Palermo
Gems are the inspiration for award winning jewelry designer Richard Palermo: his best ideas come to him when sitting in his studio in front of a blank page, with gemstones scattered on the paper.
In his signature collection for Color Craft, Palermo uses 18-karat gold and fine gemstones from around the world to create unique yet surprisingly wearable jewelry.
Each collection Palermo creates focuses on a particular gem. “My jewelry evolves like a woman does,” he says, “expressing a variety of moods and emotions.”
Palermo began his jewelry design career creating fabulous jewels with fabulous price tags for Fifth Avenue jewelry houses like Cartier and Tiffany.
Although he enjoyed designing for the rich and famous and the celebrities who wear his pieces, his art doesn't depend on a price tag. In fact, his specialty is creating designer jewelry that women can buy to express their own style.
“There is a definite lack of designer jewelry that is affordable,” Palermo says. “Most designer jewelry is priced out of reach of the average pocketbook. High-end designers usually cater to a small niche of women who can afford extravagant prices for a name. But I want my jewelry to be worn by lots of women. Well-designed beautiful jewelry should be something that every woman can own.”
Also a painter and sculptor, Palermo taught jewelry design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Parsons School of Design in New York City.
Among his many design awards are an American Gem Trade Association Spectrum Award, the Pearl Utopia International Design Prize, the Diamonds Today Awards, the International Pearl Design Competition, and a finalist in the Diamond International Awards and Gold Virtuosi International Jewelry Design Award.
“I like jewelry,” Palermo says. “I like all the color. It's fashion, it's precious, it's impressive, it has personal meaning, and you can hand it down for generations, it's lasting.”
Inspired by the past, yet focused on the future, the many women who collect Palermo designs always find something in each collection that seems like it was designed just for them.
