Interview with jewelery designer Max Steiner

Max Steiner Design

I remember seeing these origami earrings in a feature on Elle.com a coupe of years back and falling in love. These 18k Gold cranes are designed by the creative jewellery designer Max Steiner.

Steiner is a jewelry designer, architectural modelmaker, sculptor, product designer, and 3d modeler based in New York. Inspired by his surroundings and everyday life in the city, his collections include whimsical pieces that represent the ideas, landscape and architecture of New York City. His Cinder Block collection is made from actual cement, and his New York Subway collection is delicately created in precious metals with laser engravings that exemplify this style.

I did an interview with Max to find out more about how he started and where he's headed.

Read the interview below and check his website here.

1- How long have you been designing for and what made you start designing?

Well, I took my first jewelry design class in 1995, so it's been a while! My mother was elementary school art teacher, so I grew up with an unlimited supply of art materials and projects.

2- What inspires you when designing a new collection?

Inspiration is a strange thing. I can't force it. I can't fake it. A seed of inspiration will just hit me at some point. I'm usually inspired by my surroundings…places, people, feelings.

3- What you like the most about your designs?

My favorite thing about my designs is in creating them the way I imagine they SHOULD be made. A good example would be my Cinder Block collection. It would have been very easy to make these tiny cinder blocks in silver or in gold, and I'm sure they would look great like that. However, I felt that I should be true to my inspiration and create them with actual cement. It took nearly 4 months of development, but I finally created the pieces I wanted.

4- what do you feel is your biggest achievement so far?

I guess it would be that I continue to create my own styles and push them, even when times are tough and when sometimes I worry that I have no idea what I'm doing!

5- Are you a fashion blog reader? Do you think they are influential?

I occasionally read fashion blogs, and I think they are very important in today's design world. Fashion and style blogs give everyone anywhere equal access to new trends and ideas throughout the world.

6- Finally, what can we expect next form Max Steiner?

Next…I'm continuing to develop my current jewelry lines and experiment with unique materials. I'm also working on a few new designs that I hope to launch soon!