NEW YORK — Alexandra Mor can go into hiding for weeks at a time when she’s conceptualizing ideas for an upcoming collection — where it can take up to nine months to design just one piece.
“It’s like giving birth,” the designer said, holding up a pair of enormous $148,000 coral and diamond chandelier earrings comprised of 26 pear-shaped pieces of coral ranging in color from precious blood red to light peach to give an ombré effect, connected with 46 diamonds that total almost 5 carats.
“I take a few weeks and lock myself in my studio. Like any creative process, the ideas start flowing and they come at their will, not mine. Right now, I’m at this stage in the process with the second edition to my signature collection. It’s scheduled to be ready by the end of December, if my muse permits,” Mor explained of her made-to-order business.
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The designer prides herself in allowing a client to participate in the creation of a custom-made piece. She will typically share three design options, and after reviewing them with the customer, together they will pick a favorite and refine it in stages until a final design is achieved.
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For the aforementioned earrings, it took Mor a few months to find two pear-shaped pieces of coral that were the perfect fit. “They had to be just the right size and the colors had to match, but fate had its way and they found each other,” she said.
Another design is one-of-a-kind emerald and diamond drop flower earrings that took 17 months to make. The shoulder-length earrings feature a pair of vivid emeralds that weigh in at 53 carats each, asymmetrically encircled by diamonds and platinum leaves. Hanging from each emerald is a floating diamond melee, complete with 14 carats of 175 fancy colored flower set diamonds transitioning from white to green to peach to pink to yellow. They retail for $320,000.
Not all of Mor’s pieces are as pricy. Her main collection starts at $3,600 for delicate diamond hoop earrings, available in yellow or white gold and platinum, and a rutilated, 66-carat quartz and diamond cocktail ring retails for $14,000. At the high end, a pair of 4-carat convertible diamond earrings with removable jackets costs just under $55,000.