NO ANGEL.

NEW YORK-BASED DESIGNER CATHERINE ANGIEL SERVES UP SOME BADASS JEWELRY.

Step into Catherine Angiel’s exclusive Greenwich Village fine jewelry salon and you may feel like you have accidentally entered a cross between a tattoo parlor and a Victorian-era cabinet of curiosities — minus the taxidermy. What you will find is a dizzying array of fine jewelry that features white, black, brick and gray diamonds. “I have no rigid pattern or plan when I design,” says Angiel casually. She’s often inspired by particular stones that she sees or by people that she meets. “I just let design happen to me,” says Angiel. “I don’t force it.”

Dangerous, Angiel’s current collection of tattoo-inspired statement pieces, is the one that’s closest to her heart. “It combines the musician part of me and the designer side,” says Angiel. The Queens-born designer is self-taught and got her start in the field as a salesperson at a local jewelry shop. “I was a musician — a drummer — and an artist, so when I was in high school I had to get a job to pay for my band rehearsals,” explains Angiel. Her burgeoning interest in designing jewelry was almost thwarted by a boss who felt that women were not emotionally strong enough to design and should “stick to selling” jewelry.    

Not to be deterred, Angiel caught her lucky break one day when the jeweler was out sick and she boldly made the decision to work on a necklace that a client needed urgently. The customer raved about the piece and her confused boss confronted her. Angiel confessed that she had done the work and instead of firing her, as she had feared he would, he gave her the highest praise that you can give a craftsperson: She “had hands.” “I never stopped creating jewelry after that day,” beams Angiel after telling the anecdote. “I became a designer because that was what I was born to be.”

For those people who like to keep their body adornment temporary, the collection’s signature pavé diamond lightning bolts, flaming hearts, spiders and dragons are the perfect alternative to a permanent tattoo. Of the four different dragons that Angiel offers, the Celtic dragon is the ideal choice for someone looking for something a little different from the classic Asian ones. Angiel says her clientele ranges in age from 30 to 70, but they all have a few things in common. “Every one of them is exciting, daring, brave and an individual,” adds Angiel. “I am honored that my work is appreciated by such a wide audience.”

Angiel is equally enthusiastic about her other recent collection, Renegade. Inspired by graffiti and the street artists who create it, the pieces clearly fuel and express her artistic side. “I’ve always had a deep appreciation for art in general, but taking street art and turning it into a high art form excites me the most,” says Angiel. Like most artists, she draws inspiration from her own life and her personal experiences. “I express it all through my work — happy, sad, angry,” continues Angiel. “Some may dance it out, I design it out.”

Angiel started designing at age five, staying inside on sunny days while the neighborhood kids played outside, pulling apart and redesigning her mother’s costume jewelry. Forty-plus years later, she is branching into wholesale and looking forward to bringing her brand to socially and aesthetically conscious consumers worldwide. With celebrity fans in fashion, music, film and television, she’s well on her way. Angiel takes great pride in the quality of her work, but she’s most adamant about its integrity and the messages it sends to her customers and the world at large. “All of my stones are from sight holders and are conflict free — that’s very important to me,” she emphasizes. “Additionally, all my creations are made in the U.S.A.” Spoken like a true American original. CatherineAngiel.com JOSEPH A. UNGOCO