Robert Lee Morris Jewelry

The Wearable Art of Robert Lee Morris

True artists are never thoroughly satisfied with expressing themselves through one medium alone. Once they find their footing in one medium, it’s off to conquer the next challenging method. Variety is important for artists; it’s the well from which they draw the inspiration they need to create their works. Jewelry designer-slash-sculptor Robert Lee Morris specializes in variety, hence the longevity of his career in the forever fickle fashion industry where trends can either make or break any designer’s career in a flash.

Before Robert Lee Morris burst into the art jewelry scene in 1971, he was a sculptor who had an interest in anthropology and an extensive exposure to a variety of cultures due to being an “Airforce brat” for most of his life. His sculptures were first exhibited at an art jewelry outpost in New York, Sculpture to Wear, which also featured the unique works of Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, and Alexander Calder among others. His works managed to get the attention of “Vogue” in 1976 where his designs were featured in 49 consecutive issues for seven years. In a considerably short span of time, Robert Lee Morris managed to take the fashion world by storm with his designs. Since then he has been acknowledged as one of the leading pioneers in art jewelry, continuously working and collaborating with the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Donna Karan, Michael Kors, and Calvin Klein while reaping awards and accolades like the 2007 CFDA Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award for his designs.

Robert Lee Morris jewelry trademark is a style dubbed “liquid geometry”. Eschewing the sharp-edged geometric shapes of his predecessors and peers, Robert Lee Morris softens the appearance of his designs by drawing inspiration from nature, fantasy, and myth, which give an organic feel to his pieces. Instead of opulence and glamour, Robert Lee Morris jewelry relies on the spiritual and the sensual to draw attention to the pieces. Shapes are constantly reinvented in his hands, which he fuses with an unusual mix of tribal and contemporary designs and semi-precious stones, resulting in one-of-a-kind rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.

For all his achievements and accolades, Robert Lee Morris remains true to his sculptor origins and personally molds and sculpts each of the pieces he designs. You don’t have to be a Hollywood celebrity to avail of Robert Lee Morris jewelry; he also willingly shares his works to the average woman who desires to have something unique and beautiful added to her jewelry collection by making his works affordable to the public.