Jewelry Box Tour 4 || Johanna Horn

1| Your name, s’il vous plait Johanna Ruth Horn*

* Jo started out as a friend of a friend, and now she is just a friend. I admire her sense of style and her poise. Being around her is kind of like standing in the sun. I wish you could all meet her today!

2| Where do you live? Michigan

3| What do you do during the day and at night? I am a Jack [Jill] of many trades. By day, I run a nonprofit foundation that funds cancer research. Once the sun sets, I teach yoga... I also stare lovingly at my dogs, surround myself with many awesome people, play guitar in a band of completely rocking women, and laugh with my husband.

4| What do you look for in a piece of jewelry? What are you drawn to? I am drawn to the oddball or to the elegant. I am not certain there is a rhyme or reason to it.

5| Tell me about the jewelry you wear the most. Is there something that you never take off? Like most of us, I am always mixing vintage with straight up off the shelf. I also have had the privilege of traveling for the last few decades, and have collected beautiful things from all over: Morocco, Guatemala, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bali... As to my habits, I have recently just ended a phase of 'statement piece' wearing which lasted about 3 years... things have moved towards the more subdued and graceful. New stuff: I am wearing lots of wood, like Bettula from Detroit. Old stuff: Lucite!

6| What is your jewelry weakness? see above. Or, just anything off the wall...

7| What’s the last piece of jewelry you added to your box? A brooch! I just got into brooches as well. My mother-in-law had wrapped this classy 1950's gold poinsettia pin around some flowers for my birthday... Once I found it, it joined a frequent rotation.

 

8| Please tell me a great story about one of the pieces in your jewelry box. One of the most magical moments growing up was standing in front of my Nana's dresser- hands in her 1940's jewelry box which was filled with all sorts of outrageous clip-on earrings. I would entertain myself for hours, and remember being mesmerized by the flash and sparkle of the costume jewelry...I still lean that way sometimes. I, sadly, have none of  her earrings or knickknacks in my jewelry collection, but was recently gifted an entire box of a friend's grandmother's jewels. It was essentially filled with the same magic. Also, one of my husband's grandmothers gave me a 1960's brooch of hers just before we got married. I love it's mid-century look... and also love- being an ocean gal- that it resembles a sea urchin. There is a picture of it somewhere in here...

 

9| If price was not an issue, what piece of jewelry would you give to your best friend? My best friends aren't jewelry lovers! BUT: I would love to buy for some of the women in my family. What comes to mind most quickly are some delicate and refined Victorian-era lockets for Aunt Julie.. who designs from her amazing collection at Julie Starr Dresner.

{This series will "air" every Wednesday this month, with five interviews in all. You can read details about the series here and check out last week's interview here.}