With swashbuckling explorers for grandparents; a family tree that includes fine art collectors, Barons, a famous ornithologist & dealers in high-end Chinoiserie; and a background himself in Anthropology & Art History - it's really no surprise that jewelry crafted by J. Rudy Lewis displays the depth of Byzantine artifacts and the soul of Victorian heirlooms.
His work has already appeared in Vogue Germany plus he's been getting a lot of love from a number of ma-jah glossies; he was recently asked to submit a rendering for an upcoming shoot with a certain Italian Vogue cover photographer (it's still molto hush hush, though, so shhhhhhh!).
And while all of his work is highly covetable, we especially loved how he took a drawing that his 8-year recently did of a "Pterandon" - part Dodo, part chicken, part seagull (& 100% imagination) - and turned it into a pin rendered in sterling silver & 22k gold, complete with a cognac diamond for the eye. "I gave it to my wife, his mother, who loves it," he notes - & he's happy to do the same for you. "I know I'm not alone in this desire to preserve the expressions of children's free unfettered imagination." (HINT: what a FANTASTIC gift for any moms on your list).
Marcy Clark, Women's Mafia Editor-in-Chief, recently had the opportunity to interview this rising star...so kick back, make some tea, and enjoy learning about this fascinating designer whose story & design 
descriptions - like his hand-hammered sterling & leather "Victoria's Cuff" which is "drawn from images of 19th century women's shoes and corseting" and "creates a wrapping ritual to allow for the ownership of women's past restrictive clothing" - read like a really good book.
MC: How long have you been a professional jeweler?
JRL: 10 years, but I’ve making art since childhood. In most ways, I find it surprising that I am in the industry. I have always made work in different media: photography first, then handmade books, then mosaics, and finally jewelry. The jewelry I have made for the last 10 years has been almost entirely one of a kind, specific to an individual’s desires. Truly custom, almost entirely forged. Designing to answer a unique question put before you is a great way to learn design; the more unique the question posed the more interested I am in it.
MC: What else inspires your jewelry designs?
