After former advertising man Stephen Prescott of Hartsdale found himself underutilized at his office, he decided to make use of his free time; he took jewelry-making classes at the Parsons School of Design and the School of Visual Arts. What started as a hobby turned into a passion and today it is his vocation.
“It was the time of the first World AIDS Day in 1991,” says Prescott, “and I approached AmFar, the American Foundation for AIDS Research, about my designing a sterling-silver version of the red ribbon being worn for the cause at the time, with all profits going to the charity.” The pin, picked up by AmFar board member Kenneth Cole for his stores and catalogues, raised thousands; orders for other designs from Barney’s, Fortunoff, and Bloomingdale’s soon followed, and Prescott’s new business was born.
Today, Prescott’s collection includes about 200 clean-lined, sterling-silver pieces all crafted by hand by the designer in his home studio. “I want to create timeless pieces that can be worn all the time,” says Prescott.
Available locally at Citrine in Bronxville and via trunk shows at Bloomingdale’s in White Plains (the line is carried in Bloomie’s Manhattan location), Stephen Prescott designs cost between $80 to $2,000. For more information, visit stephenprescott.com.