On putting her own spin on haute couture Alexandra Mor designs haute couture jewelry: marvelously elegant made-to-order pieces that practically scream heirloom. She also designs demi-couture jewelry. And don’t let the “demi” fool you: Those limited-edition gems are as elegant as any of her custom works. “It can be defined as an extension of haute couture,” she says. “It provides me the opportunity to create more artfully crafted pieces for a bigger number of connoisseur consumers.” She derived the term, she says, from the fashion world—which she knows pretty well. Her mother worked at a clothing atelier in Israel. When she married a man in the diamond biz, well…is it any wonder Mor became the luxury jeweler she is today?© Russell StarrMor’s Gemfields cabochon emerald and diamond ringAge: 40Number of years in the biz: I first announced the launch of my collection