The New York-based jewelry designer Pamela Love recently released a new collection named “A Closer Look.” Designed in collaboration with the James Beard Award-winning chef, author, TV producer, and activist, Sophia Roe, it features gorgeously crafted designs—including earrings, necklaces, rings, and a special magnifying loupe—made of recycled sterling silver and inspired by nature’s beauty and its ecosystems.
An expression of the duo’s love for the environment, details seen in the jewelry line trace the wave of a mushroom’s gills. As intricate and delicately complex as the mycelia’s makeup are knobs, ridges, and ripples made of silver that share a secret language, yet meant to be picked and worn.
Pamela Love x Sophia Roe, courtesy of Pamela Love.
In December 2022, the line was celebrated in Manhattan with a cocktail celebration, featuring a menu of fare curated by Roe herself. Whitewall spoke with both creators about their shared love of jewelry and nature, and how “A Closer Look” emphasizes their respect for a more environmentally conscious way of life.
Portrait of Sophia Roe by Briana Balducci.
WHITEWALL: This collaboration expresses the reverence you and Pamela have for the earth, its ecosystems, and its beauty. What is your personal relationship like with nature?
SOPHIA ROE: Very deep, and with great reverence, wonder, and fascination. I cannot imagine being who I am today without the consistent inspiration that nature gifts us all with.
WW: What was the collaborative design process like when creating these pieces?
SR: It’s actually amazing how in sync Pamela and I were throughout the entire process. She immediately loved my treatment, and I immediately loved the designs. I’ve actually never done any project this extensive, that felt this seamless collaboration-wise.
Pamela Love x Sophia Roe, courtesy of Pamela Love.
WW: Why is a mushroom central to the collection? What does it represent to you?
SR: Fungi is the central inspiration behind the collection. While a mushroom is just the fruiting body of some fungi, what truly inspired me was fungi as a whole, and the role they play in ecological prosperity, community, and symbiosis.
WW: Of what importance is activism in the grand scheme of your work?
SR: A word that better describes the scope of my work is “advocate.” An activist works very hard in making people aware of an issue, whereas an advocate is someone who works closely in developing a close relationship with the actual people on the ground who are in need. Activists and advocates work very closely to properly and equitably combat all manner of global systemic crisis; whether social, economical, or ethical.
WW: What are some ways our readers can be more environmentally responsible at home, in the kitchen?
SR: Take time to learn about where the food you choose to eat comes from, who grows it, how far it travels to get safely on your plate. It’s also crucial to make every effort to shop/eat as locally as possible. It’s crucial to support local farmers, growers, makers, and purveyors on our quests to eat and consume more responsibly.
Portrait courtesy of Pamela Love.
WW: Pamela, why was Sophia someone you wanted to work with?
PAMELA LOVE: I have always been an admirer of Sophia and her work. She has incredible style and energy as well as dedication to her craft. As soon as we met it just felt right. We have a great deal in common from growing up in Florida to being obsessed with fractals. And we both absolutely love cooking and eating mushrooms.
WW: How did you work with her to execute the designs?
PL: The first thing we asked Sophia was “What inspires you?” She then came back to my team and I with an array of images showcasing the intricate nature of mushrooms close up, facts about fractals, fungi, and the cosmos, images of items in various stages of decay, etc. From there my team and I started brainstorming and sketching. We shared the initial sketches with Sophia and ideas started flowing back and forth, the entire process was a creative game of ping-pong.
Pamela Love x Sophia Roe, courtesy of Pamela Love.
WW: The collection is complete with a mushroom-shaped magnifying glass. What does this represent? What do you hope to magnify with this collection?
PL: Both Sophia and I have a need to look at things under magnification as part of our underlying creative process, focusing on the patterns, textures and details. Patterns that repeat themselves in something as small as your fingerprint are echoed in the patterns found in something as large as our galaxy. This is what connects us all.
WW: What’s in your personal jewelry collection?
PL: I have a variety of vintage and antique styles. I particularly love my vintage Elsa Peretti styles. I also adore antique cameos, so have collected them since I was a child.
Pamela Love x Sophia Roe, courtesy of Pamela Love.
WW: You’ve been designing jewelry for years. How has your practice evolved? Has the rise in digital media impacted your practice?
PL: Digital media has certainly changed the way we consume visual inspiration, for better or worse. There is so much information we have at our fingertips now which wasn’t always available when I first started designing. I am looking online more than any other time but I’m also being very cautious of what i am influenced by to make sure i am staying true to myself and keeping my voice and vision pure. This is harder than it ever was before. The constant flood of content can be overwhelming and yet exciting at the same time
WW: What are you excited about in 2023?
PL: With the pandemic seeming to be at an end (hopefully), I am looking forward to being able to travel with my family and my son for the first time who will be turning one.
