Lauren Lohman began creating jewelry alongside her mother at the age of 13. While attending Cornell University, where she majored in Apparel Design, she studied sewing, the malleable qualities of fabric, and craft techniques, such as crocheting and embroidering. She combined these techniques with her passion for jewelry as wearable art to create a distinctive apparel-jewelry hybrid. Lauren has a deep desire to create vibrantly colored pieces that make the wearer walk taller and grab the eye of every passer-by. She is happiest when creating things with her hands, working one-on-one with the materials.

Maggie Chang has always appreciated the Eastern belief in amulets and charms. She is particularly taken to the idea that one can wear beautiful objects that persponally evoke meaning and hope, that can be carried with the individual and experienced. While the jewelry pieces she makes are very personal to the wearer, she likes leaving their meanings open to interpretation.

While Maggie continually incorporates elegant and natural elements, she also enjoys pushing the boundaries of what is considered conventional. She combines various cultural qualities, transforms the value of humble objects (such as old textiles), and mixes mediums and techniques.

Jessica Casper has an imaginitive and artistic spirit that is driven mainly by the every day objects and structures she encounters. For her, making jewelry involves much research and contemplation of who will be wearing her piece. In her creative process, she thoughtfully transforms her materials according to the personality of the wearer. Beyond the personal touches, her work is characterized by bold textures, vibrant colors, and playful energy. She creates innovative pieces that have a distinct aspect of fun and are often converstation starters. Jessica believes in the power of style and design as means of visually communicating concepts and expressing individuality. She also believes in using recycled materials--ones that are friendly to the wearers and their environments.

Sarah Whiting Murdoch began her foray into jewelry design as a hobby while in college. Much of her inspiration comes from manipulating older, vintage pieces of jewelry in order to create something novel and unique. Sarah primarily takes to working with items that are used or worn, as she finds it bestows them with history beyond the new pieces they become. Much of her initial work contained parts from necklaces and other jewelry belonging to her mother; today Sarah searches through eBay auctions, thrift stores, garage sales, and flea markets for unique pieces to deconstruct and inspire new creations.

The Orange Giraffe Project hits particularly close to home for Sarah, as her mother, a strong creative woman, battled Leukemia for five years, spending her last year here in New York. This cause is one that her mother would have fully embraced and enjoyed. In much the same spirit as her mother, Sarah sees this as a great opportunity and outlet for other creative strong women fighting their own battles.

Pearlann Arnovitz started jewelry making as a little kid and in high school. In the middle of her college career at New York University, she worked for a talented jewelry designer in New York City who taught her the skills and techniques that she now uses to make her sophisticated and intricate pieces. Whether she is selling her jewelry or just making gifts for friends, jewelry making has always been a therapeutic activity for Pearlann--an activity that allows her to escape momentarily from her life of medicine and give in to her creative side.