Interview: Jewelry Designer Paige Novick

You may be familiar with Paige Novick‘s fine costume jewelry, with its distinctive strong geometric shapes, it’s a favorite of celebrities. Recently she launched her PHYNE by Paige Novick collection which offers a range of fine jewelry. The collection boasts simple elegance with diamonds subtly handset to create understated glamour. Her jewelry strikes the perfect balance between current and timeless design. At a recent event I had the opportunity to chat with Paige and find out more about her collection and how she got started. SCS: Your new PHYNE jewelry collection is very beautiful and is out just in time for the holidays and for women to put on their wish list! I was familiar with your costume pieces, but did you always want to design a fine jewelry collection? PN: I actually wanted to do fine jewelry from the beginning, but when I started the business in 2008, the economy was in recession and it made more sense to work with silver and brass. SCS:  I heard you interned at Chanel with Karl Lagerfeld – that’s so exciting! How did that come about? PN: I was studying French Language and Literature in Paris, and a friend of mine called me and suddenly had to leave her internship – at Chanel and asked if I would fill in! SCS:  Did you always have a passion for fashion? PN:  Yes, and my father was in retail and my mother in fine jewelry, so I kept trying do something different with my career, but like a homing pigeon I came back to it! SCS:  Is there any direct influence from Chanel or Coco Chanel in your jewelry? PN: I was influence more by the overall beauty of Paris and the glamour of the city. SCS:  Is there a time and place for costume jewelry and a time and place for fine pieces? PN:   I know that a woman may wear diamond earrings with a t-shirt, or a costume pendant with an evening gown. There are really no rules. SCS: Diamonds set in clean delicate lines are in so many of your pieces. It reminds me of clean handwriting or punctuation marks! PN: That’s funny – because my handwriting is so terrible! Maybe that’s why I keep the lines clean and geometric.

SCS:  Do you think of fashion and what a woman might wear when you design your jewelry? PN: I take a holistic approach and there is never just one idea for each piece. It may be what I would wear, or what my muses would wear. It is an intellectual process. SCS:  Your pieces look very light and easy to wear. How do you know what you design will work and be comfortable? PN: I test drive all of the jewelry myself! SCS:  Why do so many celebrities wear your pieces? PN: That is all because of the stylists. I’m grateful the stylists use my pieces. We just found out that Solange Knowles wore one of my pieces to Art Basel, so we are very excited! SCS: What was the best advice anyone ever gave you? PN: That it’s best to always stay humble and always stay gracious. SCS: It seems like things have fallen into place for you! PN: Yes, I know I am fortunate. You never know what can happen, so it’s best to be open and follow your passion.

In Chicago PHYNE by Paige Novick is available at Saks Fifth Avenue and her costume jewelry is available at Ikram. – Carol Calacci