Sophie Hughes

Images from the Gold Shoot!

kangabell — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:54:33 +0000

This was such a phenomenal photoshoot with photog Sandy Poirier of SHAG !! Model Heather is stunning with hair by Patty Martin of SHAG and makeup by Elena Kucerova. Renata Certo-Ware of Scorpion Disco and myself styled the shoot. And did you check out those faux-leather-detail leggings by local designer Daniela Corte?! Fierce. Our whole team had amazing chemistry. It was such a fun shoot at SHAG’s studio, and I personally think we came out with killer images !!

The jewelry pictured is hand-forged of solid 18k recycled gold. I use oxidized sterling chains for contrast on the necklaces, and the lariat features lemon quartz droplets at the ends. It’s edgy and incredibly elegant, and a whole new look for gold jewelry. All of the jewelry features my trademark matte, textured finish — giving it a lustrous glow rather than the traditional high shine surface…raw but yet perfectly refined.

This collection is available exclusively at my co-op boutique Artistry through the holidays. Stay tuned for another batch of photos in the next few days before the 24th!

Much love, Sophie

Love + Praise for “Artistry”

kangabell — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:29:11 +0000

We’re getting rave reviews over at Artistry!! Press and stylists are loving it, as do all who come in the shop! Check us out at 53 Dartmouth St in Boston’s South End. We’re open daily, but only until December 24, so get on in here!

Amanda Knorr of Spreedia blog says:

Just in time for gift-giving and merrymaking, five local jewelry designers (Laura Jaklitsch, Lauren Passenti, Sophie Hughes, Jennifer Chin, Chihiro Makio) and one painter (Beth Dacey) have teamed up to open a small shop in Boston’s South End. The pop-up store Artistry is open through Dec. 24, and offers a selection of the artists’ creations with materials ranging from horse hair to urethane and oxidized silver, all at an upscale price point ($100-$1,000). Put your money toward something special and one-of-a-kind this year—Tiffany’s will manage just fine without you.

Jacqueline Houton of Boston Phoenix Magazine wrote:

Holiday shopping doesn’t have to mean braving the horrors of the mall. Indier options abound. Launched this month is Boston’s latest addition: Artistry, a South End pop-up featuring handcrafted jewelry by five local designers (plus oil paintings by artist Beth Dacey, who draws inspiration from vintage photos). The designers are staffing Artistry themselves daily through December 24 (hear that, procrastinators?), so curious browsers can learn about pieces straight from the source. Each designer has a unique aesthetic; here’s a small sample of their creations.

___Born in Japan and now based in Cambridge, Chihiro Makio of 314 Studio often draws on origami techniques to create her delicate floral designs, using sterling silver in place of paper — no easy feat. Each sphere in this “Continuous Flora” bracelet ($870) began as 12 silver triangles, which Makio folded and soldered to form a rosette. She pulled off that two-tone effect by oxidizing some triangles and coating others with rhodium.

___In her Somerville studio, Laura Jaklitsch makes mini sculptures that would look great atop your coffee table — and even better around your finger, wrist, or neck. Think earrings made of cascading silver cones or a ring that ends in two huge, bright-green polyurethane bulbs. Juxtaposing unusual materials in her ultra-modern designs, she combines rubber and sea-green chrysoprase for a necklace, for instance, and wood, urethane, and sterling silver for this colorful ring ($350).

___”Delicately industrial” is how Jennifer Chin describes her Lush Metals line. From her Fort Point Channel studio, she transforms sterling-silver tubing and wire into geometric designs — like this “Cascade” necklace ($950) — that bring to mind honeycombs and double helixes, molecules and machine components. Feeling crafty yourself? Check out her book Hot Connections Jewelry, a step-by-step guide to soldering techniques.

___”My biggest muses right now are deer antlers and horsehair,” says Lauren Passenti, a designer who revels in the tension between the softness of organic material and the hard edge of metal. Her jewelry looks like it was culled from the closet of a very stylish mystic — shells, stones, and bones intermingle with crystals, pearls, and even cement. This “Under the Forest Floor” necklace ($295) is made of brass and deer antlers, which she gets from “a sculptor/hoarder/antique seller,” one of her neighbors at her Somerville studio.

___In her South End studio, Sophie Hughes creates sculptural jewelry with a hammer and anvil, a process-oriented approach that yields cool, contemporary, totally wearable designs, like these “Iso” earrings ($1221) in 18K recycled gold. Recently seen on fashion-week runways in NYC and Boston, her pieces can interact with the body in unexpected ways — picture a lariat that moves freely through a hollow U pendant and can be worn in multiple configurations.

Gold Behind the Scenes

kangabell — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 20:22:24 +0000

Earlier this month, we shot the lookbook for our newest 18K Raw Gold collection with Sandy Poirier, owner of Shag — a rockstar-approved salon in South Boston– and who also happens to be an amazing photographer. He brought a ton of energy to the shoot, and our model Heather S. glowed in sophisticated gold pieces and Hard-Day’s-Night-style hair and makeup. The salon was recently expanded to include a big airy loft space that has become the Shag photoshoot studio.

[hair: Patty Martin of Shag // styling: Renata Certo-Ware // makeup: Elena Kucerova // artistic direction: Sophie Hughes]

See more from the shoot on SHAG’s blog

Hitting the runway again… Boston Fashion Week with Emily Muller Apparel

kangabell — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:33:20 +0000

At the Tent at Boston Fashion Week last month Sophie Hughes presented her jewelry designs with Emily Muller’s –Boston Magazine’s 2012 Best Local Designer– SS13 collection “From the Depths”.

The show opened with a special presentation of Sophie Hughes Jewelry. Models slowly strutted and posed showcasing pieces from the new 18k Recycled Gold Collection along with classic pieces from the core collection of silver jewelry. Long lariats on graceful silver chains were worn reversed to complement the backless dresses Sophie chose as a simple, sophisticated canvas for her jewelry.

Muller was inspired by Sophie’s latest gold collection while designing her S/S 2013 line, drawing on the richness of the recycled 18k gold Sophie used to construct her jewelry. The September show married Muller’s signature flowy, ethereal silhouettes and rich color palette with the edgy, industrial structure of Sophie’s pieces for a partnership that both complements and contrasts.

[photos :: above: models backstage in SHJ // below: on the runway in SHJ necklace + earrings]

SHJ on the runway @ New York Fashion Week with EMERSON

kangabell — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 18:47:25 +0000

In August, we swung by Emerson’s studio on Newbury Street in Boston to drop off some jewelry for their SS13 Runway Show at New York Fashion Week.

Masha Orlov, the NYC-based stylist working with Emerson for the new collection, selected over 40 necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings from our recycled silver collection to pair with items on their Spring/Summer 2013 runways.

Backstage, the models prepped for the show and fielded questions from press.

As always, each piece of Sophie’s jewelry on the runway was hand-made using recycled silver, and hand-finished so each is unique and has a distinctive patina finish. The structural, minimalist jewelry offered an unexpected visual contrast to Emerson’s typically flowy, airy dresses and separates, and lent a contemporary edge to Fraser-Swan’s trademark rock-and-roll-meets-romance aesthetic.

Long pipe earrings playfully stood out against the predominantly flowing silhouettes, and boldly swayed as models sauntered down the runway, lending new kinetic energy that played off of the movement of the clothing line’s breezy fabric. Other standouts include the suspended bar necklaces and the cheekily-asymmetrical pipe necklace on silver chains.

Jewelry designer Sophie Hughes poses backstage after the show with Emerson’s Jackie Fraser Swan and Renata Certo-Ware of ScorpionDisco.com

Jewelry Demo

kangabell — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 22:57:57 +0000

At our Press + Blogger’s Brunch last month celebrating the new 18k Recycled Gold Collection, Sophie gave a jewelry-making demonstration, lending an inside peek at some of her classic modi operandi. In case you missed it, we’ve got some photographs by Danny Kim of Visceral Photography to share:

[above] 1. Soldering the bangle closed first

[above] 2. Shaping the bangle by hammering it on a forming block

[above] 3. Annealing: heating the bangle with the torch flame to soften the metal

[above] 4. Filing + sanding the ring to a smooth finish

[above] 5. The finished product! A hand-forged bangle, perfect for stacking. Each one-of-a-kind piece is individually hand-made from recycled sterling silver!

Featured Designer on Wicked Peacock!!

kangabell — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 16:02:48 +0000

A design feature on SH Jewelry on the Wicked Peacock Blog today! Follow the link to see how their pro team styled a few different looks to highlight the versatility of the jewelry — so fun! Thanks for the love WP, right back atcha! xx

Let the Tweets begin!

kangabell — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 01:56:42 +0000

Just created a twitter account! Follow us at @SophieHughesBOS

Goooold!!

kangabell — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 19:56:54 +0000

Hundreds of dollars in gold, right here. Crazy! Soon to be a beautiful necklace!!

Photoshoot Prep

kangabell — Sat, 19 May 2012 02:03:55 +0000

All my new jewels laid out ready to be photographed by the everfabulous Brelyn Spindel, who is a jewelrista herself! This took some major dedication and commitment… the shoot turned into a three-day project! Catalog-style photos will be posted online soooon (working on it as we speak). And this coming weekend is another shoot with a model. Excited!