Sandy Leong is an artist and designer who believes creativity and expression are empowering for both the artist and the observer.
Born in Portland, Oregon, Sandy spent her early childhood in Anchorage, Alaska then moved with her family to San Francisco, California. "I have been fortunate to live in the Pacific Northwest. The mountains in Portland, the wild life in Alaska and the rocky coastline of San Francisco have all inspired me," she says.
Sandy graduated with a degree in Speech Communications and Journalism from Oregon State University, followed by nine years traveling the world as a flight attendant and exploring the world as an artist. During that time, she experimented with different art forms including photography, drawing, sculpture and painting.
A move to Manhattan in 1993 was a new beginning focused on marriage and raising a family. With her children in school, Sandy began taking classes in 2004 at the 92nd Street Y in jewelry making. Fascinated by this new art form, she continued classes at the Jewelry Arts Institute in Manhattan to perfect her technique. What started out to be a personal journey of self-expression evolved into creating jewelry for friends, friends of friends and a new career was born.
Sandy's primary focus centers around natural and organic themes. The study of the shape in motion was her first collection. Appropriately called Origin, it also has been integrated into her logo design. Interest in tactile expressions of vibrations of water, sound and light resulted in three later collections: Golden Echo; Halo and Luminous.
Since 2009, Sandy has designed and donated a series of pendants, bracelets and lapel pins for the TED conferences; a nonprofit focused on 'ideas worth spreading' and has been in the pages of magazines such as Town & Country, Harper's Bazaar, O, the Oprah Winfrey Magazine, InStyle, Glamour and others. Her work as a jewelry designer is about the power of self-expression, as well as being a positive influence on people. "It's about giving back. In my travels, I have seen the best and the worst in life. I believe we can all help in some way to make the world a better place to live. For that reason, I look to partner with projects that share this philosophy."
Sandy continues to live in Manhattan with her husband and two children who inspire her with enthusiasm, creativity and love.