Samantha House is a fashion editor turned jewelry designer, who hails from Brooklyn. ”Samantha’s jewelry can be described as fun, inspired luxury- but she just calls it pretty” (via).

JewelryWhore: What drew you to the world of jewelry?

Samantha House: I was a fashion editor in Boston for over 7 years and I always loved accessories. When people came in to show me their jewelry I was always really fascinated by the differences between one designer’s style and the next.

JW: Did you study jewelry? If so, where?

SH: No. I didn’t study it at all. I’ve never taken a class on jewelry design. On my lunch breaks I would wander over to Newbury Street and stop in Beadworks where I would just play around with stones. I found a small piece of paper that showed me how to do a simple wire work and taught myself. After that I spent pretty much all of my lunches there and was making tons of jewelry and giving it away.

JW: How long have you been designing jewelry?

SH: I’ve been doing it for about 9 years but I launched Samantha House Jewelry about 3 years ago. When I moved to New York I decided to try designing a full collection. It took forever and I scrapped the first one because I didn’t think it was good enough. About 2 years later I launched my real collection and Barney’s was the first store to pick it up. That sort of validated everything and It was just straight ahead after that.

JW: What is your most treasured piece of jewelry?

SG: It’s hard to say. The truth is that I always love my latest collection the most. I usually design pieces more as concept and not necessarily because I would wear it myself. But when the collection is done and the look book has been shot and I’m going out it always surprises me the pieces that I end up wearing the most. So I’m basically always changing my mind. The two pieces that I wear the most are the Asteroid and the Nightengail necklaces. I love how long the Asteroid is and I wear it with anything flowing. And I love how chunky the Nightengail is. The nude one looks so subtle and striking against your skin.

JW: What’s your favorite piece you’ve created?

SH: I think my favorite piece for art’s sake is the Rock Salt. I love the natural cracked rock crystal. It looks like something that was just chipped out of the earth. And the way it lays looks so organic to me.

JW: Are you inspired by other designers? If so, who?

SH: I absolutely love Alexis Bittar. I really think he’s a genius. From his designs to the way he does business. He has a small studio in New York and makes everything in house with a small staff. Plus his stores are breathtaking.

JW: What do you think of Chanel’s famous quote “always take one thing off before leaving the house”?

I tend to agree with that but I really only ever wear one piece of jewelry so that might be a problem. Haha. But I’ve never been that big on layering jewelry or accessories in general. I love the idea of one statement piece that makes everyone ooh and ahh.

JW: What 3 words would you use to describe Samantha House jewelry?

SH: I think Fun, Inspired and Unique

JW: What do you have coming up that you’re excited about?

SH: I’m working on my newest collection and I always get excited about that. It’s so fun trying to find new stones and make something unique. Pus there’s the part when you come up with something– stand back and realize that it’s something special. I love that part. I’m also working on some collaborations with designers. I really enjoy collaborating. I’ve done it with Erin Fetherston and Christian Siriano and both were really nice experiences.

Thanks so much for the interview, Samantha!

Click here to see the rest of the collection.