An Exclusive Fashion Funhouse Emporium Interview:
The designer and creator of Virgins, Saints and Angels jewelry talks about her collection with the Kardashians, her diverse following and her dream collaboration.
By Amber Stolec
Photo: Cheryl Finnegan, courtesy of Bollare
Speaking of worship, Cheryl Finnegan has quite the celebrity following. Her Virgins, Saints and Angels jewelry line features handmade rings, necklaces, bracelets and belt buckles based upon symbolic imagery--as the name suggests.
A quick scroll down on her publicity page tells you her designs are admired by those who are country: Martina McBride, Tim Mcraw, Miley Cyrus; rock n' rollers like Dave Navarro and everyone in between. And when I say everyone, I mean it. What could Mickey Rourke, Lauren Conrad and LeBron James have in common? They all wear Virgins, Saints and Angels.
What have you been up to with the line Virgins, Saints and Angels lately?
We have plenty of things. We don’t have a name for our newest collection yet, but we have a nature line coming out that has feathers, leaves and some have The Virgin of the Rose. We want to big cuffs for this line and statement pieces like that.
We also just did the tribute to the bicentennial. We did a very small collection with The Virgin of Guadalupe. It’s a one time thing and you’ll never see it again.
How did you get started? What made you decide to do this kind of line?
My business started in a very organic way. I didn’t really mean for it to happen. I was just enjoying it. All of a sudden I woke up after a year and said, Oh my gosh. I have a business. It’s amazing how people find you. When it comes to the electronic world, Facebook is enough of a challenge to me. I don’t quite understand blogging and Twittering, but I do understand there are a lot of advantages to it. We’ve had people from
I grew up in
Would you say you’re religious or spiritual? Is it faith based or just a fascination with idols?
I moved to
I grew up Catholic, but it’s not something that I practice. For me, I had to get a grip on it. What was it about these virgins? I found they all started from the same place: mythology, mermaids, and goddesses. People of all religions can relate to the goodness of these idols. I thought everyone needs this; everyone can use a motherly, pure figure in their life.
I never had the forethought to say if I do this, religious and anti- religious groups will go for it. I just was fascinated with it and just kept doing something that I loved and it evolved into what it is. And people chose to understand it.
I went to
All religions convert ideas into their own, like our jewelry. It’s whatever makes you feel good.
Your jewelry is carried everywhere from sites like
We cross over into so many genres. Even our celebrity clientele is diverse. Miley Cyrus wears our pieces, and then there is Maria Shriver who will call us for special showings at her house. We have every spectrum: Dave Navarro, Tim McGraw, and even David Beckham. It is sort of bizarre to me at times who gravitates to our jewelry.
We were in Fashion Rocks where they show different rock n’ rollers in their homes. There were two photos of Tim McGraw that were styled, but then there was this photo of him in his recliner, totally relaxed and he had my belt buckle on. The caption said “Belt buckle: artist’s own.” That is the best! A stylist can put anything on them and they have to do it, but is so much more of an honor to me when it’s theirs.
Tim McGraw in Fashion Rocks, wearing his VSA belt buckle. Photo Courtesy of VSA
I think it’s so different to so many people because I try to make every piece have meaning behind it. One piece is can be done in one way, like a ring can be done with silver and hematite and look real rock and roll, but the same ring can be done in opal and gold and looks elegant.
I get all types of feedback. A woman came up to me once at a show and said that she grew up with her grandmother, who had all these gothic, religious pictures on her walls and statutes everywhere. She had this dark room with a sacred heart and candle, that kind of thing. She said, when I wear your jewelry, “there’s something that makes me feel so dirty!”
Then I get intensely religious people who will call me and say, I wore your necklace and I believe it saved my life!
Have you ever got word that a celebrity was wearing your designs and were just completely shocked, like wow, its odd that that person is wearing something I made!
John Galliano wore my square mosaic belt buckle on his spring runway. He was wearing all black, and there was my buckle, just out there! It’s been a couple of years since then, and I haven’t seen any pictures of him wearing it lately but it was the highlight of my career! My friend who is a total fashionista called me to tell me “I think John Galliano is wearing your buckle.” It was one of those moments where Gasp! It’s true!
I used to say to my team, we are riding the wave with the big boys, but they haven’t looked over to see us yet. When I saw the Galliano picture, I said “They just saw us!”
Archangel Belt Buckle, Heart Ring, and Magdalena Rosarie: courtesy of Virgins, Saints and Angels
I have to admit, I don’t watch reality TV, so I’m curious about collaboration with the Kardashians. How did it come about?
We signed a deal with them before I knew who they were, before they had the TV show. They wanted to do an Armenian line. And sure enough the girls became super popular. Some people want it just because of the connection to the Kardashians.
They were very, very sweet girls. I spent the most time with Khloe. The way she is received is just amazing. There were 15 year old girls who wanted their picture taken with her and they were crying. Khloe would get tissues out for them. I really liked them.
Will there be other collaborations in the future?
I don’t know if I would do another celebrity collaboration though. It wasn’t something that I was used to. Like the Kardashians, they can’t travel like you and I –SUV’s with darkened windows, etc. They have to have so many people around them. I’m very simple so it’s not something that I can understand. It’s just a different world than mine.
Maybe I would do a charitable, more low profile. Maybe we’d connect with a celebrity cause like Maria Shriver’s.
If you could pick a dream collaborator, celebrity, artist, or one person to work with who would it be?
If John Galliano came to me… [laughs] I would love to do runway collaboration. Jewelry on the runways is so different than what you see in the stores. I would just love to just go with a high end designer. Galliano, sadly Alexander McQueen is not with us anymore, but him, or Jean Paul Gualtier, someone just fabulous and outrageous. I would love for someone to say this is our theme. Run with it!
Have you ever considered doing a fine jewelry collection? Why or why not?
I’ve been asked and I did a very small line of diamonds and I was not that happy with it. I'm not really a gemologist. The idea of going out buying fine gem stones, I don’t know much about them. I’d really love to do it, but it’s so different than Virgin Saints and Angels price point right now. The same customer, would they want it? The appeal with our line is that it’s affordable to mostly everyone. People aren’t drawn to our jewelry because of what it’s made of. There is a lot of heart and soul put into it. It is touched by so many hands. Most of the jewelry you see out there will say it’s handmade, but that’s only because its hand polished.
For example our belt buckles start out with just a flat piece of metal. On some, what could look like jewels, up close if you see it, it’s actually hand painted and filled with resin. Artisans, old Mexican expert jewelers that have been doing this for years and it’s like my extended family of about 45 people. They are so clever the way they put pieces together. Even our beaded chains that are linked with metal are done by hand; they are beading behind the counter.
Though, its something I dream of. I was approached by a high end jeweler that wanted our line, but they only wanted it in solid gold and real rubies, etc. At that point, I was just not ready.
If you weren’t designing jewelry, what would you be doing?
I would be designing tiaras and prom gowns. I used to make them more like headbands and wear them all the time. They are fun and they make people smile. I had a couple that had crosses and dragons. They were very edgy. I did a couple, but people are afraid of them. I’d wear them to the grocery store.
As far as prom gowns, I’m sort of obsessed with that Madonna, Like a Virgin look. I’d make them gothic with torn edges, sort of the antitheist of the beaded, sparkly colored ones. I’m an old punk rocker!
Or I could just have five kids.
Just because the VSA designer doesn’t have a penchant for technology, you can still join her Facebook Page.
Credits: Be Cool! Please do not re-post or republish any portion of this copyrighted interview or photos without crediting and linking back to the author, Amber Stolec, the website, Fashion Funhouse Emporium, and the photos to Virgins Saints and Angels. A special thank you to Alle Fister and Cheryl Finnegan!
