We had the good fortune of connecting with Allison Teague and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Allison, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Allison Alane is a bespoke collection-based luxury brand dedicated to creating timeless jewelry grounded in passion and purpose.

When I design, my mission is to inspire and empower through sustainable jewelry, reflecting stories of adventure and connection. I focus on my customers’ desire to view the world as a place of adventure and inspiration. My love of travel brings me to some of the most fascinating cities around the world. For each new destination, I design a collection based on that city, taking my clients along for the journey. Allison Alane sweeps customers away through a travel diary of vivid gemstones and repeating rhythmic forms perfect for layering and stacking with everyday elegance. I encourage my customers to find inspiration in our personal conversation, illuminating the value and history of gemstones that each contain a secret story.

Allison Alane creates jewelry for individuals who are ready to transition away from mass-produced pieces. Every piece is meticulously handcrafted for each customer in my studio. I am inspired to preserve a person’s narrative through my art, not by following fads, but by designing and making jewelry that will endure. Allison Alane offers well-crafted, durable, and sustainably recycled jewelry. In practice, that means every item – from raw material to finished product – that enters and leaves my studio is made with the highest level of creativity and care. Traditional techniques with my modern interpretation and elevated craftsmanship comprise integral requirements which guide the direction of each piece of jewelry – throughout our lifetime and for generations to come.

Visit allisonalane.com and follow @allison_alane on Instagram.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Growing up in the foothills of the dramatic Colorado Rockies, my artistic sensibilities were influenced by the vivid, shifting pastel colors and repeating textures of the mountain landscape surrounding me. Those design elements are deep-rooted in my artistic sensibilities and shine in my collections still. I studied Industrial Design at Pratt Institute and graduated with a B.F.A. in Jewelry and Objects from Savannah College of Art & Design. With over 10 years of professional goldsmithing experience – working for innovative jeweler Todd Reed and trend-establisher Catbird NYC, I launched my company Allison Alane Jewelry Designs, Ltd.

Sometimes the hardest decision is to be brave enough to start. In 2020, I was living in New York City, working and designing for Catbird NYC when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the city. I had no guarantee that I would be returning to work. I found myself with ample opportunity to seriously contemplate what I wanted for my future. It was such an introspective time where I was able to concentrate on my goals and priorities. I decided that my dream of “one day” starting my own business needed to turn into “today” and I launched my business Allison Alane Jewelry Designs, Ltd. in 2021 as the city was returning to life.

Fabrication and quality have always been important to me as a designer. I never wanted to design something I couldn’t make myself and needed to know that it would outlive me. Having acquired over a decade of practice in the advanced technical craft of full-fabrication, I was ready to establish my studio and express my vision through my own skills and emphasize my value for one-of-a-kind, in-house craft.

Being a small business owner is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. I am constantly driving myself to learn and grow in so many different areas of knowledge, but at the end of the day I couldn’t be more excited with the life I am building. I have dreamt of being an artist since I was a child and I wanted to build a life of freedom where I could travel and be inspired. Knowing that I’m tailoring my life around the things that bring me the most joy – jewelry and traveling, and finding both friends and customers who share the same passions, makes all of the hard work worthwhile.

My brand is my first and middle name. I want my brand name to reflect three meaningful traits of jewelry that resonate deeply with me: identity, permanence and legacy. As with a name, jewelry relates directly to how we present our individual selves to the world: a symbol of ritual, individuality and community expression. Adornment is one of the most enduring human arts and there is permanence in metal and stone much like the first and middle name of a woman. As a woman owned business in a male-dominated craft, I strive to create legacy by inspiring future female generations. Jewelry transcends an individual lifetime by connecting generations beyond its original narrative.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I grew up in Boulder and it is still my home base. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, so no trip would be complete without a table on the Chautauqua Dining Hall porch or Lucile’s with a hike to the Flatirons and a stroll along the Pearl Street Mall. If it’s summer, I’ll never miss the chance to grab tickets to the Mary Rippon outdoor theater at CU for the Shakespeare Festival. Lastly, we’re headed to Band on the Bricks and a rooftop restaurant with the sparkling city lights of a Rocky Mountain night.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The jewelry business is historically a male-dominated field that is notoriously gate-kept within the small community. And so, I could not have gotten where I am today without having met some of the smartest and most creative women along the way. I grew up mesmerized by my mother’s collection of antique family pieces passed down to each generation of women. I came to learn the stories of the women who wore them before me. From my mother’s early influence and continuing support, to my department head at Savannah College of Art and Design who introduced me to the creative process of jewelry, and my hardworking female small business owner community, I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by supportive and amazing women. Together, we emphasize sharing our achievements and challenges in order to support each other and so we can all succeed together.

Website: https://www.allisonalane.com

Instagram: @allison_alane

Facebook: Allison Alane Jewelry Designs, Ltd.

Other: Pinterest: @allison_alane

Image Credits
Teddy Telles

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