Sarah Hendler has always had an eye for show-stopping pieces. Growing up, she remembers her grandmother forever adorned with glamorous statement necklaces and earrings. A fond collector of estate and vintage pieces, her sharp eye for detail got her pieces noticed by friends who suggested she try her hand at designing. It wasn’t long before Sarah took the plunge into full-time jewelry designing and her eponymous collection was born.
MELISSA: Where does your love of jewelry stem from?
SARAH: My grandmother, Ethel, was a pretty amazing woman. She always wore a big ring and she loved costume jewelry. It was her age, her generation. I got into an obsession of wearing jewelry to feel safe [like she did].
I draw a lot of my inspiration from these unique vintage finds. For example, I have one purse covered in vintage findings: buttons, pearls, turquoise. You can see this bag reflected in a lot of my rings.
MELISSA: When did you decide to make the career move to jewelry designer? Were there particular events that lead up to it?
SARAH: I’ve always loved vintage pieces, so I always wear them. I was working in film as a producer and people kept asking me about my jewelry. Out of nowhere, they were telling me I should make jewelry. I thought that would be interesting! I had jewelry friends, people I went to fix stuff that I had and I asked them about manufacturing – it all just started happening! People started liking what I was creating. The real jump happened after I was invited to show in Couture –  big jewelry show in Vegas.  I had to decide quickly if this was really what I wanted to do and if so, use the show as a platform. That’s kind of how the progression happened.