As some of you may remember, in the beginning of 2012 I created a jewelry collection for Mark Shale, a Chicago-based department store that opened its doors in 1929. The store is known to greatly value design, craftsmanship, and individuality as well as care deeply about the environment, the city of Chicago and the way women dress. Last December, the Mark Shale team decided to showcase a few local designers and singled my work out. We then met to create a customized exclusive collection just for the store. The pieces were elegant, simple and made out of sterling silver and gold-filled. Most of the pieces in the collection where inspired by my classics, such as the double satellite pendant. Some of the pieces also included stones, a favorite being labradorite, a beautiful trichromatic stone with brown, blue, and green colors.
Unfortunately, after nearly 100 years, Mark Shale filed for bankruptcy this summer, and has decided to close its doors forever. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such an important store. They welcomed me into their family and I will be forever grateful. It was a wonderful experience for me, and the collection that came out of this collaboration was simply elegant just like Mark Shale was famous for. Take a look at Mark Shale's "A Day-Date with Rebecca Zemans" and get an idea of what a collaboration such as this looks like!
Update 2015: Mark Shale has rebranded as an online style advice site. Check out MarkShale.com!