Loree Rodkin
{{Short description|American jewelry designer (born 1949)}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Loree Rodkin
|image = Loree Rodkin.jpg
|image_size =
|caption =
|alt=Image of Loree Rodkin
|birth_name =
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|2|25}}
|birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
|other_names =
|known_for =
|occupation = Jewelry designer
}}
Loree Rodkin (born February 25, 1949) is an American jewelry designer based in Los Angeles, California.{{Cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-aug-30-ig-diary30-story.html |title=Jewelry designer Loree Rodkin's rock 'n' roll roots |date=August 30, 2009 |last=Moore |first=Booth |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=December 13, 2013}} She designed the jewelry worn by Michelle Obama to the inaugural ball in January 2009, now deposited in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution.{{Cite web |url=http://www.shebrand.com/shebrand-superstar-loree-rodkin/ |publisher=SheBrand |title=SheBrand SuperStar: Loree Rodkin |first=Liz Dennery |last=Sanders |date=April 24, 2013 |accessdate=December 13, 2013}}
Biography
Rodkin was raised in Chicago, Illinois.{{Cite web |url=http://www.fashionweekdaily.com/the-fix/article/loree-rodkin |title=The Designer Files: The Secret Life of Loree Rodkin |date=March 22, 2012 |last=Denardo |first=Maria |access-date=January 21, 2014 |website=fashionweekdaily.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201164058/http://www.fashionweekdaily.com/the-fix/article/loree-rodkin |archive-date=February 1, 2014 |url-status=dead }} She is Jewish. She moved to Los Angeles where she designed homes for Alice Cooper, Rod Stewart and her then fiance, Bernie Taupin. Her next career was as a talent manager. She managed the careers of Brad Pitt, Robert Downey Jr. and Alexander Godunov, among others.{{Cite web |url=http://imagenoire.com/exclusive-interview-with-loree-rodkin/ |title=Exclusive interview with Loree Rodkin |publisher=Image Noire |accessdate=December 13, 2013}}
Rodkin's relationships also included actor Richard Gere and musician Don Henley.{{Cite web |last= |first= |last2= |first2= |last3= |first3= |last4= |first4= |date=2020-09-10 |title=Jewelry maker Loree Rodkin wants $2.3M for Manhattan studio |url=https://nypost.com/2020/09/10/jewelry-maker-loree-rodkin-wants-2-3m-for-manhattan-studio/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |language=en-US}} Her break-up with Henley inspired lyrics in the Eagles' iconic 1977 song "Hotel California": "Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends / She got a lot of pretty pretty boys she calls friends."{{Cite book |last=Sullivan |first=Steve |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QWBPAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA135 |title=Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings |date=2013-10-04 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-8296-6 |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2016-03-02 |title=The Eagles: "It's a record about the dark underbelly of America" - TeamRock |url=http://www.teamrock.com/features/2006-12-13/the-eagles-it-s-a-record-about-the-dark-underbelly-of-america |access-date=2023-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302102734/http://www.teamrock.com/features/2006-12-13/the-eagles-it-s-a-record-about-the-dark-underbelly-of-america |archive-date=2016-03-02 }}
Loree Rodkin has lived in Manhattan, but is now based in Los Angeles, California.{{Cite web |date=2016-12-12 |title=Home |url=https://loreerodkin.com/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=:: Loree Rodkin |language=en-US}}
Designs
File:Bondage Ring by Loree Rodkin.jpg
While working as an interior home designer for celebrity clients, Rodkin come across worn jewelry that she would buy and repair. These experiences led her to six years later oversee her own jewelry design studio and launch a collection of Gothic-inspired jewelry called Loree Rodkins Gothic.{{cite news |last1=Clendening |first1=Jill |title=It's a Gothic romance between celebrities & Loree Rodkin's jewelry |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-its-a-gothic-romance-bet/124053536/ |access-date=4 May 2023 |work=The Tennessean |via=Newspapers.com |date=February 13, 1997 |page=63}} Her first sales were to Tommy Perse, then owner of the Maxfield boutique in West Hollywood. Elizabeth Taylor and Barbra Streisand were among her earliest clients.{{Cite web |url=http://sarabrajovic.com/2011/08/interview-from-los-angeles-loree-rodkin/ |title=Interview from Los Angeles... Loree Rodkin |accessdate=December 13, 2013 |date=August 17, 2011 |first=Sara |last=Brajovic |website=sarabrajovic.com}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.notorious-mag.com/2012/11/20/chit-chat-with-loree-rodkin/ |title=Chit Chat with Loree Rodkin |date=November 20, 2012 |accessdate=December 13, 2013 |work=Notorious Mag |archive-date=November 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110104820/http://www.notorious-mag.com/2012/11/20/chit-chat-with-loree-rodkin/ |url-status=dead }} Her most famous piece is a bondage ring, reminiscent of medieval finger armor.
Her designs were further popularized by First Lady Michelle Obama, who wore Rodkin's 61-carat diamond celestial earrings, a 13-carat diamond cocktail ring and diamond bangles, to the 2009 inaugural balls. The jewelry now hangs in the permanent collection at the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution.
Rodkin's flagship store is in Tokyo, Japan. Her designs are also sold in retail specialty stores globally. Her clientele has included Elton John, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Madonna, Daphne Guinness, Mary J. Blige, Cher, Rihanna and Steven Tyler.{{Cite web |url=http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/aroundthemall/2010/03/meet-mrs-obamas-inaugural-jewelry-designer-loree-rodkin/ |title=Meet Mrs. Obama's Inaugural Jewelry Designer Loree Rodkin |date=March 9, 2010 |first=Beth |last=Py-Lieberman |work=Around the Mall |publisher=Smithsonian Magazine}}
Rodkin's collection includes a bath and body product line, eyewear, fragrances and candles.{{Cite web |url=http://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/accessories/2011/03/loree_rodkin_jewelry_designer |title=Diamond Life |accessdate=December 13, 2013 |first=Karin |last=Nelson |date=March 2011 |work=W |archive-date=February 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203075027/http://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/accessories/2011/03/loree_rodkin_jewelry_designer |url-status=dead }} In 2014, she launched a jewelry line, Hunrod, with French designer Michèle Lamy.{{cite news |last1=Kilcooley-O'Halloran |first1=Scarlett |title=Michele Lamy Launches Hunrod |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/michele-lamy-loree-rodkin-hunrod-jewellery-collaboration |access-date=May 1, 2023 |work=British Vogue |date=September 11, 2014}}{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Emma |title=The Genesis of Hunrod |url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/fashion/hunrod-x-dsmny |access-date=May 1, 2023 |work=Interview |date=May 22, 2015}} She collaborated with perfumer and Hennessy heir Kilian Hennessy to launch a niche perfume line, called By Kilian, in 2016.{{cite news |last1=Schmidt |first1=Ingrid |title=Jewelry designer Loree Rodkin's collaboration with perfumer Kilian Hennessy has a powerful supporter in Cher |url=https://www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-loree-rodkin-20161101-story.html |access-date=May 1, 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 10, 2016}}{{cite news |last1=Moore |first1=Booth |title=Cher Toasts Pal Loree Rodkin's Collab with Fragrance House By Kilian |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/style/cher-toasts-pal-loree-rodkins-collab-fragrance-house-by-kilian-941562/ |access-date=May 1, 2023 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=October 26, 2016}}
Rodkin's jewelry designs employ elements of Art Nouveau and Gothic stylings. She makes use of symbolism, engraving and works with precious stones, gold and platinum.{{Cite web |title=All about Loree Rodkin - theeyeofjewelry.com |url=https://theeyeofjewelry.com/loree-rodkin/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=The Eye of Jewelry |language=en-US}} Crosses have also been an important element in Rodkin's brand since she founded it in the 1980s, which she has used to evoke a medieval fashion style.{{cite news |last1=La Ferla |first1=Ruth |title=NOTICED; Religious, Rebellious or Chic, Crosses Are Forever |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/19/style/noticed-religious-rebellious-or-chic-crosses-are-forever.html |access-date=4 May 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=19 August 2001}}{{cite news |last1=Dukes |first1=Tanya |title=The Cross Returns as a Style Choice in Jewelry |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/12/fashion/jewelry-cross-diana-madonna-1980s.html |access-date=May 1, 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=March 12, 2023}}
Other activities
Rodkin helped redesign the Beverly Hills tiki bar, Luau, opened by concert promoter Andrew Hewitt in 2008.{{cite news |last1=Virbila |first1=S. Irene |title=Passing the tiki torch |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jan-28-fo-review28-story.html |access-date=May 1, 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=January 28, 2009}}{{cite news |last1=Tschorn |first1=Adam |title=They're carrying a torch for tiki |url=https://www.latimes.com/style/la-ig-tiki26-2008oct26-story.html |access-date=May 1, 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=October 26, 2008}}
References
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External links
{{IMDb name|8734303}}
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