19.05.12

Beverly Grant-Turner is fashion forward. The 54-year-old artisan jewelry designer and resident of Ballantyne's Bridge Hampton subdivision became the event organizer and vice president of business relationships for Charlotte Seen, which does red carpet service and event marketing, as of September 2011. Grant-Turner credits her sense of creativity for her recent success. "I've always done something creative in addition to a full-time job," she said. On a whim, Grant-Turner turned to jewelry as a "creative and emotional outlet" in 2005, when she was busy juggling family and a corporate career. She bought her daughters, Stephanie and Natalie, gift certificates to a bead show at On A String bead shop in Myers Park on Providence Road. Her daughters had a good time, but for Grant-Turner it was more. Soon after, Grant-Turner left corporate America, in June 2005, and began to pursue designing jewelry full time. She also worked as executive director of the International House, a nonprofit organization that serves as a center for diversity and cultural inclusivity, on Hawthorne Lane near uptown, from 2008-10. Then she decided to put all her efforts back into her craft. Making that move has changed her life in ways she never could have imagined, she said. "I feel freer and more inspired living creatively," said Grant-Turner. "I have just been introduced to the world of couture fashion, and it has been wonderful." Beverly Grant Artisan Jewelry graced the runways this year during Charlotte's Fall Fashion Week in September, with designers including Dontarius Clyburn using her jewelry to accessorize their runway looks. Her pieces also were presented to winners of various fashion awards, including Best Emerging Designer and Best Make Up Artist. Grant-Turner's jewelry was used again in November, at Pink Soles' "Shades of Pink" fashion show benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure at the new Foundation for the Carolinas building in uptown, by designers such as Mikelle DeFo, Candace Friedman and Odelia Rouse. Her pieces also were worn in "For The Love of Harlem," a play written and scored by Jermaine Nakia Lee that played in fall at Duke Energy Theater at Spirit Square. Grant-Turner's designs were incorporated into the play by the show's wardrobe stylist, DaVita Galloway. In 2012, Grant-Turner will have a photo shoot with Carmen! Carmen! salon and spa and another runway appearance at Charlotte's Passport to Fashion in April. But her jewelry won't be the only thing sparkling in the limelight now that Grant-Turner is in charge of marketing and business relations for Passport to Fashion in 2012. As for her jewelry, Grant-Turner is still making one-of-a-kind wearable art using quality semiprecious stones, Swarovski crystals, Murano glass, Cloisonné and freshwater pearls. Grant-Turner uses ingenuity to create timeless pieces that are practical for everyday wear. Each piece of jewelry comes with extra-large lobster-claw clasps, meaning no extra hands are needed when dressing. Every necklace also comes with chain extensions, making it easier to get the right length. Grant-Turner said her inspiration comes from the "strength and spiritual qualities" of every stone, and that her work becomes an extension of the inner beauty of the women who wear it.

Source: Charlotte Observer