Meet Hannah Alpert | Owner/Designer of Hannah Allene

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hannah Alpert and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?

When people ask me how I became a jewelry designer, I jokingly say it was through osmosis and fate because I originally thought I would go into Diplomacy or Politics.

Being born and raised in Dallas has greatly influenced my life’s path. My father is an internationally recognized expert in the art of traditional peoples, so I was fortunate to grow up in a home filled with art, and regular visits to the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) were a big part of my childhood. This environment also exposed me to traditional jewelry from around the world. Whether I realized it then or not, I was taught from a very young age to make a daily practice of noticing beauty and details. I learned to see fine lines weaving together the tales of ancestral storytelling and to recognize how a simple yet masterfully carved wooden spoon could transcend from an everyday object to something revered and celebrated.

Throughout my childhood, I not only learned to discern fine craftsmanship, but I met people from around the world who were engaged in art, fashion, and design, which helped train my aesthetic eye.

As a child, I also began developing a fascination for colored gemstones while window shopping at NorthPark Center. Because those jewels were definitely out of my league, I started collecting beads as a kid and eventually was inspired to start making jewelry.

After graduating from college with a degree in Diplomacy and Spanish Literature, my passion for jewelry and design led me to New York City, later to Singapore, and back again. In addition to my own work, I spent years developing gold, bridal, and high-end jewelry at David Yurman. This cultivated my eye for the finest craftsmanship and most exceptional gemstones, and serves as the foundation for the high standards that continue to guide my work to this day.

Informed by my background in Dallas and extensive travel throughout the world, as a designer, I am constantly inspired by hidden symbolism and universal themes that transcend cultural boundaries and connect us all in the human experience.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My eye for gemstones and engineering/quality craftsmanship was honed by four years of working in Product Development and Engineering at David Yurman in High Jewelry, Fine Jewelry, Bridal, and Women’s Gold, where we did everything from mass production to one-of-a-kind red carpet pieces. Between artistic instincts and my background, the pieces in Hannah Allene are designed and crafted to embody quiet luxury. They celebrate the beauty of form and function in an all-gendered and dynamic collection that encourages the wearer to find their own creative voice through styling. My goal is to cut out the noise, elevate the art form and community, and inspire people to celebrate the beauty in quality, simple, and timeless design.

My path was not always straightforward – it required big moments of trusting my gut and taking sometimes scary leaps of faith. But, I have always been willing to learn and to ask questions. I know and appreciate that others can teach me so much. Community has helped me keep the faith to overcome challenges, and it is through community that I am where I am today.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

There is so much to choose from these days! If my best friend came to visit, I would be sure to take them to the DMA and Nasher Sculpture Center. I have recently been loving exploring the Design District, too, so we would definitely go there. We’d have to hit NorthPark and would certainly make time for a sports event; Dallas has all the sports covered with some really great teams!

For more shopping, I would take them to the Conservatory in Highland Park Village. It is a beautiful store at the forefront of fashion in Dallas with the most amazing stylists to work with (and it also happens to carry my collection.)

A family dinner of course would be in order, but every chance I get, I love to visit my old childhood favorites: Chuy’s and Ali Baba/Terra. And I wouldn’t forget to take my guest to Louie’s on Henderson!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Oh gosh, where to start?! There are so many people who are integral to where I am today – as they say it takes a village! There’s a stream of incredible people who are too numerous to name…

When I was a kid, if I were good, my parents would take me to Beading Dreams (then called Nomadic Notions) on Lovers Lane to buy beads for my collection and to serve as materials for creations only a mother would wear. (Thanks Mom!) Years later, after graduating from Greenhill School and heading off for college in L.A., I was hired as a summertime nanny by a lovely woman, Madalyn, who took me back to Beading Dreams to pick out materials for the first higher end pieces I ever created. She taught me the basics of wire wrapping and beading so that I could make necklaces for my friends as graduation presents. It is really through Madalyn that I discovered how much I loved designing and making jewelry.

I haven’t been in years, but Beading Dreams always had the best beading supplies, classes, and knowledgeable staff – and they were the ones who got me through my early days of jewelry making and gem exploration.

It was not until college that my friend, Alex, asked to buy one of my pieces. It was because of her that the idea to start Hannah Allene was born.

I also have to give a shout out to Greenhill School, where I was fortunate enough to take great art classes and even an introductory class to jewelry and goldsmithing from talented teachers. (You know who you are!) Regular visits to NorthPark influenced my eye from an early age to appreciate refined architecture, fine sculpture, and the artful use of natural elements. I am forever indebted to the women who saw my potential and gave me my first job all those years ago at David Yurman in the product development department. They were gracious mentors then, and they continue to be! And last, but certainly not least, my fiancé, family and friends, who have supported me and encouraged me to take a different path, even when that path seemed like a wild dream.

Website: www.hannahallene.com

Instagram: @hannahallenejewelry

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-alpert-9a453134/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HannahAlleneDesigns/

Image Credits
Alain Simic