"The shape is everything." If I had to, in one sentence, sum up my approach to jewelry design, that would be it. Some designers start with a stone and design the setting around it. For them, the stone is the focal point, and the design is there to enhance it. In my work, stones, when I use them, are there to embellish or accent the shape, as punctuation; they have to be an organic part of the design and not look like they were stuck on as an afterthought.

Jean Arp said, "We do not want to imitate nature. We do not want to copy, we want to form. We want to form as the plant forms its fruit..."

I eschew trends in jewelry design, whether it's combining different colored metals, or using the "stone du jour." (Maybe I'd sell more if I didn't feel that way.)

People who own my jewelry think of it as more than decoration. It becomes a pet, a friend, an ornamental companion. Like clouds, everyone sees something different in the shapes and as a result, they become good-luck charms, fertility symbols, talismans...

Alan Goldin
Montclair, NJ