Loren Hope is Making Costume Jewelry Chic Again - newportri.com
Now that Loren Hope is in Newport, founder and owner Loren Barham says she's looking around for her next source of inspiration.
When 7-year-old Loren Barham visited flea markets with her grandmother many years ago, she couldn’t take her eyes off the costume jewelry. Its exuberant designs and Technicolor stones were inspiration gold to this impressionable child, who now designs her own sparkling costume creations for her brand, Loren Hope.
Barham founded the company in 2005 as a cooler nod to what one might find within their grandmother’s jewelry chest. At the brand’s new flagship store at 86 William St. in Newport, she delivers colorful vintage looks with a stylish, modern twist.
It’s nothing new for a jewelry store to plant its roots in Rhode Island. The Ocean State has a long history with costume jewelry, which is precisely why Barham relocated here from North Carolina seven years ago. “When I moved to Rhode Island is when I really found myself. And when I discovered the history, a bell went off in my head,” she says.
Some of the biggest names in costume jewelry, like Coro, Trifari, Monet and Swank once called Rhode Island home. At one time, the state was truly the jewelry capital of the world. Barham was shocked when she discovered that much of what caught her eye as a child was produced in this one area. “I really fell in love with the history, learning more about construction, and I developed the brand’s style over time,” she explains.
Costume jewelry has fluctuated in popularity, seeing a resurgence in recent years with competing brands capitalizing on the demand for fast and cheap fashion. This modern reality hasn’t helped the costume jewelry industry’s overall reputation, with some people still looking down on it. “We are pushing the idea of costume jewelry as an art form, versus just peddling the cheap stuff you might find at the mall,” Barham graciously states.
Loren Hope emphasizes the art form aspect by paying close attention to the details. Each piece of jewelry is handcrafted in-house by Barham and her small team. “Owning and running our own production has been key in controlling our quality,” she states. Her team of artisans meticulously solders the metal parts, covers them with a layer of 18-karat antiqued gold plate, polishes the gems and sets each stone by hand.
Despite being American-made, the jewelry sells for an affordable price thanks to Barham’s small-yet-skilled team. A majority of Loren Hope earrings, bracelets, necklaces and other accessories cost less than $150, with more ornate items and limited-edition pieces ranging anywhere from $200 to $600.
In Barham’s opinion, costume jewelry is ideal for any formal occasion, as long as it looks high-quality, which is why the company has branched out into wedding jewelry. “Brides may wear their grandmother’s diamonds for the ceremony, but then may want a really fun pair of party earrings for the reception,” says Barham, pointing to a tray of bespoke bridal pieces. “A lot of brides are also working with us to do their bridesmaid’s gifts, which I love because they are able to gift them something they can wear again, while still supporting an artisan brand,” she says.
To help give her collection a high-quality look, Barham often refers to an archive of 1930s jewelry castings which she rescued from a former jewelry factory in New Jersey. She and her team use these relics to inspire components within their own designs. Barham also purchased the factory’s leftover stones, which are routinely incorporated into special collections, like her butterfly series.
Barham believes that incorporating these vibrantly colored glass stones sets Loren Hope jewelry apart from other brands. “There’s a look to them you can’t get anymore,” she explains, noting the mix of hand-pressed German glass, Czech glass and Swarovski Crystal stones used throughout.
Now that she’s in Newport, Barham says she’s looking around for her next source of inspiration — something the women of Newport would want to wear to all their summer social events. It would have to be chic, it would have to be original — and it would have to go with navy blue.
