Interview With Corvus Noir!

I love Corvus Noir. Their re-worked vintage jewelry is so unique and beautiful. Each piece is handmade, and you can tell it was made with care. It really is one of my favorite jewelry lines.

So you can imagine my excitement when Lauren, the designer, graciously agreed to do an interview! There's a ton of great information, amazing pics and interesting tidbits about the behind-the-scenes at Corvus Noir. And there are pictures of adorable cats wearing jewelry! How could you not read this interview??

JW: What drew you to the world of jewelry?
L: I was always obsessed with my Grandmothers jewelry collection growing up. It was an amazing mix of costume and fine jewelry, she would always pair them together. I loved the colors, the designs, and saw how jewelry can dress up any outfit. It could make you feel special and glamorous.

JW: Did you study jewelry? If so, where?
L: I actually majored in economics at Wheaton College strangely enough. I was always more drawn to the fashion world though. An economics degree does comes in handy since I spend alot of my time working on our books. Tax season is right around the corner and I'm really looking forward to our refund.

How long have you been designing jewelry?
I started designing jewelry for fun while I was in school six years ago. I had a different jewelry company when I lived In Los Angeles, making wire wrapped gemstone jewelry. When I moved back to New York with my husband Craig, I took a little break from jewelry. I missed it so much that I started Corvus Noir about nine months ago and have loved every minute since. All of our designs are reworked vintage costume jewelry, handmade and one of a kind.

Is Corvus Noir your full-time job? If so, how did you decide to take the leap?
Corvus Noir has been my full time job as of November, 2009. I worked previously for an internet diamond company in the diamond district of NYC for a year and a half. Every night after work I designed new pieces for Corvus Noir. On the weekends I would sell at various markets in the city and Williamsburg. I was completely burnt out, working two jobs, seven days a week. I decided to leave the diamond job so I could fully commit myself to Corvus Noir and help grow the business. Craig has a full time art director job, which gave me the opportunity to follow my passion and turn it into a career.

Where do you find all of your amazing vintage materials?
We travel to antique centers, flea markets, estate sales and thrift stores throughout the tristate area (NY, CT, NJ), around the country and also internationally. The buying trips happen to be my favorite part of the business, besides designing. I'm always on the hunt for new treasures to add to our growing collection of vintage items. These trips can be dangerous though, I LOVE to shop. I always set a budget before I look and try my hardest to stick to it. 

What other interests do you have outside of making jewelry?
Craig and I both love to travel, so we try to plan at least one big trip a year. We just went to Greece, Turkey, and Egypt on our honeymoon in October, spending two weeks exploring. We had such an amazing time learning about the history of these countries. Besides travel, I enjoy visiting galleries and museums, listening to music and spending quality time with my cats. Of course, I also love shopping for vintage clothing.

What is your most treasured piece of jewelry?
I have three. First, my cameo flip ring from the 1890's. It's made of 14kt white gold, one side has a shell cameo and diamond, the other side has an onyx and diamond.

Second, my panther rose gold ring from the 1970's that I found in the diamond district. It's covered in tiny pave diamonds, sapphires and rubies. It reminds me of a Cartier panther ring, which I can't afford, so it's a nice alternative.

Third, my engagement and wedding band. The engagement ring is 14kt white gold with a large round sapphire surrounded by diamonds. The wedding band is 14kt white gold with pave diamonds.

What's your favorite piece you've created?
My Cross charm necklace from the 1970's was one of my favorites. I collected a bunch of vintage cross charms of various sizes, shapes, colors, and styles and spent about a month dreaming up the design. I had so much fun making the necklace and love how chunky it turned out. The necklace definitely makes a big statement. We just sold it over the weekend to Elisa of Always Adorned and are so happy it found such a great home.

Are you inspired by other designers? If so, who?
I am inspired by jewelry designers from the past, my favorite is vintage David Webb. When I worked on 47th St, I always checked out the vintage dealer windows that carried his jewelry from the 70's and 80's. He designed beautiful and unusual fine animal jewelry. All of his pieces had different color enamels, diamonds and gemstones, they're so unique and special. A lot of the jewelry I saw were brooches of horses, panthers, unicorns and any other animal you can think of. I would stare in the windows imagining how I could rework them into giant pendants. Since we only work with costume jewelry, I'm always on the lookout for amazing animal pins that remind me of David Webb. The cat and bird family are my favorite, from all different time periods. Most of the pins that I find are from the 50's and 80's. They are huge statement pieces when I turn them into necklaces.

Picture of Corvus Noir workspace

What do you have coming up that you're excited about?
We just presented our new designs at the Chictopia10 conferance for around 300 people which was both scary and exciting. We created a mini collection for the event and recieved positive feed back from so many wonderful people. Craig and I are so greatful for having that opportunity so soon in our carers. The pieces are for sale in our Market Publique shop.

What do you think of Chanel's famous quote "always take one thing off before leaving the house"?
I would say my style is the total opposite from Chanel's Quote. I love to pile on jewelry, wearing rings on every finger, layering different necklaces together and wearing big vintage cuffs all at once. My dad says I look like Mr. T, but I take it as a complement. Jewelry is my passion, I'm drawn to it more than anything else.

What 3 words would you use to describe CN?
Glamourous, Timeless, One of a kind

What do your cats Rocco and Rufus think of your jewelry? Do you have any awesome pictures of them sporting CN pieces?
The cats love our jewelry. They love to attack it, escpecially necklaces and anything extra long and dangly. They are attracted to bright colors, anything shiny, and lots of sprarkle. Their favorite activity is to bat the jewelrey around and chew on it. Therefore, they're not allowed to hang out in our studio.

Such cuties! Thanks Lauren, for such an amazing interview!

Be sure to visit Corvus Noir's site and their blog to check out the rest of their amazing collection. Which piece is your favorite?