jewellers made popular in their time. I am lucky that I get to divide my time between London and my hometown Los Angeles that has allowed me to be limitless and stay inspired in my approach to Jewelry Design.

I had a hard time deciding my favorite piece. It is a tie between a platinum charm bracelet that was passed down to me by my great grandmother. I take it out of the jewelry box at least once a month to look at the photos of relatives (including my father) who have passed away and I just love opening all of the secret compartments that each of the charms hold. There are complicated hinges, levers and turning parts to that are fun to play with and remind me of the intricacy of early crafsmanship. To me it is deeply personal, aesthetically beautiful and beautifully engineered! My other favorite piece is an Art Deco (my favorite era for Jewelry) ring made of Rose Gold, White Gold, White Diamonds ,Rubies and one amazing Aquamarine. This is one of the many pieces that my father collected which was either handed over to my mother or my sister and I.

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