About the Designer
Jeanne Johngren has spent her life telling stories visually. Inspired by her travels in Europe and life seen through a cinematographer's lens, she honed an aesthetic that now brings life to her gold and gemstone creations.
After graduating from Yale University's English Literature department, Jeanne Johngren moved to Paris. She spent many hours in the Louvre and the Picasso Museum sketching the great masters' works, studied Hausmann's radiating boulevards which cut vistas through the city bringing focus to the monuments, and watched seminal films at the Art Cinema House at Trocadero. She stayed a year and then decided to pursue a career in film, combining her love of art and storytelling. She moved to New York City where she quickly rose up the ranks in the film world becoming one of the first music video producers on the scene to give a generation their MTV with artists such as Mick Jagger, The Ramones and Jeff Buckley. Johngren then discovered the art and alchemy of making jewelry.
"As a film producer," recounts Johngren, "I always thought 'big picture.' But now the jewelry I design fills my world with a desire to uncover the story hidden in each stone. Discovering the storyline in each combination is a wonderfully rewarding process." She draws inspiration from the ancient and modern alike. Byzantine mosaics, stained glass windows, and carved architectural details present enduring textures and proportions that are repositories of intrigue for the modern viewer. In addition, she is influenced by the work of artists of past and present, such as El Greco, Gustav Klimt, and Mark Rothko.
Johngren believes that one has to 'give back.' She donates a portion of her proceeds every year to charities that help women. As a working mother and jewelry designer, Johngren divides her time between New York City and Princeton.
Jeanne Johngren Design, LLC is a member of JBT, AGTA, CDG, and JIC.
800-279-1529 www.JeanneJohngren.com
