Meet Artëmer: Our Final Featured Designer Interview!
When I stumbled across the work of Tomer and Tanya of Artëmer, I was immediately drawn to their gorgeously modern designs. I actually *thought* I had finished buying for the holiday season but was so taken by their collection that I decided to squeeze in a few more works of art for our showroom, and I’m so happy I did.
Like Tim and me, Tomer and Tanya are a married couple running a creative business together and I was completely taken by her perspective on working with her spouse in this field. Read on to learn more about their gorgeous craft and see what we have in store from this talented team!
Meaghan: Tanya, thank you for taking the time to introduce yourself to our clients! Can you tell us about your studio work?
Tanya: We are a team of 12 people at this point. We start our day very early, at 7am. Tomer is operating the production team. I operate our customer service and photography team. The daily work revolves around ongoing orders, new design development, communication with customers, and photography. Designing new items is our daily task. We brainstorm ideas together.
We’re also house plant enthusiasts, so our open space slowly but steadily turns into a green jungle.
Meaghan: Sounds like heaven. As a designer, from where do you draw inspiration and how do you go about channeling that into jewelry?
Tanya: Sometimes a design can begin with a stone – the shape/shade/cut of a gemstone inspires the design. But usually, we start with a sketch of an idea, rather than a stone. We do a lot of sketching of the same idea in different ways and variations and fill pages upon pages with quick doodles.
Then we look at these drawings and choose one or two raw design ideas and start developing them into a piece of jewelry. We re-make a new design several times before we are happy with the end result.
Tomer has a lot of technical knowledge and experience – he knows how to work with gold, he knows stone setting, wax carving, 3D modelling. I believe that it’s a big advantage when the designer is also a goldsmith and knows the ins and outs of the craft, the medium because every single technical decision is also a design related decision.
Meaghan: I completely agree, we have a similar format for our work and I think it really sets us apart. For what type of client do you design? How do you want wearers of your jewelry to feel in your work?
Tanya: I’ve noticed that a lot of our clients are in the creative field. We want them to feel beautiful, feminine, elegant, and a little bit edgy, not like everybody else.
Meaghan: Like us, you share your business with your partner which can be both a challenge and an asset. Can you tell us a bit about how you complement each other professionally?
Tanya: We actually see only advantages in working together, both personally and professionally. Artëmer is an extension of us – it’s our family and home. It’s amazing to have your partner to brainstorm ideas with, to help with decision making, and we get to spend a lot of time together, which is our ultimate goal in life. 🙂
Also, I find that having that additional artistic point of view is very important. Tomer loves my designs that I sometimes feel very critical about, and vice versa – I adore the rings he designs, while he sometimes feels that they are not good or too much. There’s always a gap between the idea you have envisioned and the end result and this can sometimes turn into disappointment that interferes with the ability to see and appreciate the design as it is. That’s when your partner comes in and says, “Are you crazy? This is gorgeous!” (Or confirms that it’s ugly, that happens too. 🙂)
Meaghan: Do you have any sustainability goals in your studio and how do you source materials for your collection?
Tanya: Nowadays, the general direction of the diamond and gem trade worldwide is to stay as far away from conflict stones as possible. So, the supervision and regulation have drastically improved. We are very lucky to be located in one of the world’s largest diamond centers, so we have our pick of diamond suppliers.
All of the suppliers we work with are officially licensed to import diamonds and gems. Since conflict diamonds (and gems) are illegal here in Israel, the diamond suppliers must provide documentation regarding the stones to a special committee located here in the diamond district. Their job is to regulate and supervise the traffic of diamonds to and from Israel in order to make sure that all diamonds are indeed conflict free. Importing diamonds to Israel is illegal unless you have a license for this and you go through the committee. This is why, by the way, we as a manufacturer cannot just purchase diamonds online, let’s say from India, and have them shipped here – it’s illegal and the local customs won’t let them go through. This is unique to Israel, I believe, to have such strict regulations and legislation. You need to have an official license (of a jeweler or a diamond dealer) to purchase a loose diamond in Israel.
We also use recycled gold for our rings.
Meaghan: This year has been challenging for everyone. As a creative, how are you continuing to find inspiration in your own work?
Tanya: Our inspiration is the process. We are focusing on doing. One idea leads to the other, and you just go and do…
We built a very solid team that has been part of our work and process for a long time – they are brainstorming ideas and developing items with us. So, it’s not just one person who needs to come up with ideas – we’re an entire team!
Thank you, Tanya! We are so pleased to feature a small collection of your work and look forward to adding more to our showroom!
- About the company
Alexandria & Company is an Old Town-based workshop and design studio specializing in creating and restoring fine jewelry and silver hollowware. They are the in-the-know jewelers of Alexandria and have been serving clients out of their small workshop for decades. Tucked in their historic building on South Royal Street, the team at Alx&Co. brings a personalized, modern approach to their craft – this is not your average stodgy jeweler or antique shop. Visit them during their walk-in hours or online to view their collection of handmade fine jewelry or to drop off a repair project; or, if you’re feeling creative, make an appointment to talk about that custom design project you’ve been imagining.
inquiries@alxandcompany.com | alxandcompany.com
121-B South Royal Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703.548.0659
Design Studio Walk-In Hours (all jewelry services): Wednesday – Saturday 12-6pm
Silver Workshop Walk-In Hours (all silver repair and restoration services): Wednesday or Friday 12-6pm, or by appointment
Appointments encouraged for custom design.
