metro
Pretty Penny
Renowned jewelry designer Penny Preville to be feted by Tapper's.
Lynne Konstantin
Contributing Writer
M
aking things beautiful is in
Penny Preville's blood.
The Long Island, N.Y., native
and resident's grandmother was an art-
ist, hand-painting intricate Art Nouveau
designs onto Limoges china in the 1920s.
Preville's own mother is also an artist and
interior designer, and Preville grew up sur-
rounded by artistic creativity and vision.
But one of her earliest memories was
her family's weekly dinners and Jewish
holidays at her father's parents' house,
where her grandmother would let her dig
through her jewelry box. "It was a beauti-
ful box, encrusted with jewels, and brim-
ming with fine and ornate pieces that my
grandfather would buy for her:' Preville
says. "I was fascinated and enchanted:'
And she was hooked.
Inspired by her grandmother's trea-
sure chest, the now-world-renowned
jewelry designer — who will be celebrat-
ing a 25-year relationship with Tapper's
Diamonds & Fine Jewelry in West
Bloomfield with a cocktail reception and
trunk show on Dec. 11 and 12 — began
crafting her own jewelry as a young girl
with anything she could find, from string
to feathers and stones. "Anything a child
could get her hands on:' Preville says.
Studying fine arts and art his-
tory at George Washington University in
Washington, D.C., Preville continued finess-
ing her skills as a jewelry designer, selling
the occasional piece to friends or strangers
who stopped to ask about the pieces she
was wearing. After graduating, her then-
boyfriend (now husband, Jay Siskin) and
another friend accompanied her for a day
of selling her wares out of a little red wagon
on Fire Island, a car-free Long Island beach
town. "I sold everything and made $175:'
Preville says. "We were so excited!"
Selling her wagon's worth of jewels gave
her the confidence to wait in line for Henri
Bendel's legendary Open See, a casting call
for designers, where a few of her pieces
were purchased. When a friend working
at Bloomingdale's got her an appointment
with their jewelry buyer, Preville showed
her the small collection. "The buyer said,
`Come back tomorrow with your collec-
tion: but that was all I had. My husband
stayed up all night helping me put a col-
lection together. And that was it," Preville
says.
Once she had her foot in Bloomingdale's,
she began showing her designs at jewelry
shows — at her first, in New York City,
she won the Designer of the Year award
— which evolved to interest from other
16 December 5 • 2013
"I love detail," says jewelry designer Penny Preville. "I love a lot of different styles,
and I use pieces of them, but they all come out very feminine and easy to wear."
Flecks of gold speck Preville's
Opal Doublet Drop Earrings.
design that carries over into everything
she does, and her customers feel that.
Every collection is developed around an
idea, and she brings it forward fully. Each
collection may be very different from each
other, but they all complement each other,
by using similarly interesting gemstones or
finishes and blending a vintage sensibility
with a modern, wearable style:'
Preville appreciates the Tapper fam-
ily. "They are great partners and great
friends:' she says. "But they are also
respected leaders in the industry. I'm
proud and fortunate that they have sup-
ported me for 25 years. When I come into
town they invite me into their home. We
have Shabbat together:'
Today, Preville's designs are favorites of
celebrities and fashion magazines alike.
Sandra Bullock, Oprah, Halle Berry, Anne
Hathaway and more have chosen Preville's
pieces for both every day and the red car-
pet. "I try to design jewelry that can go
from your kids' soccer games to a black-tie
event:' Preville says.
Mesmerized by the magical Van Cleef
& Arpels, Cartier and Tiffany jewels that
filled her grandmother's jewelry box,
Preville grew into the ability to acknowl-
edge and communicate a fascination with
cultural and social history.
"I'm intrigued with different cultures and
time periods, how people dressed, how they
wore their hair; Preville says. "It's how I
understand the world. And I try to use it in
my jewelry, to unify the things I love about
the past with what is wearable now:'
The result is exquisite pieces of jewelry,
with collections diverse in mood, materi-
als and inspiration; yet all have the Penny
Preville mark on them.
"I think that women love my jewelry
because it is understated but elegant, classic
but romantic, contemporary yet timeless.
It's like that just-right dress you put on and
you just feel good:" Preville says. "Often jew-
elry is connected to a special memory, pur-
chased as a gift. I want it to be meaningful
and beautiful, and I want it to be as relevant
in 20 years as it is today:'
❑
Diamonds stud 18-karat gold
in Preville's Deco Bar Cuff.
high-end department stores and fine jew-
elry boutiques across the country.
One of them was Tapper's, who discov-
ered Preville at a jewelry show in New
York. "We have always looked for jewelry
Diamonds line Preville's
Signature Chain.
that is unique with a distinctive edge
says Steven Tapper, vice president of sales
and director of custom designs at the
family-owned business, where his brother,
Howard, is CEO. "She has a passion for
Penny Preville will be the guest of
honor at a trunk show and cocktail
party celebrating a 25-year part-
nership with Tapper's Diamonds &
Fine Jewelry. Preville will showcase
her new designs 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Wednesday-Thursday, Dec.11-12, with
an open-to-the-public cocktail recep-
tion 6-9 p.m. Dec.11 at the store's
West Bloomfield location. For more
information, call (248) 932-7700 or
visit tappers.com .