When jewelry designer Sri Lakshmi was creating Silver Parkes she was going for the understated elegance of the “Hamptons look”. She wanted to create staple pieces which could be worn everyday and translate from a day at the beach to a night out.
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Silver Parkes designer Sri Lakshmi. (Courtesy Photo) |
Lakshmi grew up in the jewelry business, both parents are in high end wholesale. With access to the best quality materials it was a no brainier for her to continue the tradition of working in jewelery business. She got her start with the Floating Cloud collection which features natural stones from the mines of Southeastern Brazil on a delicate oval cable chain. Her inspiration for Silver Parkes was to create laid back luxurious pieces which translated any occasion. She loves the luxury of the Hamptons which was also an inspiration for the collection saying, “Luxury is just a part of you, your not a part of it. It’s trying but not actually looking like you tried. All the designs I’ve done, should be natural compliment, an effortless transition.”
Lakshmi’s style has an undertone of nautical to everything she wears which she wanted to incorporate into her jewelery. For her that meant creating pieces which were based on personal style as opposed to trends. She said, “Jewelery is so personal, its not going to be for everybody, so I focus on who it is for.” She continued, “A lot of it is based on my instinct what I think would compliment whatever metal it is to whatever stone it is.”
She credits Chanel in influencing her career to create classic pieces no matter the cut, stone or material used. Lakshmi said, ” I really do my own thing, trust myself enough to deliver those classic pieces which I strive to create. For timeless pieces, when you look at the finished product their is so much longevity.”
Lakshmi has designed her collections so they effortlessly translate when worn together. She strives to make sure if you purchase a piece from one set you don’t have to match it with earring from the same saying, “It was important to me that every set goes together without being from the same set.” The most important aspect to her when designing her collections is the quality of the materials used. She uses her instinct when deciding which materials for each collection. Lakshmi said, “For the bangles I just did a rose gold with smoky quartz, white gold with blue topaz and yellow gold with citrine. It’s just really what I would feel like would pop in the piece. Instead of a shiny finish I did a matte finish to tie in all the materials and give it a Hamptons feel.”
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Silver Parkes Bangles. (Courtesy Photo) |
She is sentimental about the floating clouds necklaces, choosing them as one of her favorite pieces she created. It is a tough process to get through due to loss of material while breaking the large stones which are 40 to 80 carats to get the hand carved whimsical shape. Lakshmi is proud of the innovation saying, ” I haven’t run into anyone who is doing it of that quality. They are all hand carved, something that is different and in person it’s totally different, it pops off of whatever you are wearing.” Her other favorite piece are the Silver Parkes bangles.
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Moon Quartz Floating Cloud Drop Earrings, Prasiolite Cushion Cut Earrings and 18K Yellow Gold Chain Earrings in Lemon Quartz and Amethyst. (Courtesy Photo) |
Lakshmi said her ideal client would be Martha Stewart, because the pieces in the collection have an understated elegance perfect for women who are strong and secure. Her clients know who they are, know what they like, are go-getters and embody timeless elegance like Stewart.
She is currently working on the Silver Parkes Spring and Summer collections which will feature a lot of textures, and include hoop earrings as well as crosses in with different textures.
The Silver Parkes collection includes necklaces, bracelets, earrings, anklets and men’s cufflinks. To view the collection visit silverparkes.com.
