Inspiration: Alexis Bittar the "Wizard of Lucite"

Alexis Bittar makes beautiful jewelry. It's not particularly edgy, or quirky, or funky, it's just beautiful. Twenty years ago, when Alexis first came out with his Lucite collection, which was inspired by the 1930's bakelite jewelry, people didn't really see the value back then. Lucite is, after all, plastic, which is not known for its material worth. But, oh, what he can do with lucite! Creamy flower petals, intricately painted details, realistic ruffled edges... each piece is created from his proprietary seven-step process, that includes producing, cutting down, carving, sanding, and hand-painting.

According to his biography, Alexis started out making jewelry when his parents gave him a lot of antique jewelry on his 13th birthday. When he made his way to NYC, he started selling his one-of-a-kind pieces as a street vendor. His colorful and bold designs took off, despite the prevailing minimalist trend at the time. He soon grabbed the attention of designers and museums, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Alexis has come a long way from being a street vendor in NYC. He'll help Lucite International commemorate their 75 year anniversary with a design discussion, scheduled for streaming on YouTube May 11. I'll be watching.

Some of his amazing pieces from his Spring collection, from Recencies.com: