Alexandra Mor
Alexandra Mor’s collection resounds with ancestral echoes of Indonesian art and she finds new inspiration in the tagua nut, an ancient yet very relevant element.
Alexandra Mor was exposed to the concept of hand- crafted couture work by her mother, a French couturier and the multicultural mélange of Israel where she grew up. Mor discovered her career calling during a jewelry bench class in 2004 and soon after went on to debut her first collection at Phillips de Pury in New York City. She spent the next decade creating bespoke heirlooms for her collectors as well as working on her Haute Couture Signature Collection, until 2017 when she felt the urge to seek inspiration in a totally new environment. This past year, Mor dove headfirst into the unknown and moved to the island of Bali, Indonesia. Crossing the threshold from the frenetic economic center of New York City to the fertile, lush environment of Bali, Mor’s journey was a call to adventure — one that looked toward an in- ner compass of self-reflection and social consciousness — that helped shape her new, more meaningful and spiritually connected voice as an industry leader in the world of mindful and sustainable luxury. The direction for her next capsule collection became clear when she discovered that elephant ivory is still used in jewelry design. Compelled to find a sustainable alternative to elephant ivory, Mor’s research lead her to the tagua seed, a sustainable botanical alternative with physical characteristics nearly identical to elephant ivory. An idea that later on lead to a partnership with Vogue Ita- lia and their annual US Protagonists, providing an ideal platform to launch this campaign. Mor’s intent with this collection is not to replace her Signature Collection or brand DNA, but rather to use her voice to initiate con- versations about sustainable and mindful luxury in the jewelry industry, and inspire collectors, designers and retailers through her continued use of ethically sourced gemstones and her use of tagua. Mor’s tagua capsule collection incorporates traditional and handcrafted Balinese workmanship and heritage, heralding an evo- lution of Mor’s signature design with new materials like hand-carved tagua seeds, wood, pearls and 22 karat yel- low gold filigree work -- discovered on her artistic and spiritual journey in Bali.