Trish Becker

Trish Becker Jewelry Interview_Harbour Island Eleuthera Bahamas

2013 marks a decade since Trish Becker left her position as Special Projects Editor at GQ to further pursue her passion in jewelry making, a hobby that was quickly becoming a career – especially after she took friends, Sarah Easley and Beth Buccini, up on their offer to include her creations in Kirna Zabete, their Soho New York based boutique. Far less notably, it also marks the year she and I first met, when I came to learn she is a fan of mine, as I am of hers. Of course I was naturally more shocked than she – after all her creations have been featured in the likes of Vogue, InStyle, Harper’s Bazaar – just to name a few.

My island escape is…
Chatterbox” an Historic home on ‘Briland’ – the colloquial name for Harbour Island. It’s been a real honor to embrace and enhance what has come before me.

There are some pretty magical Historical Homes on Harbour Island. Most were built by hand, using the horizon as a level, with the most basic tools and materials. They usually grew as a family grew, which gives them a great deal of quirky charm. Often stairwells are too narrow or too steep, floors slope, and windows vary in size – but that’s authentic and we joyfully embrace the perfectly imperfect, or what I call “Island Charm.”

Quirks aside, the architectural style in historical Bahamian homes is decidedly traditional and incredibly elegant in its structure. Architect Steven Mouzon wrote a book called A Living Tradition – Architecture of the Bahamas that explains in great detail why things look the way they do and it’s a MUST read for anyone who buys an old home. It’s all right there in the book and makes it easy to make sound architectural choices. When I have a worry about dormer widths or window sizes, that book always has an answer that makes sense. Regardless, I’ve made a heap of mistakes but that too is a part of ‘Island Charm.”

My favourite item in “Chatterbox” is…
The unlacquered brass hardware on all the doors. Silly sounding, I know, but brass doesn’t usually come unlacquered and since I wanted it to age with the elements, I taught myself how to remove lacquer from brass on ehow.com. As they age I now see I did a terrible job but every time I see those pieces, I love them for the way they look and that I had a hand in making them appear that way. They are, in a way, the jewelry of the house too. 

My jewelry collection is most inspired by…
The sea, absolutely. The cluster earrings are my interpretation of seaweed I found on the beach. The three drop lariat earrings were inspired by the string of fish I so often spot. Most of my pieces have a fish or water drop shape. And of course I love using coral castings as often as possible.

My favourite gemstone…
Currently is the light aqua quartz. To me it’s exactly the same color as the water off the famous pink sand beach of Harbour Island, no doubt that being the reason why I adore it.

My thoughts on finding the perfect every day necklace is…
Layer two or more necklaces, long and short. Don’t be afraid of mixing styles, weights or metals. I love seeing a Trish Becker necklace over a charm necklace, one that the wearer never takes off.

And statement piece…
For me, it’s the cluster necklace. It can be worn long or short when wrapped like a lariat and also comes with a removable clasp so that it can be any length the wearer chooses. You clasp it at the length you prefer and let the extra chain drop down your back.

The first piece of jewelry I remember making…
Was at 10 years old. I made a macramé necklace of unwaxed dental floss and wood beads. While even then it didn’t occurr to me that it would become a career, the feeling of joy I get when creating pieces now is exactly the same as it was then.

A decade for Trish Becker Jewelry…
Is but a blink of an eye. The last ten years have been incredibly fun and I imagine the next ten will offer heaps more inspiration and the opportunity for even more fun!

Other than my wedding rings the piece(s) of jewelry you can always find me wearing are….
A rosary and chain necklace and 50” long lariat. Layered necklaces look great over t-shirts and when doubled give some dimension to a button down or v-neck.

My thoughts on wearing baubles to the beach…
LOVE IT. LOVE IT. LOVE IT! I spend way too much time in the water to wear jewels to the beach myself but I think women who do look spectacularly chic.

And the mix and match of gold and silver…
LOVE! The insouciance of mixing and matching gold and silver, especially if one of those necklaces is a cross or charm – or something special that the wearer never takes off, is beyond fashion. It’s just fabulous!

My Island Personality is…
Harbour Island, it is everything I strive to be. Happy, friendly, community minded and casual. With an added appreciation for beautiful people, places and things.

Thank you to Trish for being a part of The Experience,

Left to right: Trish Becker Cluster Earrings; Trish Becker, courtesy of Lisa Neighbours; A Living Tradition; Chatterbox interior by Donna Whitfield DeCosta; Chatterbox exterior by Donna Whitfield DeCosta; Trish Becker Cluster Necklace

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