At a very young age, Todd Reed was introduced to the world of fine art. His mother, a renowned commercial illustrator, ensured that Todd’s childhood was filled with creative work. When Todd was 10 years old, he witnessed a silversmith at work and it forever changed his perception of design. “I watched in awe as this man turned sheet metal into body adornment in what seemed to be a very short amount of time,” says Reed.
Throughout his adolescence and early adulthood, Todd was drawn to creative arts such as culinary arts, painting, sculpting, clothing design, leather work and eventually, jewelry design. While in his teens, he graduated from culinary school with a developed appreciation for process before result.
After graduating, Todd became friends with a well-known diamond collector who became his mentor. “His love for diamonds was infectious, and he showed me the artistry and miniature sculptures that appear in rough stones,” says Reed. During their time together, Todd fell in love with the beauty of these stones in their raw form. Pairing his enduring love for nature with his newfound love of raw diamonds, Todd developed an aesthetic that to this day remains distinctive and ahead of its time.
In the 1990s, the jewelry industry perceived rough diamond material as being too obscure for finished jewelry. Todd Reed saw that as a positive, and began designing jewelry around the rough material. In 1992, Todd established his business and introduced the
Jewels That Dance • 63 Haywood Street • Asheville, NC 28801 • 828-254-5088
