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Design
Form + Function in Cutting Edge Design
From sweets to skyscrapers, here are four at the cutting edge of design in their respective fields.
CHARLES ALBERT, 45
Charles Albert Inc. Jewelry / Pompano Beach
[Photo:Shamayim] |
After bouncing from a job at a security system company to a gig selling cashmere scarves, he decided he needed something more permanent. Albert bought five dozen pairs of earrings for $60, and sold them for $120. He then bought more earrings and flipped those for $240. And so it went. Then he traveled to Mexico with $1,200 to buy silver. He continued to buy and then sell at a profit — until it got boring. "I decided to start doing my own designs and setting stones," he says. "It allowed me to explore my artistic side and make a profit at the same time, and it was much more interesting than just buying and selling." As his financial resources increased, he says, "I got crazier with my designs and started doing things no one else was doing."
• Prices: $29 to $3,000
• Star quality: Pop stars Cee Lo Green and Ke$ha have been photographed wearing Charles Albert jewelry.