142 ◆ JCK MAY 2016 jckonline.com

INDUSTRY ICONS

DESIGNER SHOWCASETHELOOK

BY KRISTIN LUNA

Vincent Peach’s career trajectory

reads like a coming-of-age novel: Child grows up with a jeweler father and starts learning the secrets of the trade from a young age. Teen goes on to jewelry design school in Memphis, only to wind up owning an antique business for more than a decade. Adult realizes he’s in the wrong industry, sells the 28,000-square-foot Nashville showroom, and puts his treasure trove of Chinese antiques into storage, where they still sit to this day.

Luckily for jewelry lovers, there’s a happy end-ing to this tale: The Tennessee native found his way back to ornamental passion and debuted his eponymous line, Vincent Peach Jewelry, in 2008.

“As children, my brother, sister, and I had the opportunity to work the showroom or learn to be a jeweler in the back,” Peach says. “I started work-ing at a bench and was soldering jump rings by the time I was 13. By 15, I was sizing rings and setting stones. Right after high school, I went to jewelry manufacturing and design school and learned everything about casting and wax-carving and hand-fabricating. That was just the beginning.”

PEARLS OF WISDOMPeach’s line all started with a pearl. That comes as no surprise, given that his father owns and operates the 43-year-old Tennessee-based United States Pearl Co.

“I was in Texas, working the biggest antiques show in the country, and I brought all my tools and was making simple pearl necklaces from my booth. I wound up selling them as quickly as I could make them,” he recalls. “One person would show her friends and on and on. By the end of the show, I had a line of women eight deep waiting for me to make them a necklace. I did more in jewelry sales than I did in furniture sales. I said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding. I’m in the wrong industry!’ ”

Peach returned from the show and started making jewelry out of his house; three years later, he decided to “take a big leap of faith and go

Brohemian RhapsodyVincent Peach hits his stride with an edgy synthesis of leather, diamonds, and his signature pearls

Is it any wonder Vincent Peach designs an Equestrian collection?

Equestrian Cuff in red-brown crocodile skin with sterling

silver horsebit and Tahitian pearl; $742;

Vincent Peach, Nashville;

615-378-1374; vincentpeach.com

tellsoom,antiques

day.happy end-e found hisdebuted hisy, in 2008.d I had thelearn to be

arted work-rings by the and setting

nt to jewelryand learnedcarving andeginning.”

That comeser owns andbased United

gest antiquest all my toolsaces from mys quickly as Iperson wouldthe end of the

eep waiting formore in jewelrysaid, ‘You’ve gotustry!’ ”w and startede; three years

f f ith and go

Is it any Diamond Equestrian Eternity necklace in leather with Tahitian pearls and pavé diamonds in sterling silver; $9,500

142-147 The Look-Designer Showcase.indd 142 4/18/16 8:03 PM

144 ◆ JCK MAY 2016 jckonline.com

INDUSTRY ICONS

DESIGNER SHOWCASETHELOOK

wholesale.” Six years later, that fi rst pièce de résistance that sold like hotcakes, the Seaplicity (supple leather clasped by a pair of Tahitian pearls), continues to be one of his best sellers; the designer himself wears one, not removing it even to shower or sleep.

The bulk of Peach’s designs utilize high-quality, round AAA South Sea and AA/AAA freshwater pearls sourced from French Polynesia, Australia, the Mar-shall Islands, and China. The Bohemian lariat, part of a multifunction signature collection, is one of his showpieces: It can be worn in a long strand around the neck or wrapped around the wrist.

But the designer’s present-day taste in materials extends beyond pearls: He gravitates toward anything that will make a statement. A 10,000-year-old fossil-ized walrus tusk found in the permafrost of the Alas-kan tundra, for example, becomes the showstopper for a new piece he’s working on; another intricate neck-lace is constructed from fi sh vertebrae, while a chunky bracelet is carved from the base of a moose’s antlers.

Since his initial foray into the jewelry world, Texas has remained Peach’s biggest market and the inspira-tion for his Southwestern-themed gems and popular Equestrian collection.

His other major client base is the resort scene; more than 600 hotels and resort shops carry his Coastal collection, and working with fi ve-star brands like Four Seasons and Viceroy, in particular, has proven extremely benefi cial for sales—in Mexico, the Carib-bean, and beyond. To cater to that market, Peach’s spring line comprises “a lot of color” with punches of coral and turquoise and plenty of African trade beads and sea glass. “It’s perfect for those ready to head off to the beach.”

As the seasons turn and more pieces are added, Peach’s overall style—which he calls “bohemian chic,” a hybrid between fi ne and everyday jewelry—is ever changing, too, which he says is absolutely vital to staying relevant: “This is a very competitive industry. We get knocked off as quickly as we make it, so we’re always having to reinvent ourselves—every season.”

SEEING STARSTaylor Swift was the fi rst celebrity to be photo-graphed wearing a Vincent Peach original (the Seaplicity)—at the time, she and the designer were neighbors in one of Nashville’s soaring high-rises—and Carrie Underwood is frequently spotted wear-ing his strands around her neck or clusters of gem-stones and pearls on her ears. Peach’s fan base is diverse to say the least: Alice Cooper, Oprah Winfrey, and Steven Tyler have all appeared in magazines wearing his pieces, as have country artists such as Miranda Lambert and Reba McEntire.

Weekender earrings with 14 mm freshwater pearls and 0.25 ct. t.w. diamonds and rhodium-plated sterling silver; $350

Locket Wrap bracelet in

leather with diamond-encrusted

locket; $1,150

Montana bracelet in leather and sterling silver

with 7.42 cts. t.w. pavé diamonds

and Tahitian pearl; $6,995

“Our line is basicallya hybrid betweenfi ne jewelry andeveryday jewelry.It’s bohemianchic—really cool,edgy stuff . If you want a unique look, this is defi nitelythe jewelry for you.”

142-147 The Look-Designer Showcase.indd 144 4/18/16 8:04 PM

146 ◆ JCK MAY 2016 jckonline.com

INDUSTRY ICONS

DESIGNER SHOWCASETHELOOK

But the buildup to becoming a household name in celebrity circles didn’t happen overnight.

“I’d say 80 percent of our celebrity clientele is through word-of-mouth. You never know who’s going to call in this business,” he says. “[My designs] are meaningful to them because they wear our pieces every day, unlike many other items that you may only pull out once in a blue moon.”

Rockers dig the Coin collection, where Peach mounts an antique piece like an authentic Dutch VOC coin on a braided leather cord with a Tahitian pearl for the clasp, while the country crowd—including Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley—often are drawn to the longer, fringed pieces punctuated with tassels and tusks found in the Diamond and Fossil collections.

HOME, SWEET HOMECelebrities aside, more and more shoppers are discov-ering Peach’s artistry, especially now that his Nashville showroom has moved to a heavily traffi cked location right on the busy tourist trolley line and in the same complex with Mike Wolfe’s iconic Antique Archaeol-ogy (made famous by the History channel show Amer-ican Pickers) and a pair of locally renowned distilleries.

The upgraded Vincent Peach fl agship store, which opened its doors in the historic bricked Marathon Village in February, mimics the eclectic feel of his collection: a little bit upscale but approachable, a little bit edgy but with a whole lot of character. Peach himself laid out the interior, with vintage luggage scattered throughout.

At any given time, he has up to 15 people working for him, in addition to diamond setters in New York City and occasionally India (though he does try to keep all production in America, he adds). And while many of his pieces can run as high as $45,000, Peach recog-nizes the need for a diverse mix of prices; thus, visitors to his showroom will fi nd a number of everyday-wear pieces under $100 such as the Abalone Shell stretch bracelet ($49) and Constellation cuff ($74).

“We have a price point to fi t everybody, and you’re still going to get a really nice look,” he says. “A lot of people can’t aff ord a piece that’s $6,000. I think it’s important to provide something for everybody.”

As Peach’s line continues to evolve, so do his interests. He already has plans to expand his current space and introduce a pair of fashion lines soon—clothing and leather—designed by him and Michelle Garcia, vice president of Vincent Peach Jewelry.

“Michelle and I are very passionate about cloth-ing—that’s the next step,” he says. “We love the fashion industry as a whole, and being able to put a whole look together—from their shoes to their belt to their pants to their jewelry—would just be awesome.” ■

Dallas lariat in deer skin with sterling silver equestrian bit

and freshwater pearls; $1,850

“Our jewelry is a statement piece. I’ll put a $1,000 pearl on a piece of leather. People are really passionate about this jewelry because it’s so comfortable to wear.”

Freshwater Coin cuff in leather with large freshwater coin pearl; $475

Keowee Diamond Arrowhead ring with 0.6 ct. t.w. diamonds in sterling silver with rhodium plate and Indian arrowhead; $575

142-147 The Look-Designer Showcase.indd 146 4/18/16 8:04 PM