torch & crucible fire Image of melting metal inside the Lee Brevard Jewelry Studio torch & crucible fire Image of melting metal inside the Lee Brevard Jewelry Studio
the studio

BEHIND THE FLAME

We’ve been blurring lines and breaking molds - literally and figuratively - by turning fashion conventions upside down for decades.

Founded in 1979 the late Lee Brevard, we have remained true to its core as a working artisan studio, where craft is the soul of the work. Using old school techniques and a reverence for materials and the fire that shapes them, the jewelry we create constantly pushes the boundaries of culture, fashion, art, and design, resulting in a decades-long legacy of seeming contradictions.

An over-the-top, off-beat and one-of-a-kind collection of drag jewelry came first which broke the rules by blending precious and found materials with exquisite craftsmanship setting the tone of what was to come. By the mid 70s, our single mix ‘n match earring concept defied fashion norms, forged new paths and officially opened the studio doors. Blending old-school techniques in a union of opposites, our creative process merges with a refined discipline to make mayhem that’s greater than the sum of its parts. Measured. Chaotic. Our craft is an intimate dance with fire that requires full surrender to the task once the flame is lit.

Designs evolve organically, like buried treasure waiting to be excavated. Each piece is a discovery. Each piece offers a lexicon that tells a story and connects us to something greater than ourselves. Creating jewelry is a journey of mechanical repetition and constant reinvention and revelation.

Raw and elegant. Modern and timeless. Ours is a history of redefining what is possible.

WHO WE ARE

Lee Brevard

Armed with a Cooper Union M.F.A. in painting, Lee immersed himself in the creative counterculture of New York with Warhol's "Silver Factory" at the heart of it all. Lee was an early pioneer using the novel color copier (which was radically new technology in 1973) to create hand altered limited edition art prints. His insatiable obsession with emeralds became the focus in his process: from crushing precious stones into his paint pigments to tossing rare gems inside mouth blown molten glass sculptural forms. Lee’s unconventional and untrained approach to crafting jewelry blurred the line between the absurd and the exquisite, combining found materials, precious stones, and fine metals to reclaim symbols of authority and power while infusing the designs with the captivating touch of the creative chaos.

Bryan Moss

Bryan did the journeyman thing, interning in a sculpture casting studio through out high school, and went from casting bigger than life sized sculptures to becoming a master caster for Van Cleef and Arpels by his early 20s while playing accordion in punk bands all across Los Angeles. Around that same time, Bryan was invited to join the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to develop their casting and manufacturing curriculum, while operating his own design and fabrication studio. Introduced through a former student, Lee and Bryan soon became creative partners, merging the two studios into one, breaking barriers together until Lee's passing in 1994. At 28, Bryan became the lead creative, preserving Lee's legacy while infusing the original vision with his own rebellious spirit.

Dyan Dowling - aka: Dyn

At 14, Dyan began training under Jean Noble Parsons in ceramics. Cementing her belief that everyday objects should be mindfully crafted with a balance of beauty, function, and soul that opened the doors between the gallery and fashion. Her passion for sustainability lead to the “radical” notion of regional textiles where Dyan was one of the founding members of the Fibershed movement, igniting a resurgence in regional textiles communities. Collaborating with the internationally known Creative Growth studio, her mixed media textile contributions laid the foundation for the "Beyond Trend" runway and gallery shows. A random encounter sparked a series of long distance art collaborations between Dyan and Bryan that ultimately lead to joining studios in 2010 to see where the mayhem might lead...

Tell your own story. And you will be interesting

More often than not, the paths we walk are not a straight line but at some point, all those experiences lead you to here, and how all those seemingly random stories intertwine is always interesting. More than anything, we have shared a bit of our stories to embrace your own.