For those who immerse themselves in the world of fashion, Philip Press needs no introduction. The Los Angeles-based jewelry designer is known for his stunning platinum designs, featuring a level of intricacy and artistic vision unmatched by any others.

Name the celebrity, and they’ve worn Press’ designs – including Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Adam Sandler, John Travolta, Lindsay Lohan, Anna Faris, Hayden Panetierre, Demi Lovato and Tori Spelling, to name a few. Name the magazine, and Press’ designs have been on the cover. Name the awards show – from the Golden Globes to the Academy Awards – and Philip Press’ designs have been a starring attraction. In short, Philip Press is to jewelry what Christian Louboutin is to shoes.

Press founded Philip Press, Inc. Master Platinumsmiths in 1991 on Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood, Calif. In 1995, he began creating his Renaissance Platinum collection and developed a celebrity following. In 1999, Press moved his design workshop and retail showroom to West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip, which he expanded in 2007 with a bridal lounge.

The American jewelry designer is also well-known for his philanthropy. After a judging scandal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Press made platinum medals for Canadian ice skaters David Pelletier and Jamie Salé, and he has helped the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Fire Department in raising awareness and funds.

From his humble beginnings on the East Coast, Press has traveled across the globe from Brazil to Antwerp, Belgium to obtain the highest-quality pieces to work with, for his decidedly prominent clientele. And, although celebrities may come and go as often as the latest runway styles, Press says his designs do not follow trends, but are meant to be timeless.

The New York-born platinumsmith recently took time out of his understandably hectic schedule to chat with GALO. Here’s what he had to say.

GALO: When did your interest in jewelry first develop?

Philip Press: My passion for jewelry started as a teenager. When I was 15 and told my parents that I wanted a car when I turned 16, [and] they told me that I needed a job to pay for it! I was fascinated by metals and gems and my friend’s uncle was a European master jeweler, so I pestered him to let me hang out in his workshop, hoping he would offer me a job. At first he ignored my pleas to learn the art of jewelry making, but when he realized that I wasn’t giving up, he finally acquiesced and allowed me to apprentice with him. After school and during summers, I studied for several years under the artisan, who was an expert platinumsmith trained in old-world Art Deco techniques such as hand-drawn filigree and engraving. He began to share his secrets and the fine art of jewelry making and I started to develop my own flair. The jeweler was obsessed with quality and workmanship, a trait I seem to have inherited from his tutelage. And, oh yeah, I did get to buy myself a car when I was 17.

GALO: Could you describe your beginnings?

PP: While I was drawn to jewelry making at a young age, I was very interested in engineering as well and my favorite hobby was photography. Nonetheless, my heart pulled me to the jewelry industry and I likely became a jewelry designer because it combined the artistic side of photography and the technical side of engineering that I loved, with my infatuation for precious rocks and metals.

After attending the University of Buffalo, I moved to Boston to get serious about my jewelry career and worked at the one of the oldest, and most prestigious, jewelry stores in the country, E.B. Horn, to absorb everything I could. (Today the store carries my bridal jewelry line!) A few years later, a potential opportunity arose in the Los Angeles area, so I went for an interview. I remember disembarking the plane into a balmy 75 degrees, compared to the 30-degrees weather I had left in Boston. I never turned back. After realizing that most other jewelers did not hold the same passion or standards for fine jewelry making that I did, I knew I had to fulfill my vision of creating my own pieces of superior quality and timeless style.

My humble beginnings started with a small boutique on Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood. From the start, the quality of the gemstones and metals I used was of the utmost importance. I traveled the world from Brazil to Antwerp, sourcing the best jewels for my collection, and worked on creating the optimal platinum 950 alloy. At the same time, I was determined to stay devoted to outstanding craftsmanship and fusing Art Deco and modern artistry. I began designing and handcrafting vintage-style and contemporary platinum engagement rings, then other pieces of jewelry. At the time, the appreciation for platinum and vintage-look jewelry was resurging, and so was the popularity of my designs. People began to grasp the extreme differences between my meticulously handcrafted jewelry and the ordinary. With much hard work, I began selling my designs to well-heeled Angelenos, then to many of the finest jewelry stores around the country under the Renaissance Platinum by Philip Press brand. Eventually, celebrities, socialites, Hollywood moguls and even royalty, took notice of my pieces and I developed a following among these discerning jewelry aficionados.

Throughout the years, I remained dedicated to the custom-making of superior-quality jewelry and eschewed any temptation to mass produce. I’m too much of a control and quality freak to let anyone, but my own craftsmen, handcraft our pieces.

GALO: Your jewelry has been featured in so many publications that if one were to lay them all side by side, they would probably stretch from Los Angeles to New York. How do you feel every time you see your designs on a magazine cover?

PP: It’s still a thrill when my pieces are chosen for fashion and entertainment magazine photo shoots. I am honored that the top stylists in the world appreciate the quality of our craftsmanship, elegance, and [the] distinctive look of my designs. Recently, we competed with more than 100 other jewelry designers to bejewel Jennifer Lopez for photo shoots to promote a new year of American Idol. The pictures would appear on the cover of TV Guide and other magazines and on billboards across Europe. It was such an honor to “win” and be chosen by JLo’s stylists for such high-profile photographs of such an iconic and talented star. Since then, JLo continues to wear our designs on Idol and to numerous events.

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