Who We Are
Forged from 100% reclaimed metals, husband-and-wife design team Ashley Lowengrub and Dara Gerson's striking, one-of-a-kind designs are equal parts art and accessory.
Prior to starting Alkemie, each had successful jewelry lines working with traditional metals. After learning more about the harmful social and environmental effects of mining, they sought out local eco-friendly materials.
All designs are manufactured by hand in downtown Los Angeles, California.
Alkemie: the art of transforming something common into something precious.
Alkemie Jewelry has earned a devoted international following based not
only on their original design appeal, but also due to their leadership
as a socially and environmentally progressive company.
Drawing
inspiration and motivation from their daily lives, their love for
culture and planet as well as their strong beliefs to do no harm, Dara
Gerson and Ashley Lowengrub are true pioneers.
Dara and Ashley
have created a life together with their two daughters, Sophie (3) and
Sage (9) in Topanga Canyon with a delicate balance of “organized chaos”
in a lovely household described in a recent interview as “Swiss Family
Robinson tree house-meets-Alice in Wonderland”.
Alkemie is
completely family-owned and operated- therefore the process of
inspiration and design often comes from a mutual dialogue of teaching
and learning from their daughters: “Recently we were at the beach
exploring tide pools with our kids, and our older daughter picked up
this huge starfish which we flipped for. The texture was amazing as
was the gorgeous natural form, and seeing the contrast against her hand
gave us the inspiration for a new design that we recently produced: the
Starfish Cuff”.
How do you decide what designs to come up with? How has nature influenced your designs?
Many of the pieces are inspired by real-world
encounters- birds, sea urchins, acorns, leaves, shells, and seahorses-
and by exploring the world through texture, fingertips, child-like
wonder and amazement, in Dara’s words, “the common and familiar take on
an entirely new life, and it's amazing what a new point of view it
gives you!”
From an early age, Dara loved the process of
handcrafting designs and found (and continues to find) passion and
drive from offering her gift, “The satisfaction and true pleasure I
feel from creating unique pieces and seeing the impact it has on our
clients has continued to really fuel my creative energy as a designer”.
Dara’s jewelry career first debuted 8 years ago in the public
sphere at Barney’s and Neiman Marcus with her highly-successful Dara
collection. Dara Jewelry sold for five years on the ground floor of
Barney’s as well as 500 of the world’s top boutiques, received over 150
pages of international press, and received worldwide accreditation and
acknowledgment.
Paralleling Dara’s passion for design at an
early age, Ashley grew up in a household where art and talent met:
Ashley’s mother is renown Israeli artist Ilana Goor, who’s talents have
spanned the realms of sculpture, furniture, lighting, clothing and
jewelry design. Recognized as a “Living Legend” the Tel Aviv Museum
just recently had a twenty-year retrospective in her honor. Ashley
reflects on one of his childhood inspirations, “Growing up with her
unique artistic point of view inspired me to design and create, as
well”.
In 2000, Ashley designed his first jewelry collection
combining sculptural and organic elements inspired by his mother.
Ashley’s previous jewelry line went on to sell in over 500 fine stores
domestically and internationally. Receiving worldwide accreditation and
acknowledgment as well.
With two highly successful jewelry
companies thriving, why would Dara and Ashley decide to create a new
brand accompanied with new challenges?
Years of experience in
the jewelry industry had made Dara and Ashley weary of the toxic
working conditions and environmental impacts of the gem and fine metal
industries- until one day they decided it was something they could no
longer continue to support. It was then that Ashley and Dara,
combining their shared knowledge of the industry collaborated to create
Alkemie- a brand that would immediately pioneer and change the jewelry
industry due to its social and environmentally responsible practices.
How is using reclaimed metals better for the environment?
These industries are so polluting and displace communities, contaminate
drinking water, hurt workers, and destroy pristine environments. With
Alkemie we are proud to be offering an alternative to jewelry made from
the resources that come out of these mines.
Alkemie
promotes fair trade, local living wage and eco-sustainable business
practices to combat the existing harmful effects and conditions of the
metal and gemstone industry; including social issues such as children
working in dangerous conditions to mine and mount stones, as well as
environmental issues, like toxic chemicals from mines seeping into the
surrounding land and severely damaging precious watersheds.
Dara
and Ashley knew they could continue to create beautiful jewelry within
the framework of ethically and socially responsible standards, and
working with 100% reclaimed metals, they have successfully merged eco
with art.
What types of sustainability practices have you incorporated into your home life?
We drive a hybrid; have our own organic garden; buy organic, local and
eco-friendly products; reuse and recycle whenever possible; use canvas tote bagsbags for groceries and refillable water bottle; and so on.
We also love vintage clothing and furniture and make a point of investing in pieces that are timeless.
**For more information on the harmful effects of
gemstone and metal mining, as well as the process and constitution of
what it means to use 100% reclaimed metals, please see Alkemie’s
philosophy page.
Dara and Ashley are arguably one of the most
influential contributors to introducing the possibility of stunning
original designs that are equal parts inspiration and social
consciousness. One could say they have made their careers successful
examples of promoting truly greener behaviors, but what about in their
everyday lives?
Dara and Ashley’s motivation to live
environmentally and socially conscious really comes from exemplifying
responsibility to their daughters, “walking the talk and showing our
children that it's important to play your part. As a society we have a
long road ahead of us, but we really want to set the example and show
them that they can make a difference. Even if it's just a small one,
collectively our actions all add up into something really big”.
Their
newest collection, following the theme of Angels & Insects, is no
exception in showcasing their source for inspiration: “[this]
collection was inspired by our love for each other, for our two
beautiful daughters, and for nature”.
The collection includes
eclectic necklaces, earrings, and cuffs inspired by wildlife and
harmony, peace sign pendants, insect and animal amulets and buddha
charms, as well as icons of art noveau angels and maidens.
From
an Alice-and-Wonderland-Swiss-Family-Robinson-treeshouse, where
creativity, love and responsibility meet, would you expect anything
less?
