Lindsay Bloom, 31, turned a teenage hobby into an award-winning jewelry business. (Cyrus McCrimmon | The Denver Post)
As a teenager, Lindsay Bloom loved turning a piece of wire and some stones into a necklace or earrings.
It was a creative pursuit that stayed with her through high school, then college. Despite her family’s best efforts to steer her in another direction and toward using her education in psychology, Bloom couldn’t resist the pull to create fine designs with her hands.
And proof positive that when you apply some skill, as well as passion, to your endeavors, she is now at the helm of a jewelry business with accounts from coast to coast and in several foreign countries.
Bloom, 31, isn’t afraid to mix metals, to combine 14-karat-gold-filled link chains and brass on the same necklace, to wear a pile of bangles in silver
A faceted emerald toggle necklace from Bloom Jewelry. (Cyrus McCrimmon | The Denver Post)
and gold, and to use stones like pyrite (a.k.a. “fool’s gold”) not often seen in contemporary jewelry.The idea of matching jewelry or wearing only one metal at a time is long gone, she says. “A woman might have a gold wedding ring but wants to wear silver bracelets or a watch,” Bloom says. Mixing the metals in a single piece extends the idea. She also wraps some of her pieces in leather.
She creates two major collections a year — spring and fall — featuring up to 50 pieces each. Popular designs are continued from season to season and new ones added each time.
Some of her designs spring from her own needs. When planning her Colorado wedding to Doug Backman six years ago, she couldn’t find the type of jewelry she wanted to wear with her gown. So Bloom Jewelry now offers brides necklaces, earrings and rings studded with pearls or Swarovski crystals.
Another idea that sprung from her wedding is Bloom Black Ties, a product that earned the designer a mention in InStyle magazine this month. An update of the omnipresent black elastic hair tie women wear on their wrists to have handy when they want to put their hair up in a ponytail, the Black Ties are dressed up with link chains in gold,
Bloom Jewelry’s signature wire-wrapped bracelets. (Cyrus McCrimmon | The Denver Post)
silver and brass. That’s because Bloom nearly walked down the aisle on her wedding day with one on her wrist.The fashion industry is taking notice of Bloom’s creativity and marketing savvy. Earlier this month, Bloom Jewelry earned the Rising Star Award from Fashion Group International of Denver. The honor is given to a company that’s poised to become a national leader in its field.
Bloom’s designs are finding a market both for their look and price. A simple pair of earrings starts at about $50 and the line tops out at about $200, which women aren’t afraid to spend on themselves. Stores such as Posh and Garbarini sell the designs.
Bloom says her love of designing began when she was a teenager growing up in Connecticut.
Gold-filled earrings with saucer details, emerald ring. Bloom Jewelry sells for $50-$200 at stores and on jewelrysaga.com
Her mother, a dental hygienist, had a patient who was a jewelry designer. The woman agreed to give Lindsay some lessons. Bloom says her access to good materials improved when she went to Antioch University in Los Angeles and was just 15 minutes from the fashion district.”I’ve always found inspiration in materials,” she says.
And she makes time to do custom work for brides, as well. “It’s one of my favorite things to do,” Bloom says. “We’ll work in something special like a piece her grandmother gave her.”
