Alex Soldier: Jewelry that is as timeless as style

When we talk about jewelry designers, one very prominent name that hardly needs any mention is the New York-based jewelry designer Alex Soldier whose jewelry designing technique is way too unique. His intricately wondrous designs take women on a fairytale ride giving them a chance to feel something special that they will never forget in their lifetime. In fact, his designed creations beautify a woman’s soul as if she is on the verge of experiencing eternal bliss.
In an exclusive interview with Arab News, he shares with us what jewelry designing means to him and why his designs always strike a chord with women who are looking for something extraordinary.

What drew you to the world of jewelry in the first place?
My story as an artist and sculptor dates back to my childhood, when at 14 I made my first sculpture out of wood. Inspired by a television documentary about the Land of the Incas, I decided to create my own version of the tribal warrior. I took apart my mom’s costume jewelry and set it into my wooden creation. My mom was very proud of it until she noticed that the shape and the color of the center stone looked too familiar ... she got over it eventually.

What does it mean to you?
Jewelry is everything to me. It’s the air that I breathe. It’s the perfect moment suspended in eternity.

Did you ever feel a need to go to a design school to learn the craft?
I’m self-taught and never took any jewelry-making classes in my life. I believe that we all have our own paths to walk, and we’re all given different talents to make that walk more memorable. That being said, I think that patience forms an indispensable benchmark of any creative process.

What makes your designs exquisitely unique and much sought-after amongst the celebrities and fashionistas alike?
I think it’s my inherent artistic aesthetic intertwined with never-done-before innovative and creative techniques that transcend the boundaries of traditional craftsmanship. My clients look for jewelry that is as timeless as style and doesn’t succumb to the fleeting moment of any particular trends. They choose substance over surface, making their buying decisions on quality, and design value. Individuality is the most important feature to my clients. They are not looking for jewelry only for fashion’s sake; but for the soul, that which stays with them forever, like a favorite work of art.

Which celebrities are your dream clients?
Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett … they’re embodiment of style, elegance and class.

What do women look for in their jewelry?
I believe it’s one’s individual spark that stands out.

Do you visualize a woman’s figure in your mind before you get going? How vital is this intuition as a jewelry designer?
I always visualize a woman’s figure in my mind when creating new pieces. It is imperative to do so in order to create the right proportion of shape, color and metal weight that would not only complement a woman’s figure and highlight her beauty, but also would be comfortable to wear.

What types of women wear your jewelry pieces?
My work is dedicated to a woman that lives her life to the fullest. Powerful and fearless, yet gracious and captivating, it is synonymous with the versatile beauty of today’s woman. All of my work is about quality, content and character. My clients certainly have a good taste and understanding that craftsmanship is not measured just by the amount of gold and diamonds, but also by a design value that is priceless and withstands the ultimate test of time (and is appreciated by the generations to come).

Where do you get your inspirations from?
Life itself in its daily manifestation is an ultimate source of inspiration to me. I constantly work at my bench and the present moment in which the thought materializes through creative process and it never ceases to surprise me.

What’s your design mantra?
Detail is an imperative part of my vision. Ever since I made my first sculpture at 14, detail has been embedded into my DNA. In order to increase the amount of detail, I invented a special structure where each creation consists of several components, each bearing its unique metalwork for which I invented my own tools. These techniques are really groundbreaking, as no one before had paid so much attention to detail, structure and texture in the world of jewelry or precious miniatures. Historically you had a casted piece that was made of a single piece of polished metal. My jewelry and sculptures, on the other hand, are made of so many intricate components that you often need a magnifying glass to be able to see all of them.
The same goes for my decorative finishes and metalwork that I apply to my pieces. I still remember my avant garde collection debut in 1996 at the Jewelers of America Show in New York, where buyers looked at me as if I had two heads when I was showing my collection with all the versatile metal finishes. Because all they were used to seeing back then was highly polished trinkets and such. Seeing texture and unusual shapes everywhere nowadays, I feel blessed and proud that I was able to change the way people think about jewelry, not just as another accessory, but as a grand work of art, that offers endless possibilities to its wearer.

Where do you source the stones from?
We source stones from all over the world, as we have over 100 different stone vendors that we deal with, and they all offer unique and one-of-a-kind stones suitable for our designs.

What’s the difference between couture and haute couture pieces? What sets them apart?
Our Haute Couture collection consists mostly of one-of-a-kind pieces, with price points ranging anywhere from $15,000 and up. Our Couture collection consists mostly of limited edition pieces with prices starting at $1,00 to $15,000.

How popular is your jewelry among the Middle Eastern women?
Our jewelry is very popular with Middle Eastern women, as they love bold, unique, and colorful jewels that they can’t find anywhere else.

How different is the Western women’s taste in jewelry from their Arab counterparts?
Arab women love color and splendor, they’re not afraid to wear grand, colorful, statement jewelry. Western women prefer smaller, more casual pieces that they can wear every day.

What are your future plans?
Creative process is always a mystery that can’t be predicted, but whatever the future holds, it will be anything but mundane.