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Meet your neighbor
Hand-crafted jewelry with 'personality'

Nadia Taylor creates jewelry that quickly grabs the attention and begs to spark a conversation. The pieces in her whimsical collection of rings, necklaces and bracelets are hand crafted, each declaring its own unique personality.

“These are fun—pieces of jewelry that make a statement,” says Taylor. “You wouldn’t necessarily wear them every day.”

Taylor, who works as a makeup artist in an upscale salon at Chandler Fashion Center, only recently launched her jewelry career.

A clever fusion of Australian crystal (Sworofski), Czechoslovakian glass and turquoise stones, these beguiling beads and stones are connected with wire and leather ties.

The multi-cuts used in Australian crystal are what give the stones their defining luminescent quality, Taylor says.

The artist uses Czechoslovakian glass because of its wide diversity in terms of size, shape and colors, which include red, green, orange and aqua.

The combination of these colorful, delicate stones with the urban feel of wire is what makes these pieces so distinctive, Taylor says—exactly the effect she aims for.

Difficult to pigeonhole by traditional styles, Taylor’s jewelry can at once be dramatic and subtle; rings, which can contain up to as many as 20 crystals, make a bold yet feminine statement.

In other pieces, turquoise stones stand out brilliantly against black leather strands for a contemporary Western look.

Delicate hues of crystal, ranging from champagne, peach and coral to deep ruby, are combined in a variety of shapes that are romantic, as well as novel.

In many aspects, Taylor’s jewelry can seem strikingly modern while simultaneously evoking images of vintage jewelry. It is this duality that makes Taylor’s jewelry so playful. Which theme is more dominant in one piece? Only the wearer can decide.

“I’ve always been intrigued by the art field, and creativity in general,” says Taylor. “Around the time I got married, I decided to really get creative. I was intrigued with wirework, and I like to see the combination of something really feminine with something more urban. That fascination was the catalyst for starting my jewelry line.”

Taylor’s wedding was the perfect place for her to express her burgeoning creativity. The cake was anything but standard. Pieces were on stands of a candelabra tree. The bouquet was a dazzling creation of crystal and freshwater pearls. She created the jewelry for the bridesmaids and also all the centerpieces.

Taylor can be anyone’s private jeweler; she frequently custom-designs pieces to fit her client’s personal sense of style.

Stones ranging from black to peach to coral can be mixed and matched, as well as combined creatively in rings, necklaces, bracelets or earrings.

Many times she creates sets for those who adore one particular stone. Taylor also has her own signature wedding collection of delightful custom designed pieces for brides and wedding parties.

Persian by birth, Taylor and her family came to the United States from Iran in 1980, escaping religious persecution, she says.

She laughs about the Gilligan’s Island “three-hour tour” she took to the U.S. to visit. “Things got so bad back in Iran, my family made the decision to stay here permanently,” she says.

She loved the Los Angeles area, she says, but moved to Arizona in January because her husband attends Arizona State University.

Taylor says she attributes her creative energy to her bi-culturalism.

“Having lived here so long, I feel like I have the best of both worlds in me,” she says.

Taylor’s jewelry, for both men and women, is marketed under the company name of Urbane Edge and is priced between $35 to $65.

To make an appointment, call (480) 236-4425. You can also visit her Website at www.urbaneedge.com.

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