Leslie Evans
To look at Leslie Evans' jewelry, you immediately realize that she is a true artist with a vivid imagination and an eye towards mythology, heraldry and all creatures from the natural world. Her sensibility lends itself to three-dimensional miniature wearable sculptures, which range from sophisticated to whimsically imaginative. Evans was trained old school, learning to carve and finish pieces at the bench in the worldly tradition of European jewelers.
Leslie Evans’ career began in 1977 as an apprentice for the world-renowned jewelry manufacturer McTeigue & Co, founded in 1895. McTeigue's jewelers were unequaled craftsmen selected for their artistic excellence. Her sculpting skills were developed while creating their distinguished collection of 18K and platinum pave diamond animals which were sold at Tiffany & Co. “I was taught the art of hand crafted perfection. Over the course of ten years, I was molded into a master jeweler by McTeigue’s finest craftsmen. These were men who worked in the tradition of jewelry making, creating masterpieces with meticulous focus on every detail that gave each piece of jewelry its essence.” McTeigue's collections were sold at Tiffany & Co, which bought McTeigue in 1991, as well as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Harry Winston.
After ten years with McTeigue & Co, Evans' career led her to work as art gallery consultant, fine art publisher, and representative for private artists. In 1993 Leslie launched “Gothic Arts Inc.,” a mail order catalog containing a collection of reproductions of original stone carvings of gargoyles and ornament from historic buildings and cathedrals from around the world. Several of her own pieces were sold through the catalog, after which she launched the
Thompson Every Designs jewelry collection.
While creating one-of-a-kind commissioned pieces and women’s collections under the Thompson Every label (a combination of both her grandmother’s surnames) Evans turned her craft to the ever growing market for men’s jewelry, focusing her sculptural style to an original themed group of cuff links. “This men’s category which has always been strong in parts of Europe, has become increasingly popular in the US. Not since the thirties have we seen such resurgence, due in part to the fact that men have learned what women have known all along—that they can personalize their clothes with jewelry and accessories.” Explains Evans. She believes that celebrities wearing cuff links on the red carpet, period films, and the series “Madmen” have all come together to create a market for a wide demographic of men. “Men finally want to individualize with small touches that show off their personality, hobbies and tell a bit about who they are.”
Leslie Evans has a private studio in Sleepy Hollow, NY, and Scarborough, Maine where all of the pieces come together and now form an alluring, dimensional and original collection which links together her history and her future. “I am creating jewelry I love, carving out a niche in the market for petite sculptures that tell different stories, depending on the wearer— what I consider a collection of curiosities that will become conversation pieces—treasures that can be enjoyed and worn for years to come.”
Leslie Evans’ career began in 1977 as an apprentice for the world-renowned jewelry manufacturer McTeigue & Co, founded in 1895. McTeigue's jewelers were unequaled craftsmen selected for their artistic excellence. Her sculpting skills were developed while creating their distinguished collection of 18K and platinum pave diamond animals which were sold at Tiffany & Co. “I was taught the art of hand crafted perfection. Over the course of ten years, I was molded into a master jeweler by McTeigue’s finest craftsmen. These were men who worked in the tradition of jewelry making, creating masterpieces with meticulous focus on every detail that gave each piece of jewelry its essence.” McTeigue's collections were sold at Tiffany & Co, which bought McTeigue in 1991, as well as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Harry Winston.
After ten years with McTeigue & Co, Evans' career led her to work as art gallery consultant, fine art publisher, and representative for private artists. In 1993 Leslie launched “Gothic Arts Inc.,” a mail order catalog containing a collection of reproductions of original stone carvings of gargoyles and ornament from historic buildings and cathedrals from around the world. Several of her own pieces were sold through the catalog, after which she launched the
Thompson Every Designs jewelry collection.
While creating one-of-a-kind commissioned pieces and women’s collections under the Thompson Every label (a combination of both her grandmother’s surnames) Evans turned her craft to the ever growing market for men’s jewelry, focusing her sculptural style to an original themed group of cuff links. “This men’s category which has always been strong in parts of Europe, has become increasingly popular in the US. Not since the thirties have we seen such resurgence, due in part to the fact that men have learned what women have known all along—that they can personalize their clothes with jewelry and accessories.” Explains Evans. She believes that celebrities wearing cuff links on the red carpet, period films, and the series “Madmen” have all come together to create a market for a wide demographic of men. “Men finally want to individualize with small touches that show off their personality, hobbies and tell a bit about who they are.”
Leslie Evans has a private studio in Sleepy Hollow, NY, and Scarborough, Maine where all of the pieces come together and now form an alluring, dimensional and original collection which links together her history and her future. “I am creating jewelry I love, carving out a niche in the market for petite sculptures that tell different stories, depending on the wearer— what I consider a collection of curiosities that will become conversation pieces—treasures that can be enjoyed and worn for years to come.”
