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Visual History:
Lina Noel
Lina Noel began her career as a fine artist and sculptor. Eventually, she turned to commercial production, as a set designer, art director, prop stylist and fabricator. Noel later realized that she would be able to execute her vision for combining fine art and production only if it was for her own products, so she created her eponymous jewelry line. Noel now lives and works in New York City, where she handcrafts all of her pieces.
Lake Balaton, Hungary, 1985
This is a view from Lina's mother's house in Badacsony, a mountainous region known for its vineyards and view of Lake Balaton. This is the lake where Lina would spend her summers; Hungarian is her first language.
Lina's family heirlooms, 1990
Over the years, Lina's mother has passed along family heirlooms. The photo in the white frame is of Lina's grandmother. "She was a real lady," Lina says. "I am fortunate to come from a line of lovely ladies with an amazing rich history."
Turquoise bracelet, 1999
Lina wore this bracelet and six turquoise rings on a trip she took to White Sands, New Mexico while in college. There she fell in love with earth and felt the spirits in all her surroundings. "[I] realized there were other forces so amazing such as nature and what it had to show." The area's diversity of textures, colors, smells, and natural formations inspired her immensely. Later she visited the area with her roommate. "We camped all throughout the parks, a favorite being Zion, where I sketched and looked for my spirit animal." The bracelet is missing two stones: an old Native American jeweler informed her once that if a turquoise stone falls out, it means that she had been protected from something negative.
Collage with necklace, 2012
In lieu of expensive, overly produced lookbooks, Lina has been known to create collages to exhibit her jewelry.