Lisa Levine - Jewelry Designer

[wheneveriwakeup]

Material Girl

by Jonathan Forgang As a young design student, Lisa Levine was influenced by the indigenous cultures she observed while living in an artist community in the mountains of central Mexico. She saw that locals would often use modern designs that incorporated organic materials, a powerful inspiration for the New York-based Levine's own jewelry designs. In her current collection, feathers and quills are fashioned into earrings with coins added for effect. Chains are made sensual, unexpectedly mixed with various materials ranging from freshwater pearls to onyx and garnet. Her designs suggest the shapes of nature while giving us a greater appreciation of the beauty in the most uncommonly beautiful objects. Metals in the hands of an unsympathetic jeweler can seem austere, but Levine's "wrist halo" bracelets have layered links that appear supple and pillowy. Her necklace "cat's cradle" gives the chain an unusual twist by tangling her design in the manner of the childhood string game. In her own words, Lisa's goal is "to create a line of jewelry that allows women to feel both strong yet playful, flirtatious and mysterious." Well, you can rest easy Lisa, you did it.

*Lisa Levine

source: refinery29

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

A couple of pieces...

Athena Bracelet

Bleeding Hearts Necklace

Vision Necklace

Gypsy Bangle

North Star Pendant Necklace

Northern Lights Bracelet

source: refinery29 shops

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

More..

Northern Lights Necklace

Solstice Necklace

Navajo Priestess Necklaces

Spellbound Necklace

Feather Pin

sources: refinery29 & lisa levine jewelry

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

I love the earthy sensuality her pieces evoke..
Rly lovely..
Will post more later...

 

[mkd1187]

Thank you for posting!

I like the multichain necklaces - but not too keen on the other stuff

 

[seanutbutter]

All I can think of while looking at these pieces is how much they'd catch on your clothes or other items. Not really my style, but thanks for sharing the images anyway! They're interesting to look at.

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

You all are welcome..
Seanutbutter, this jewelry necessitates a low
or very bare neckline, I think...
It's very sexy..
In a dirty, unhinged kind of way...

Dragonfly Necklace

Flamethrower Bracelet

source: lisalevinejewelry

 

[MissMagAddict]

Nice...but nothing original here.

Thank you wheneveriwakeup

 

[softgrey]

actually ...
i think she was one of the original designers to do this...
though she hasn't gotten as much press or attention as some others...

i often see her stuff on japanese websites though...so maybe she has more of a following there?...
the quality of the pieces is really high...
it's sort of like high end 'junk'...



personally...i really love a lot of her work...
some of my favourite pieces look like waterfalls of fine tangled chains in copper silver and gold...
thanks for the thread wiw...
it's really many years overdue!

 

[MissMagAddict]

Thanks for the added info softie

Actually Tom Binns was doing the mixed chain/tangled chain jewelry long before anyone else...so I base my opinions when I see this style of jewelry on that...everything else imo is either a copy or inspiration...and there are plenty...It's a fine line & I didn't mean to criticize or imply that she was copying anyone. I should have said that in my previous post...I find some of her designs quite lovely.

 

[adorefaith]

i'm not sure about some of the busier pieces {like the northern lights set} but i really love the earthier stuff...the gypsy bangle is my favourite.. followed by the flamethrower bracelets {those look so interesting } and the athena bracelet, also very nice...
....any pics of the 'cats cradle' necklace that the little article mentions?...sounds cute

i can see the indigenous inspirations in her work, including the names of her pieces....i think it's the more indigenous inspired pieces that i like, actually. some of the more modern things, like those necklaces and bracelets with many 'falling' bits of metal {sorry i have no idea what the correct terminology is here }, don't really resonate with me...

thanks for posting wiw

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

MMA, I see the Tom Binns connection, too..
However, Lisa Levine's pieces are a lot more subtle...
Less theatrical, I think..
A bit more elegant...

Thanks for the info, Softgrey!
It is nice to hear that her things are high in quality...

Faith, you're quite welcome..!
You might like these pieces a bit more...
From her 'classic collection'...

Stick Pins

Delicate Chains (A bit quieter, no?)

Raindrop earrings

Tie me up (in money)

Kinda dramatic, but I love drama...

On Tour

Aztec

source: lisalevine.com

 

[Meg]

wow her stuff is stunning. I'm not a big accessories person but her stuff is dark and sexy. I love it. It has a bit of rough about it, a bit gritty, but still insanely sexy. I need to avoid her website....

 

[softgrey]

Thanks for the added info softie

Actually Tom Binns was doing the mixed chain/tangled chain jewelry long before anyone else...so I base my opinions when I see this style of jewelry on that...everything else imo is either a copy or inspiration...and there are plenty...It's a fine line & I didn't mean to criticize or imply that she was copying anyone. I should have said that in my previous post...I find some of her designs quite lovely.

well...
you got me...
tom binns definitely started the tangled chain thing..
he's in such a class by himself, sometimes i forget about him..

similar aesthetic as far as the tangled stuff goes...
but these pieces are MUCH more affordable and the quality isn't compromised at all...so i guess that is the appeal for me...

 

[wheneveriwakeup]

More...

1' Empire Bracelet

Divining Necklace

Oxidized Silver Chase Necklace

Nile Earrings

Rainbow Rays Lariat

source: refinery29

 

[hommie]

well...
you got me...
tom binns definitely started the tangled chain thing..
he's in such a class by himself, sometimes i forget about him..

similar aesthetic as far as the tangled stuff goes...
but these pieces are MUCH more affordable and the quality isn't compromised at all...so i guess that is the appeal for me...

Tom Binns did not start the tangled chain thing. No one person did. The punks were doing it in the mid to late 70's, the bikers before them, and Gabrielle Chanel before anyone else, ostensibly.