Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
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STYLE SETTER Angelina Jolie has worn Lester Lampert jewelry on the runway. The "love" hamsa with rubies and diamonds in white gold. BELOW: Platinum bracelet with 5-carat emerald cut diamond and 21 carats of Asscher-cut diamonds Each of David Lampert's designs starts with a sketch before being transformed into a 3-D CAD file. 3-D printing technology makes it possible to create jewelry models on-site. 66 PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANDREAS RENTZ/GETTY IMAGES (JOLIE) "Our clients are local, so the jewelry is going to reflect the tastes of Chicago." continued from page 64 ago, his designs are no longer subject to the interpretation of a hand-carver. Instead, David designs a 3-D file using his CAD program and sends it directly to the printer. Roughly 20 hours later, he is holding an exact wax model of the piece he envisioned, be it a ring, brooch, or necklace charm. The model is then used to create a mold and, eventually, becomes an impressive bauble. "My designs don't just come from anywhere," David says. "They're inspired by having a conversation with a client. I sit down with them and try to figure out their style, taken off." In fact, though David first created the hamsa for what would make them happy in a piece of adornment. —DAVID LAMPERT his wife nearly six years ago, it's the timelessness of the symFrom there, I start sketching, typically right in front of the bol that still makes it the perfect Valentine's Day gift today. client. Both my father and I do that." Some clients—including celebs Brad "You're telling someone you love her and you want to protect her," he says. Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kanye West, and even President Obama, who wore Although the jeweler makes the piece in a dozen colors of stone, for Lester Lampert cuff links to his inauguration and commissioned a diamond Valentine's Day the most popular by far is ruby. brooch for Michelle—are looking for bold, attention-grabbing designs. "But Even though he has outfitted other elite Chicagoans like Michael Jordan, the majority of our clients are local," David says, "so the jewelry is going to David wears very little jewelry. "I wear my wedding bands, and I wear a reflect the tastes of Chicago—it's Midwestern-inspired. It's wearable." poker watch because that's what I enjoy," he says. "But design is not just His biggest design inspiration isn't just any client, though; it's his wife, about jewelry. I want to make a solid gold hat clip that could hold a cigar." Julie. The most memorable piece he created for her was a hamsa, a Middle Lampert also outfitted his car with a custom cup holder that he made in the Eastern hand-and-eye symbol, sometimes called the Evil Eye or the Lucky jewelry store's shop; and he owns a prized collection of pieces created by Eye (David's, of course, features a gorgeous hand-carved, natural stone each of the Lampert elders—though not necessarily for use. Ultimately, he eye). "[My wife and I] were on a trip to Israel and saw a lot of art featuring adds, "I think I prefer that my wife wear the jewelry." Somehow, we imagine the hamsa," he says. "It was when we came back that I knew I wanted to cre- she's all right with that. Lester Lampert, 57 E. Oak St., 312-944-6888; ate one for her. That was the start of this whole collection, which has really lesterlampert.com MA MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 064-066_MA_SS_StyleSetter_Winter13.indd 66 1/2/13 5:07 PM