About Joseph Brooks
LOS ANGELES—From a drawn out strand of faceted pyrite “pearls” custom created for Madonna to the the onyx and sterling beaded bracelets endlessly ringing the wrists of the Jonas Bros., the jewelry of Joseph Brooks embodies sensuality and strength, handcraft and raw beauty, the bedrock and punk rock.
Before Joseph Brooks was cutting turquoise into pyramid studs and moose antler and ebony into chunky skulls, the Hollywood-based jewelry designer had a hand in transforming the alternative music scene, from being the first to showcase such early acts as U2, Depeche Mode, The Cure and Culture Club in the U.S. to getting Guns N Roses signed and introducing goth, electronica, and other dance music to the American underground.
Melrose Avenue would often be shut down as hordes of fans would line up at to meet Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, Duran Duran, the Smiths and many other British bands on their first American stops at Joseph’s seminal music shop, Vinyl Fetish, which he owned from 1980-1986. During this time he also had a popular weekly radio show (with Dusty Street) on the once groundbreaking KROQ.
In recent years, clubs Cherry and Make-Up became the topic of two hour-long documentaries, which have since aired on television in 52 countries. Joseph continues deejaying and promoting Hollywood nightlife, including the weekly Saturday night Brit pop indie club Bang!, which attracts 1,500 kids weekly to its Hollywood site.
In some way, this new pursuit is not new at all. As a boy growing up in Far Rockaway, New York, Joseph would spend hours studying rocks, minerals and shells at the American Museum of Natural History, and carefully gather and label specimens for his personal collection. Whenever possible, bird watching and geology bring him faraway from civilization, to some island jungle or side of a mountain, with the hope of spotting another rare species.
His secret life of ornithology is revealed on the tiny JB medallion that dangles off most of his individually crafted bracelets and necklaces, or stamped on his belts and rings.
Joseph Brooks Jewelry is collected by Justin Timberlake (draped in two turquoise necklaces on the cover of Rollling Stone), Kate Hudson, Ke$ha, Steven Tyler, Adam Lambert, Randy Jackson, Britney Spears, Kate Mara, Camilla Belle , Dhani Harrison, Joe Jonas, John Mayer, Michael Stipe, Sandra Bullock, Seal, Morrissey, Lenny Kravitz, Siouxsie Sioux, stylist/costume designer Arianne Philips, fashion designer Tracy Feith among a growing fan base of influential individuals.
Joseph Brooks Jewelry is sold at A+R ( Venice and at aplusrstore.com), Traffic (Los Angeles), Persimmon (Los Angeles) , Broken English (Santa Monica), Gold Bug (Pasadena) Fred Segal Finery (Santa Monica), Isetan (Tokyo), and Moto (Tokyo).
For more information, please email josephbrooksjewelry.com