BIOGRAPHY
From Lauren Harper’s earliest days, creativity was an integral part of her life. Harper’s grandfather was a painter who spent hours at their dining room table painting larger than life watercolor pieces. He taught her the basics of composition and color. Harper’s grandmother was a concert pianist and her mom often taught art classes at her elementary school. She grew up in a home that hosted the neighborhood’s Suzuki violin lessons and played the violin for 15 years. It was no surprise that during her years at Colgate University, Harper began painting glassware, bowls, and tiles, and ultimately launched her first business to stores in New York. She continued growing the business after graduating while developing a career at major ad agencies in NYC. Those skills in business and marketing laid the foundation for Harper’s next major venture: jewelry. She learned the arts of gold smithing and wax carving and incorporated her understanding of composition and color into design. In 2022, she launched her first full 18kt fine jewelry collection in Chicago. An immediate success, Harper dove in headfirst, opening prestigious accounts like Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus across the country. Her collection has been worn by celebrities like Courtney Cox, Jennifer Lopez, and Halle Berry, as well as strong, smart, fashionable women nationwide.
Today, Lauren travels the corners of the earth to find gemstones of perfect color and distinctiveness. Stones from exotic destinations like Tanzania, Namibia, Botswana, Laos, South Africa, Cambodia, Thailand & India give each piece in the collection a unique sensibility and a one-of-a-kind story. Harper uses warm 18kt yellow gold blends and studs them with brightly colored, always changing combinations of precious gemstones such as Moonstones, Peruvian Opals, Black Diamonds, Thai Sapphires, and of course, brilliant white Diamonds.
She finds her inspiration by blending the individual characteristics of each stone with the art, architecture and culture of the places she visits. From ancient Egyptian and Byzantine designs to Khmer ruins, her muse is the world at large. She says, "The collection has its roots in the past, so it is never off trend."
The Lauren Harper Collection has taken home 1st place at the Couture Design Awards two years in a row, winning “Best in Colored Stones” and “Best in Silver”. Harper’s Kryptonite necklace also took home “Fashion Forward” honors at the AGTA Spectrum Awards Gala.
Harper has recently broadened her creative horizons with several new product launches that aim at capturing the market of “jewelry for your home”. Most recently, she has taken her love of patterns and nature to the world of couture tile design, through an exciting partnership with Artistic Tile. Launched in the Spring of 2017, tile designs focus on “jewelry inspired” organic agate shapes and the geometry of faceted stones. A new product line is in development now and is set to launch this Fall. She is also collaborated recently with the esteemed Pickard China, in a new line of fine china, steeped with “gemstone and jewel notes”. The first collection, called “Sedona”, is inspired by the rich patterns in the natural stone Malachite, adding add glamour and style to the table.
The artist lives in Chicago with her husband, Blake, and their 3 daughters, Sage (18), Siena (16), and Scarlett (12).