Lata K Designs

By Bacilio Mendez II -- JCK Online, 7/1/2008 2:00:00 AM

While designers everywhere transform precious metals and gems into their own unique interpretations of beauty, that's not enough for Lata Sasson, owner of Lata K Designs. Her pieces need to be multifunctional as well as beautiful. This additional element makes the job especially challenging, but Sasson embraces the challenge.

“To me, jewelry design is the art of creating possibilities, which is the inspiration behind my transformable collections,” she says. “I believe jewelry should not only be beautiful but also should be versatile and fun, which is why I design many of my pieces to have an element of surprise.”

Sasson's seemingly simple pieces are actually models of ingenuity. The Chameleon collection, for example, is made of circles and squares and can be worn as a brooch or a choker, in different configurations. Whimsy blooms in a variety of colors and textures as a flower ring and converts to a ring and pendant or bracelet. The Butterfly brooch separates into a set that includes ring, earrings, and pendant.

This versatility is a trademark of Sasson's work. “I am best known for my transformable jewelry,” she explains. “The beauty of many of my transformable designs is that they are created in such a way that it enables my clients to wear them in their simplest form casually and with all the attachments in a more glamorous fashion.”

Sasson was born into a jewelry family that served as jeweler to the royal family of Sind, India, for five generations, but she spent her early years studying technology and business. She soon realized, however, that designing jewelry would be a more satisfying career than engineering. Wanting autonomy, she set out on her own rather than take a position with the family business. Her hard work earned this married mother of two recognition as a Rising Star at the 2004 JCK Show ~ Las Vegas.

The jewelry in the Lata K Designs collection is created in platinum or 18k gold. The overall collection embodies many of today's trends, from diamond-accented medallion pendants on leather cords to long shoulder-duster earrings and large colored cocktail rings, but it is the Metamorphosis collection of transformable jewelry that marks the designer's unique style. “I design for the woman who likes to have fun with her jewelry and likes to make it fit in every aspect of her lifestyle,” Sasson says. “I want my customers to be able to enjoy wearing their jewelry all the time and not just on special occasions.”

Fast Facts

Lata Sasson

Location and contact

New York; (917) 405-5202; info@latakdesigns.com; www.latakdesigns.com.

Education

University of Pennsylvania (BA in economics, 1996); New York University Stern School of Business (MBA in marketing/management, 2000); Fashion Institute of Technology Continuing Education Jewelry Design Program (2003–07); Gemological Institute of America (Graduate Gemologist, 2005–present)