Biography

Alexandra Essex sees jewelry as an ultimate expression of self, transforming the individual spiritually and emotionally. She chooses unusual gems, many sourced from single mines, possessing millions of years of history, lore and passion.

The Exquisite Jewels Collection is the joyful manifestation of  beautiful gems touched with delighted glamour; the love of design joined with intrinsic happiness - her ultimate insignia.

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AEEJ debuted at JCK Las Vegas 2007, and subsequently Alexandra was voted as a Top Ten New Designer of 2008 at JA New York.

 

Alexandra grew up surrounded by art, antiques and jewelry. Raised on a farm on the Shimmings Valley of England, and in the foothills of Montecito, California, she was fascinated by the beautiful jewels of her mother and grandmother and by the rough stones she found playing in the creeks. A formal introduction to the world of gem cutting and jewelry fabrication at age 15 laid the early foundations for her eponymous line. Graduating early from high school, Alexandra traveled to Europe as a couture model for Elite, traveling between Milan, Sardinia, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, France, and her home in England. When she returned to the States, her wanderlust evolved into adventures in the wadis of Jordan, an archaeological dig on the edge of the Mediterranean in Israel, and two honors degrees studying art history and anthropology at UC Santa Barbara.

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