L.A. Vintage Store Acquires Alex & Lee Jewelry
It’s shades of Sonny and Cher over at the L.A. vintage store The Way We Wore.
Owner Doris Raymond always has her eye out for fun and eclectic items, from classic evening gowns to clunky shoes. And now she has acquired 35 pieces of Alex Lee jewelry that are considered wearable art. Alex Mate and Lee Brooks met in San Francisco and worked together until Mate's death in 1992. Their eccentric and chunky jewelry was often sported by Sonny and Cher, whose TV show launched in 1971 and made them a household name.
Alex and Lee considered their pieces devotional talismans to adorn the temple of the body, and the jewelry was often displayed in the San Francisco store Obiko, owned by Sandra Sakata. Raymond knew the jewelry creators from her days of selling vintage clothing at the Marin City Flea Market outside of San Francisco. “I was aware of the beautiful things they made and lusted after them,” Raymond remembered.
Recently, Raymond was contacted by the executor of an estate that had a fair amount of Alex Lee jewelry for sale. Raymond said she flew to San Francisco more than two months ago with an empty suitcase in hand and returned a very happy woman.
The pieces will be for sale this spring at Raymond's store at 334 S. La Brea Ave. Bracelets will start at $795, and necklaces will go for about $5,000.
