Robert Lee Morris

If you love bold, sculptural pieces with real design pedigree, Robert Lee Morris rewards the investment. Morris is credited with ushering in the era of designer Artwear statement jewelry, and his work earned the Coty Award in 1981 and a CFDA Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. A single architectural cuff or collar tends to carry an outfit, so think of it as one anchoring piece rather than a drawerful.

Morris is a trained sculptor, and that shows in the weight and finish of his work. His designs have been executed in gold, silver and bronze, and he is particularly known for a soft 24-carat matte gold plating and rich patinas in deep red copper and green. The organic, hand-resolved forms are the point, so expect substance over fussy sparkle.

He is best known for organic, sculptural jewelry inspired by forms in nature and by his idea of an imaginary futuristic society. In the 1980s his work was described as modern urban warrior pieces that tapped into primitivism, which is why his oversized cuffs and collars still read as artifacts rather than trend pieces.

It is one of fashion's great pairings. In 1985 Morris worked with Donna Karan on her first collection, setting his organic, oversized, sculptural gold jewelry against her sleek, monochromatic clothing. He also designed Karan's Gold perfume bottle for Estée Lauder, so the collaboration ran well beyond a single runway.

A remarkable roster. Beyond Donna Karan, Morris has collaborated with or designed collections for Geoffrey Beene, Kansai Yamamoto, Calvin Klein, Anne Klein, Karl Lagerfeld and Michael Kors. His 1981 Coty Award was actually won for his collection for Calvin Klein, which tells you how central he was to American fashion of that era.

It helps to know the timeline. His most collected work runs from the gallery years and the designer collaborations of the 1980s and 1990s, while later lines include the RLM Collection and RLM Studio he created for QVC, plus the Soho and higher-end Collection lines launched at retail in September 2012. Matching a piece to its era is the surest way to understand what you are holding.

It grew out of New York's art-jewelry scene. Morris was discovered in 1971 by gallery owner Joan Sonnabend and first showed at her Sculpture to Wear space in the Plaza Hotel. He then opened his own Artwear Gallery in 1977, moving it to SoHo in 1978, before closing it in 1995 and opening the RLM Robert Lee Morris Gallery on West Broadway devoted solely to his own work.

His SoHo gallery drew a famously creative crowd. Documented clients included Issey Miyake, Geoffrey Beene, Madonna, Cher, Bianca Jagger, Janet Jackson and Oprah Winfrey, and Morris himself appeared on the cover of Vogue in 1976. That mix of artists and icons is a big part of why the name still carries cachet.

The label was acquired by Manhattan-based Haskell Jewels, LLC in 2011. Morris remains the creative voice behind the name, and under that ownership the brand launched its Soho and Collection lines at department stores and fine retailers in 2012.

Yes, his eye has wandered well beyond cuffs and collars. He designed Donna Karan's Gold perfume bottle for Estée Lauder, a special-edition lipstick and compact for Elizabeth Arden in 1990, a jewelry collection for the Olsen twins' Elizabeth & James line in 2008, and a limited collection with MAC Cosmetics in 2017.

Plenty, and they trace his influence neatly. He won the Coty Award in 1981 for his Calvin Klein collection, took two further CFDA accessory-design awards in 1985 and 1994, and in 2007 became the first jewelry designer to receive the CFDA's Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lead with the silhouettes he is famous for: a sculptural cuff, a clavicle-hugging collar, or a single bold pendant that does the talking. Because his pieces are built around organic, oversized forms, one strong item styled against simple clothing, very much in the Donna Karan spirit, usually beats layering several at once.