Harlem jewelry designer pays homage to Black culture, art through his pieces
NEW YORK -- A Harlem man followed his lifelong passion to become a jewelry designer, his pieces signifying Black culture and art.
"I'm inspired by African jewelry ... Asian jewelry. It comes from everywhere," designer Lamont Wray said.
It has been Wray's passion to design jewelry that turned into a business, starting off with a class at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
"I went ahead and decided to take a workshop on just basic jewelry making, and my professor at the time, wonderful woman, and she really inspired me because she showed me her work," he said.
During early days, he faced food insecurity. That motivated him to join the Food Bank for New York City.
"This is my opportunity to give back, to pay it forward," Wray said.
During his off time, in a room in his Harlem apartment is where his dream began.
"Talk about grassroots. I saved a Café Bustelo can because it's perfect for making necklaces. I'll take the wire, I'll wrap it around ... Once I've done that, I hammer it," Wray said.
From there, he let his creative mind take the lead.
"I ride the subway. I would stare at you to see what kind of ring you have on, earrings, and I would try to figure out how to take it apart and put it back together again," he said.
Using an array of materials.
"My wire comes from the hardware store ... I love copper. I love the healing properties ... Nickel, silver, brass," Wray said.
His designs reflect his personal style and pay homage to the rich history of African-American artistry.
"The design came from queer, LGBTQ, African-American, communities of color. You'll see the pose itself is actually a popular voguing pose. This is just another example of how I'm incorporating African American history into my work," Wray said, describing one of his rings.
Some styles come from his early age and what his grandmother once wore.
"Maybe that's where I get my taste from ... She loves dangling necklaces. She also was a fan of silver. She loved gemstones," he said.
Those gemstones he now customizes for his clients.
"I can have a one-on-one conversation with you, figure out what kind of metals are you attracted to, what's your sign, what kind of birthstone," Wray said.
Bringing confidence to his customers.
"When your clients wear your pieces, what do you want them to feel?" CBS New York's Naveen Dhaliwal asked.
"Beautiful. To enhance what they are already walking around with," Wray said.
Wray has created hundreds of these pieces and continues to come up with new ideas for future generations of designers for the African American community.
"My niece is also an artist. She is a painter, so we actually share our work with each other. Develop a piece of jewelry, I send it to her and she'll send me a picture she painted. My goal is really to teach her how to work and how to make jewelry because I feel I need to be able to pass this on," Wray said.
The inspiration living in his pieces.