New York – A Harlem man followed his lifelong passion to become a jewelry designer, and his pieces represent black culture and art.
“I'm inspired by African jewelry… and Asian jewelry. It comes from everywhere,” designer Lamont Ray said.
It was Ray's passion for jewelry design that turned into a business, starting with a semester at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
“I went ahead and decided to do a workshop on just basic jewelry making, and my teacher at the time, she was an amazing woman, and she really inspired me because she showed me her work,” he said.
During the first days, he faced food insecurity. This prompted him to join the Food Bank for New York City.
“This is my chance to give back and pay it forward,” Ray said.
During his free time, in a room in his apartment in Harlem, his dream began.
“Talk about grassroots,” Ray said. “I kept the Café Bustelo can because it's perfect for making necklaces. I'll take the wire, wrap it around… and once I do that, I'll hammer it.”
From there, he let his creative mind take the lead.
“I'm riding the subway,” he said. “I was staring at you to see what kind of ring and earrings you were wearing, and trying to figure out how to take them apart and put them back together again.”
Using a range of materials.
“My wire comes from the hardware store… I love copper. I love its healing properties… nickel, silver and copper,” Ray said.
His designs reflect his personal style and pay tribute to the rich history of African American art.
CBS New York
“The design came from LGBT and African American communities of color. You'll see that the pose itself is actually a popular pose. This is just another example of how I incorporate African American history into my work.” Ray said as he described one of his episodes.
Some of the styles come from a young age and what his grandmother once wore.
“Maybe that's where I got my taste from,” he said. “She loved pendant necklaces. She was also a fan of silver. She loved precious stones.”
It is these gems that he now customizes for his clients.
“I can have a one-on-one conversation with you, find out what kind of metals you're attracted to, what your sign is, and what kind of birthstone it is,” Ray said.
Bringing confidence to his customers.
“When your customers wear your pieces, what do you want them to feel?” asked CBS New York's Naveen Dhaliwal.
“Nice. To reinforce what they're already touring around,” Ray said.
Wray has created hundreds of these pieces and continues to bring new ideas to future generations of designers for the African American community.
“My niece is also an artist. She's a painter, so we actually share our work with each other. Develop a piece of jewelry, send it to her and she'll send me a picture she's drawn. My goal is to really teach her how to work and how to make jewelry because I feel like I need to,” Ray said. Until I'm able to move this on.”
Inspiration lives in his pieces.
