For you ladies with an affinity for paired down jewelry with an architectural feel, look no further than designer and Western Addition resident Eve Singer.
Having launched her namesake label in 2009 after studying metal-smithing in North Carolina, the designer is now a favorite of boutique owners across the city, and is carried at Paxton Gate in the Mission, Gimme Shoes on Fillmore, and Pearl Gallery in the Sunset.
Below, we get to know a little bit more about Singer, including her favorite local shops and eateries, and her dream clients Karen O, Alexa Chung, and David Bowie.
The Feast: Did you always know you wanted to be a jeweler?
Eve Singer: Actually, I went to the Rhode Island School of Design and received my BFA in textiles. So, I'm a textiles designer and jewelry designer and both practices inform one another. I like for all of my work to be textural and tactile and my interest in repeated shapes is apparent in both practices. I really admire people who design in multiple fields, such as Hella Jongerius, who designs textiles and products.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
I think that my work is very sculptural and bold. I am really interested in my pieces looking found, whether at a beach or a flea-market or even an industrial remnant. I like to play with the color of the metal and have the pieces look a bit weathered or aged. There's sometimes an assumption that fine jewelry is shiny and gold, so I like my work to challenge that notion. And I like to add details to my pieces, like rivets on chain links or texture on the surface of my rings as hints that the jewelry is handmade and unique.
What inspires your designs?
Everything from fashion to nature to industry. My most recent work was largely influenced by my close proximity to the ocean. I currently work a couple of days of the week in Sausalito where the waterfront is lined with these beautiful massive anchor chains. I walked by and admired these chains for over a year before I realized I wanted to wear them. Obviously, I decreased the scale, but I also added texture and played with a variation of shapes and materials.
What celebrity would you love to see rock your jewelry?
I love Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, her attitude and the confidence she exudes is awesome. I would love to see her in an arm full of my bracelets or a fist full of rings. I would also love to see Alexa Chung in a ball gown with my geometric cuffs on both arms. And if David Bowie started wearing my rings around, I would be okay with that, too.
Are there any boutiques in town that inspire you to shop?
While I obviously love the stores that I am in, I also love the jewelry collection at Anica in Russian Hill and Prairie Collective in the Lower Haight. Both stores have such an amazing selection and they are my go-to places to get excited about jewelers making great pieces. I also really love General Store in the Sunset. Besides the carefully selected objects, both vintage and new, they have a dreamy greenhouse out back. And Nest in Pacific Heights has great home goods and precious objects and it's so pretty. Every time I´m there I want to camp out in one of their beds and just stay forever.
What about your favorite place to eat?
That’s easy. Emmy´s Spaghetti Shack in the Outer Mission. Large plates of spaghetti and pint sized margaritas.
For more on Singer and her collection, head to evesinger.com.
