When it came time to launch her eponymous collection, jeweler Deborah Pagani looked to New York City's glitzy rock n' roll heritage. "I never saw anything that mixed rock and roll and art deco, both of which are styles I saw as natural themes in my designs," Pagani explains. "I wanted some glamour with edge."
Pagani's latest collection, "Queen Bee," is plenty luxe with a splash of underworld appeal, as in an 18-karat gold "dagger" ring festooned with tiny yellow diamonds, or the web-like "Garbo Earring" in purple turquoise.
"I find inspiration in screen sirens and fashion icons ... women who refuse to play by the rules," says Pagani, who cites Grace Jones and Anita Pallenberg among her bad-girl pantheon.
In addition to "Queen Bee," Pagani crafted a second, more affordable collection -- "Street Bee" -- to introduce her tough-luxe aesthetic to a younger market. Easy layering pieces like studded bracelets and charm necklaces make up in downtown cool what they lack in Pagani's preferred diamonds.
"My new collection is so different, but exactly what I've wanted," Pagani says of the new line. "It's just taken me a few years to get here." If it means making more of her rebellious chic baubles, we hope Pagani stays right where she is.
