MONA ASSEMI

The world is full of fantastic landscapes, and the country of Iran has some grant ones to explore.

The crystal clear waters of Avan Lake is located in the Province of Qazin; while the third largest salt lake in the world, Orumieh Lake, is believed to possess healing properties.

Iran is also the ancestral home of featured jewelry designer Mona Assemi.

In the peculiar space between sleep and wakefulness, the brain is active firing off vivid imagery.

For the mind of a jewelry designer, that space of time can prove productive. Assemi keeps a sketchbook on her nightstand to capture those burst of creative visions emerging from that dream-filled space.

While working as a personal shopper for the elite boutiques of Washington, D.C., Assemi systematically developed her hobby of sketching baubles and turning them into tangible, unique pieces.

Initially, the creations she fashioned were personal ones with the public getting views only when she wore them. After numerous compliments and product requests, Assemi decided to grow her hobby into a thriving business.

Her Persian-inspired trinkets are cultivated from solid 14-karat gold, 14-karat gold plating, sterling silver, and loads of natural gemstones. Iranian gold coins, galas, the infinity symbol, and glittery stardust serve as the designer's sources of inspiration.

Among them, a necklace composed of a single sphere of red chalcedony covered with a small gold tassel, and clear crystal earrings sprinkled with a gold tassel.

Assemi's aesthetic is based in haute sophistication and a somewhat primal quality.  There are large, linked spheres of metal or gemstones, and long gold chains with a few charms. What I have seen speaks to bold elegance with a somewhat primal quality.

Assemi has since relocated her company base to New York City and is thrilled that Brooke Shields and Carly Steel, among others, appreciate her aesthetic.

Her socially conscious efforts with The Foundation for the Children of Iran, to which she has donated a few of jewelry pieces for auction, caught the attention of Style & Image Network's Fashion Fights Poverty.

Fashion Fights Poverty is "one the largest non-profit ethical and eco fashion organizations in the United States.

Honoring national and international designers who employ ethical practices in their design and manufacturing processes to create and sustain economic opportunity."
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Photo 1 (top right): Model Talia Wearing Necklace and Bracelet
Photo 2 (left): Red Chalcedony Necklace with 14-Karat Gold Tassel