Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 32, 37.
Occupation: Founders and jewelry designers of AGMES.
Instagram: @agmesnyc
Hometown: Washington, DC.
Studio location: New York City.
Describe what you make: Timeless, sculptural jewelry crafted from recycled precious metals.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: That’s so hard to choose. The Charlotte Cuff is an important piece personally to us—it was one of the first pieces we designed and ended up getting printed in the style section of the New York Times. It was our first real press, and went on to become one of our most beloved cuffs. Also we’re known for our sculptural hoops like the Mini Laila Hoops, Small Celia Hoops and Mini Dahlia Huggies. They exemplify what our customers come to us for—sculptural, handcrafted jewelry with an everyday ease.
Describe the problem your work solves: It’s always been important to us to design pieces that are both beautiful and wearable. We are very conscious about the weight and comfort of our pieces—we don’t want our earrings to feel too heavy, nor do we want our pendants to feel too flimsy, and our rings are designed to fit comfortably between the fingers.
Describe the project you are working on now: We just launched a collection we’ve designed in collaboration with sculptor and designer Simone Bodmer-Turner. It’s a project we’ve been working on for the past year and a half through the pandemic, and has been so rewarding to finally release it into the world and see the incredible response it’s received.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: We’re working on a special project in honor of our fifth anniversary, but can’t say too much about it yet. Details to come in the fall.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Fruit and dark chocolate (Morgan). Good music and lots of natural light (Jaclyn).
What you do when you’re not working: I love to cook, bake, and be outdoors. If I’m not in the kitchen, I’m likely outside somewhere, taking in the natural beauty around me and hiking with my dog (Morgan). Play with my two year old, cook, and occasionally get to watch a great movie. Very much looking forward to visiting museums and galleries again (Jaclyn).
Sources of creative envy: Barbara Hepworth (Morgan). Jean Arp (Jaclyn).
The distraction you want to eliminate: Enveloping myself in a TV show… I get hooked so easily (Morgan). I’m pretty good at ignoring my phone and social media distractions, but I do get sucked into my own work and research very easily—so I’d say being able to better pull myself away from deep research projects (Jaclyn).
Concrete or marble? Marble and other stones (Morgan). Marble (Jaclyn).
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse.
Remember or forget? Remember.
Aliens or ghosts? Neither (Morgan). Ghosts (Jaclyn).
Dark or light? Light.
