meet
Ashley Lauren ALBERT’S OWN EXCLUSIVE DESIGNER
What prompted you to become a jewelry designer? My husband! Josh asked me to design some styles for loose diamonds and gemstones he had. It was only a matter of time before I had an entire sketch book filled. He supported my vision from the start and pushed me to keep going. I love any opportunity to be creative and find much fulfillment in designing jewelry.
Ashley Halpern is approaching 7 years since the launch of the Ashley Lauren collection exclusively at Albert’s Diamond Jewelers. The collection is the result of over 20 years of industry knowledge combined with a passion for art, design, and history. This past year, her Skyline necklace won the InStore Magazine Design Award, receiving accolades from jewelers around the country. How do you approach your designs and creative process? Do you design based on current trends? I tend to have either a massive amount of what I call “design block” or too many ideas all at once. I want the collection to tell a larger story, but within the collection are various vignettes. I approach my designs with intention and visualize where they fit within that story. The designs also have to be commercially viable. I can fall in love with a design, but my end goal is for someone to purchase it. I have to strike a balance between the creative process and a good business decision. It’s important to be aware of current trends, but not to be confined by them.
Do you collaborate with anyone during the design process?
I usually start the design process on my own, but I definitely have a great team of people I collaborate with, once that process continues. Sometimes I have an idea, but someone makes a suggestion on how it could be even better, and I appreciate that. And although it can be difficult to hear, I respect when someone tells me it’s not the best idea! I work with a really smart group of people who understand my aesthetic, and are supportive of what I am doing.
Can you share something special you are working on?
What is it like working with your spouse? We work really well together, and truly enjoy being around each other. When you’re a business owner, sometimes you sacrifice the time you would rather be at home with your family. We have the ability to spend time together at work, and that’s a really special privilege. Being in the jewelry business for so long, I like that I can support him and his vision for the company.
I bought a pair of ancient Roman earring fragments earlier this year. I have spent time researching jewelry of that time period to gain a better understanding of how they were constructed. I want to take my time with the design process for these, because there is a high level of preservation at stake.
18 ALBERT’S DIAMOND JEWELERS MAGAZINE
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