Spring is in the air! I love this time of year. Flowers are blooming and it’s finally getting warm enough to visit the beautiful North Carolina coast. It’s also the time of year people start experimenting with their look and immersing themselves in the newest fashion trends.
This spring Bailey’s is introducing a new line in our Raleigh store called Villa Cora – that goes perfectly with any summer or spring outfit. All Villa Cora jewelry is handcrafted from genuine freshwater pearls and colorful gemstones, so it has a natural beauty that makes good style look effortless! Better yet – every earring and necklace is individually crafted by the artist, Marcia Smith, in her local North Carolina studio.
As a fashion buyer and consultant, I’m always intrigued by the story behind each designer. Marcia is no exception! She’s a lovely lady and we’re lucky to have her as part of our community. I’ve included her bio below for your reading pleasure.
Marcia Smith’s artistic expression found its roots in French cuisine under the famed Chef Anne Willan, at the La Varenne School in Paris. The journey from cuisine to flower arrangement and finally to a passion for jewelry design seemed a natural progression stemming from her extensive international travels. Twenty years of living in Europe and traveling in the Middle East and Orient have impacted her appreciation for the cultural expressions she observed in jewelry design and encouraged her to experiment with her own designs.
Due to the beauty of natural precious and semi precious gems and pearls, she delights in creating pieces that incorporates the attributes of each gemstone. Her philosophy of design reflects a gem’s country of origin cultural influences and can be summed up with a few words – natural beauty, functional design, and wearable art.
Committed to creating an individual piece of wearable art, Marcia’s customers praise her for the uniqueness and versatility of her jewelry. After her twenty year stay in France and Belgium, in 2000 she returned to the United States and established studios in Estero, FL and Raleigh, NC. She personally designs and hand crafts each piece of jewelry, taking pride in seeing her work on the golf course as much as at the gala.
