verre newyork: let them wear glass

let them wear glass

give us your address to stay in the loop on our specials, sample sales and trunk shows:

verre is the french word for glass. every piece of jewelry is handmade by the designers. they believe that simple is elegant and that less is more.

jess panza is a self-taught glass worker. after studying goldsmithing she came to the conclusion that all gold jewelry looked the same. she studied french casting techniques, lost wax mold-making and pate de verre at urban glass in brooklyn. she met julie burton at urban glass where she worked on projects for architects and designers. glass seemed like the perfect substance to meld with metal and save her from the mediocrity of traditional jewelry. she is inspired by things both sensible and natural.

julie burton really likes glass. after a six week class in glass blowing at the rhode island school of design, she promptly dropped out of school. she was a glass blower on a mountain in tennessee, and met her business partner, jess panza, at urban glass in brooklyn, new york. julie does not like jewelry and has no background in the art. becoming a jewelry designer seemed like the perfect career move. jess gave julie a five minute lesson in lampworking. she takes her inspiration wherever and whenever she can get it.