Right now, personalized jewelry is a hot way to make a fashion statement. One Worcester native made her own statement, selling bold, personalized pieces for women as far west as Texas and as far east as Saudi Arabia at a recent trunk show for Henri Bendel—Manhattan’s “it” place for upscale accessories, that features an expansive jewelry selection, cold weather accessories, sunglasses, small leather goods, fragrances and hair accessories.
Page Sargisson, now a resident of Brooklyn, New York, is a self-made jewelry designer who is ever curious about the world around her. Her inspiration comes from objects with texture, shape and history. “I once designed a mismatched pair of earrings (tree on one side, falling leaves on the other) from a mismatched pair of shoes I saw a woman wearing in an elevator. Hers didn’t have anything to do with trees or leaves but the mismatch of the pairing made me think of doing mismatched earrings,” she explains.
Sargisson has the ability to see beauty around her when others may not. The result: repurposed and transformed works of art in the form of textured, handcrafted and lovely jewelry. Her pieces evoke curiosity, and one piece, the Astrid Multi necklace is so popular, Sargisson has sold it off her own neck twice! With 20 small gold discs and 10 diamonds, the necklace is a go anywhere piece. “You can wear it casually all day long or dress it up,” Sargisson says.
Want to check out Sargisson’s designs for yourself? You don’t need to travel to Manhattan or her Brooklyn studio to explore her one-of-a-kind pieces. “I’m doing a show at the Worcester Craft Center on Nov. 5,” she explains. She will also be at Angel Hearts in New Hope, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 21. Her pieces are also available for purchase on her website at www.pagesargisson.com.
Sargisson’s favorite piece? Her stacking antique diamond rings (pictured below, left). “If you gave me all the money in the world and said go buy a piece of jewelry, I’d probably want these,” she says. “I can wear them to the gym, I can wear them to a black-tie event, they’re beautiful, gorgeous diamonds, yet understated and completely handmade.”
The antique diamonds that adorn the ring are hand cut—imperfect yet beautiful. “[Y]ou can see that someone’s hands were on them and I love that about them,” Sargisson says. “I love finding old things and making them new and beautiful—that’s a huge part of my inspiration. If you look at my pieces, I take old casino chips, old textile woodblocks, an old calendar letterpress and I create something new and inspiring from these found objects.”
Sargisson’s pieces are chic and affordable. Currently, her pieces crafted out of sterling run around $125 each, whereas ones made from gold, which is more expensive now given the economic market, run between approximately $350 and $500 each. Not a bad spend for a one-of-a-kind investment piece that’s perfect just for you!
By Laura Starczewski
