SUZIE GALLEHUGH | SUZANNA DAI

Calypso Earrings with M-O-P Disc Beads, Seed Beads,
Bugles and Rhinestones

One of the most iconic theaters in New York City is the Albany Palace Theater.

Opened to the public during The Great Depression, the one-time vaudeville theater is renowned for its “ornate Austrian baroque design” and murals. 

New York is also home to featured jewelry designer Suzie Gallehugh.

The art of embroidered hand-stitching has a long history dating back to ancient Russia, India, Egypt and Iran. 

However, the invention of sewing machines and embroidery looms threaten to make this time-honored tradition obsolete.

Dori Csengeri (Israel) and Ranjana Khan (India) are two independents that I know of who openly keep this stunning, labor-intensive art form alive through their respective jewelry brands. 

Gallehugh’s six-year-old brand, Suzanna Dai, can be added to this short list as she implements remarkable embroidery work of metal sequins, rhinestones, and disc and seed beads.

The Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) graduate initially studied fashion design with dreams of living and cavorting in Paris.  As fate would have it her fascination with beads led to teaching herself the handicrafts of wire work, beading and embroidery. 

After gaining ten years’ worth of experience with hand embroidery while “working various jobs in the fashion industry,” Gallehugh was ready to bring her vintage-inspired, opulent designs to the masses.

suzanna dai

“I had the opportunity to go to India and see first-hand the type of embroidery work they do there.  All my pieces are handmade in India.  I prepare sketches and swatches with a layout of beads I like then I send them to my team in India,” explains the jeweler.

“I love big necklaces and my second favorite is earrings.  I am inspired by travel and my collections are based on the mood and feeling of a city or location.  I haven’t been to all of the cities in my line but I am inspired by cities I have read about or seen in photos.”

Gallehugh isn’t alone in her love of big necklaces.  The popular t.v. show Gossip Girl has featured two of her warrioresque necklaces worn by the show’s stars Blake Lively and Leighton Meester.

“My favorite decades are the 1920s and 1930s.  In my Alexandria Collection I use an embroidery technique used on a lot of garments in the 1920s.  

I love taking this technique and applying it to a new design in a new and unexpected way.  This is what makes my jewelry both vintage and modern.”

Actor Blake Lively wearing Antwerp Necklace (left); and
Antwerp Necklace with Round Metal Bead Medallions,
Grey Suede and Silk Ribbon

2014 Jewelry Trend Alert:  Gallehugh’s strong statement necklaces evoke warrior princesses, and this tribal-like necklace style is on trend for the year.