Stunning and Sophisticated: Jewelry by Andrea Li

Posted by emaildiva on Aug 13, 2009 in Denver Fashion Designers, Jewelry | 4 comments

by Karen Kitterman, Denver Fashion Beat Assistant Editor

Fashion, for Li, is an expression of the inner-self. So often women opt for the more straight-forward, the more practical expressions of self. Black suits, clean lines, but we have to know that the little girl inside is screaming and stamping her foot. Remember her? She loved shiny new shoes, ribbons in her hair, and anything that sparkled. Li’s pieces appeal to both—the little girl whose eyes dazzle at shimmering jewelry, and the sophisticated woman who stands a little straighter knowing the weight of elegantly arranged gems on her neck.

Necklace and accompanying bracelet, aquamarine, sapphire, labradorite, green amethyst, mystic topaz, pearl, 24k gold filled

Li calls her pieces ‘confidence pieces.’ “You’d better want to be stared at,” she says. Li is right. One can’t help but take a moment, or several, to follow the intricacies of her pieces. One can hardly use the word necklace to describe Li’s pieces, because they seem to live and breathe on their own. It’s a sculpture before it’s a necklace. Li begins with strings of sparkling gems and one piece of wire. Using additive sculpture techniques she builds strand upon strand implementing additional layers as the piece dictates. Because of the additive technique Li utilizes, her pieces have a beautiful organic asymmetry. She doesn’t begin with a specific design; rather she chooses a color palette and allows her artistic eye to direct her hand. “The stones have a way of telling me where they want to be placed.”

As for Andrea’s personal style, she likes to combine the extravagant with the ordinary. That’s what led her to designing her own jewelry: the frustrated fashionista met time and again with the typical. “I wanted something unique, something that hadn’t been done before.” She couldn’t find it, so she had to make it. Her early jewelry designs were comprised of 2-dimensional wire sculptures. “They were well-executed,” says Li, but not her best—not the uniqueness she was striving for. Li turned to 3-dimensional gemstone compositions about 3 years ago. She originally made them only for her own use, but after just about everyone she knew insisted that she start selling them, Li began her journey into the fashion marketing world. “I’ve always believed that fashion was about taking risks.” At last, Li decided to take her own advice. “I am my own best marketing tool.” She has generated more interest by simply wearing her pieces than she ever thought possible. It’s because each piece has its own personality. They draw one to them. Li notes this synergy about her pieces. Her hope is that buying a piece will be like choosing the right puppy. You’ll just connect. Li says she never measures her chains when she creates them. “My belief is that when it finds the right neck, it will be a perfect fit.”

labradorite, mystic topaz, London blue topaz, appetite, grey pearl and 14k white gold.

Li will debut her collection at Fashion Group International’s Rising Star Gala in October. If you can’t wait until then, check out her website: www.andreali.com.