I met jewelry designer Alex Woo at the Accessories Council holiday preview a couple months ago. Not only does she have a vibrant personality, but Alex is also a creative visionary. Each of her pieces holds a distinct meaning to the wearer. It’s personal. They’re delicate yet surpassingly bold at the same time.
Imagine sterling silver and 14k yellow gold necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings with charms of initials, zodiac signs, and animals.
Alex Woo x Smith & Cult
Recently, Alex collaborated with beauty brand Smith & Cult for the Autograph collection. It comes more than ten years after her Little Letters collection. These charms feature cursive letters and comes in five colors to match the Smith & Cult nail lacquers. There’s ‘Kundalini Hustle’ (opaque poppy red), ‘Exit The Void’ (opaque periwinkle), ‘Bitter Buddhist’ (opaque celadon green), ‘Pillow Pie’ (semi-sheer powder pink), and ‘A Little Lovely’ (pink and platinum gold glitter particles suspended in clear base). Alex kindly sent me a necklace from this collection, which I got in a “W” in the latter color. Yes, I have an obsession with rose gold!
All of her pieces are made in New York City, where she was born and raised. Alex has been surrounded by jewelry all her life. She grew up alongside her father, a master bench jeweler. She studied fine arts and jewelry design at Cornell University, abroad in Paris and at Parsons School of Design. Then, she started her business in 2001 and has earned a number of awards since.
“Charm the World” Mindset
As for Smith & Cult, it was founded in 2014 by Dineh Mohajer and Jeanne Chavez. I’ve been using their nail lacquers since last spring while researching for a beauty shoot. What I love most is its 8-Free formula. This means there’s no Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Camphor, Xylene, Ethyl Tosylamide, and Triphenyl Phosphate. All of these are long (complicated to pronounce!), fancy names for potentially harmful ingredients.
“This past year, we have been doing some fun Q&A’s with women who happen to be fans of the line, and are achieving success in different ways,” says Alex. Among those featured are entrepreneurs, actresses, athletes, and more, spanning a range of ages and ethnicities. One common thread between them all is the desire to live their dreams, however different that may be.
As a woman-owned business, I wanted to highlight and show support for other strong, innovative women who Charm The World by doing amazing things.”
—ALEX WOO
Empowering Women Through Jewelry
Along with the series, she also produced a video starring Stephanie Ryann who just released her debut EP. The main scene revolves around the talented up-and-coming singer. It shows her walking in Grand Central, then hopping into a cab and getting ready for a performance. Through it all, she’s wearing Alex Woo gems including necklaces with an “S” initial, a music note, and a lightning bolt.
Seeing a real person wearing these jewels on a night on the town makes it more raw and relatable. I always find stories of those who are in the making just as compelling as those who are already widely recognized. Come to think of it, in every good book or movie, the plot follows a character with hopes, dreams and, fears. It’s, in part, their actions that ultimately lead to their future.
If you have an idea that you just can’t stop thinking about, it’s probably your calling. Something as small as a personalized necklace can serve as a great reminder to pursue that passion or at least give it a shot…even if it’s scary. After all, the best things in life come in small packages.
Check out all of the colors from the Alex Woo x Smith & Cult Autograph collection here. Which one(s) would you choose?
xo,
Wendy
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