THE JOURNAL

On March 2nd, I started work in my studio to sculpt our new Icons Collection with an excited, inspired and determined mindset. Over the course of the next 10 days, our world changed in unfathomable ways. I finished carving the last piece through tears of uncertainty. Ironically, that final piece for this collection is a Compass Rose, and as I put the finishing touches on its form, I felt so lost, wishing (and somehow believing) the Icon I was bringing to life could actually have the power to guide me and our team through these uncertain times.

On this very special day when the world celebrates gal pals, I'm taking you behind the scenes into our studio so you can see some of the wonderful women who make our jewellery come to life.  While the design process always starts at my wax bench, you may not know that there are many other hands that put so much care, attention and love into each piece as it travels through our studio along its journey to you. 

The past few weeks have been a flurry of resolutions and goal setting around here!  However, as a rule, I generally don’t subscribe to the resolution thing, and my goals are set far more frequently than once a year.  What I think about at this time of year is the most refined version of intention-setting I can think of. Every year I create a mantra – the lens through which I want to see the year. It’s my vision, my own version of rose-tinted glasses. Over the years my Mantras have been vital in guiding me personally as well as inspiring my team at the studio.

Our holiday collection and ornament is always such an important event for us all in the studio. It is our biggest idea of the year and something that we all work towards for months. This year's Sargasso Collection highlights two causes that are dear to me: the unexpected beauty that can be found in the smallest details if you look closely, and the very real threat of climate change and the impact that has on our coastline. When it comes to launching a new collection, designing and producing the jewellery are only part of the process. A ton of thought and attention go into the way we share the pieces with the world. I knew that for The Sargasso Collection, it was important for me to cast a model who was not just beautiful but equally as inspirational as the subject matter. I have known Lara Smith since we were girls at The Bermuda High School and I have followed her career with admiration ever since. As adjunct lecturer at The Bermuda College and the founder of LDS Multimedia she is a true creative force. Our paths often cross at women's entrepreneurship events and I was thrilled to finally have the chance to work together when she agreed to be the face the campaign. While we were on set I snuck a few minutes to sit down with Lara to ask her a few questions about her own creative process. Alexandra: Could you please explain a little bit about what you do? Lara: I’m a local film-maker. My company is LDS Multimedia. I take on all different kinds of projects from weddings to corporate, commercial, stage performances, live shows, promotional online social media content. I do all the filming and editing.  Alexandra: With such a diverse range of work, what kind of projects do you enjoy the most? Lara: I really like event videography. My background is in documentary. I like live filming and turning that experience into a film, that’s my forte. I also enjoy stepping out of my comfort zone - say shooting a commercial where you have a script and everything is planned. With events you don’t know what you are going to get and that’s where the creativity comes in and I get to make it my own. Alexandra: You have to be more reactive with that kind of work. Lara: Exactly. You need to be on your game! For example, when you film a wedding you need to be there for the important moments - when people are having a moment where they are hugging or embracing each other. You need to have your eyes on it all.  Alexandra: Tell me a little about your background in documentary film making.   Lara: I did my Masters degree at Emmerson College in Boston and my thesis was a documentary film which I actually shot in Bermuda and was screened at the Bermuda Film Festival in 2011. It was called Cameron: A Portrait and it was about a young boy growing up without a father, who was part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Of Bermuda programme. I followed his life. He is such a character so he was a great person to follow. It’s really a portrait of life which shows that every cloud has a silver lining. Even though he didn’t have a father in his life, he had so many other people - it really does take a village. I also gave him a camera and he took different snapshots so throughout the documentary you get vignettes of him when he was alone as well as the footage I shot. Alexandra: Are you still in touch with him now? Lara: Yes. He’s 17 now. I saw him a few months ago and he’s doing well.  Alexandra: Do you think you’ll move back to documentary one day? Is that what you are passionate about? Lara: I do like documentary because real people are never actors. I love the realness of it. I hope to do another one soon. But for now it’s nice to take on more commercial projects which resonate with documentary style film-making.  Alexandra: What drives you creatively? Lara: I like the response that people have when they watch certain things that I do. I like the feedback and that some people are so touched by it. It makes me feel like I need to keep doing what I am doing! Alexandra: How do you stay inspired?Lara: I like to travel a lot. Travelling really opens me up creatively. I can’t be on the island all the time. I need to keep it moving! Alexandra: What else fuels you creatively? Lara: I go away every other month. Often it’s for work and I will tag on different days in places if I need to go somewhere to shoot something. I like city life, I like going to different places. I like the energy, the fashion and the inspiration. I love going to museums and galleries, checking out vintage stores and eating at vegan restaurants. Things that you can’t really find in Bermuda. I’m not a vegan but I am a pescatarian and if I can find great vegan food I love it. Alexandra: I'm trying out being a pescatarian right now too!  I understand it is a lot more friendly for the environment as well as healthier. Lara: It is. It’s all about being more conscious.  Alexandra: Do you try to live sustainably? That was a huge inspiration for me behind the Sargasso Collection.  Lara: I did a project with Keep Bermuda Beautiful recently which really opened up my eyes. We went to Nonsuch Island - a nature reserve at the Eastern tip of Bermuda - to film some children doing a beach clean up. There was so much plastic! They are doing an inventory of some of the things that get washed up there to learn about where they come from. For example, there are a lot of Starbucks cups that get washed up. KBB want to contact them and let them know they need to be more conscious about disposing of their waste.  Alexandra: It must be coming all the way from the East Coast because we don’t have a Starbucks on the island.  Lara: Exactly. It’s interesting because some things are obviously not of Bermudian origin. There were a lot of sneakers and toothbrushes. Things from boats that cross the ocean as well. It was eye-opening for me and made me realise that ocean plastics and the whole debate surrounding it is very real. Until you see it for yourself you can’t really imagine it. The inventory they were collecting was mind blowing.  Alexandra: I'm really excited about working together!  We've been seeing each other at events for years, but we're finally doing this!  Lara: I know! We have connected so many times and I’m very happy to be a part of it!  I remember when you first started selling your jewellery at Harbour Nights and I also remember you from the Bermuda High School. It's been amazing to see your evolution. Alexandra: Thank you so much!  You've done so much as well, and I'm honoured you're going to be our muse for this Collection. It’s so great to finally collaborate! Lara: It really is! Whether behind the camera or in front, I love working with brands to bring their visions to life. Nothing is better then seeing a concept come alive. Thank you for including me in your 2019 holiday campaign. I'm so grateful and honored to work with you and your team. Explore the Sargasso Collection 

I often head to the beach for a walk after a long day in the studio. As I was wandering along Horseshoe Bay one evening, I picked up a piece of seaweed and looked at it closely. Away from the masses, its delicate fronds were a wonder to look at - a labyrinth of tiny lace-like structures with small berries elegantly swaying from its tips.

Every month is pink in my world but October is when the shade truly shines as we celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I’m proud to have teamed up with Project Pink Bermuda to raise awareness about breast cancer prevention and the ways in which we can reduce our own risk.  I owe a debt of gratitude to pink. It was a dream about a pink sand tide pool that led me to first make jewellery many years ago. This fascination for our natural pink sand has allowed me to employ and empower dozens of amazing young women over the last fifteen years.  Pink is such an exciting and nuanced colour for me. From the lightest blushes to the deepest corals, I appreciate them all.  When it came to building my brand I always knew that it would be pink but to this day I have never settled on one definitive shade.   Look closely at the walls in our award winning Flagship Store & Studio and you’ll see that they contain five different shades of pink. A watercolour backdrop graces our signature #alexandrapink bags, the various shades representing the tonal changes in Bermuda's pink sand.  Pink is the colour of romance and whimsy, playfulness and creativity. It also represents calm, protection, tenderness, intuition, vulnerability and empathy – all the strengths that make femininity so uniquely powerful.  The following quote hangs on the wall in my studio. It made me well up with tears the first time I read it. Like Audrey, I believe in pink. I hope that you do too.  Show your support for those bravely battling breast cancer with our Breast Cancer Ribbon Pendant. The proceeds go to Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre to help pay for treatment for those may not be able to afford it.

Beth Neale, or One Breath Beth as she is known to her many Instagram followers, is a real life mermaid. The four times South African free dive champion recently broke the world record with a dive off Bermuda. She made the descent unaided, wearing nothing but a wetsuit, a nose clip and her cherished Alexandra Mosher triangle necklace.

Bermuda is a magical place and I am dazzled by it’s beauty! My jewellery investigates tiny, beautiful details found on the island and transforms them in lasting treasures. I can’t help but find artistry everywhere I look. The Bermuda I see provides me with endless inspiration and I am so grateful to call this island home...

I am a romantic and dreamer at heart. To me there is nothing more moving than taking a moment to absorb the beauty and breadth of the night sky.