ROCKING THE LAVA: A Jewelry Designer Adam Foster Brings Beauty to Everything He Touches

by Jillian Vaughn

Adam Foster is a true Renaissance man, viewing the world through the lens of what is beautiful to him. While that’s the mantra of this very magazine, he’s living it out every day in St. Louis, where he lives and designs exquisite couture jewelry.

He’s achieving national acclaim, having won Best of Show at the last COUTURE Show in 2019 for gemstones less than $20,000 and a coveted AIA award for his high-design studio and salon.

However, what makes him and his designs even more fascinating is his commitment to his personal passions which define who he is, from culinary pursuits to automotive restoration.

Foster and his wife make wine at home, getting Tetra Pak grapes from vineyards all around the world. They then barrel-age and bottle the wine themselves to their taste.

“We live in the Midwest and live well. We love going to friends’ restaurants to enjoy dishes that are farm-to-table, where the food literally comes from no more than 100 miles away. We’re the people who’ll buy a share in a farm, purchase an entire cow and have it butchered at a butcher that I know, who will deliver the meat to us,” he says.

Foster is even intentional about his everyday driver, the 1994 Bronco he’s been repairing. “When you open the hood, it’s pristine,” says Foster, who is also rebuilding a 1972 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow.

The world of design through Foster’s eyes includes his signature collection of glasses, which he is known for wearing and gives him great joy. So, whether it’s furniture, vehicles, alcohol, food or just everyday objects that are handcrafted, they should be used. Someone made that for you, and they wanted you to enjoy it,” he says.

Foster shares that he’s a self-proclaimed hands-on guy, preferring to make things himself rather than purchasing. Of course, this translates into his love of jewelry as well, which is exquisitely designed.

At The Art Institute of Chicago, Foster fell in love with jewelry making. His eyes were opened to the world of design on trips to Italy as a child. He became fascinated with the intricate details of the sculptures, paintings and the ceilings of Italian churches featuring celestial artwork.

Photo by Aqua Blu

I TRY TO LIVE MY DAILY LIFE WITH THINGS THAT ARE INTERESTING.

From there his first collection, Constellation, was born, featuring hand-engraved elements, gemfaceting and a nod to Old World artistry.

Foster is drawn to bone structures and skeletons because of their organic, but modern, feel. “That’s why I did the Plume collection, which is all feathers, because it’s still like this rigid structure that has a function, but it’s still very pretty. It’s because the function is dominating what it is versus the actual look of the object and just by default, it’s beautiful,” he says.

Foster gained great recognition for his latest creations from Canary Island lava rock. “Lava rock was something I came across shopping, and I thought this is really interesting,” he says. “I was able to narrow it down to locate Canary Island lava rock that had the tighter porosity and more stable, darker color that I wanted,” he says.

When COVID showed up, Foster consciously decided to remain true to his brand. “We’re not going to redesign the company’s DNA for a trend, like smaller earrings to wear with a mask. What we do want to do is change the vocabulary of what a collector calls dress-up jewelry. If we can make yoga attire the new travel wear, why not wear statement pieces daily? You invested in it because you loved it, right?” he says. His aesthetic is a study in contrasts: past and present, traditional and contemporary, delicate and bold. He pairs Old World jewelry-making techniques with the latest technology to create pieces that present a modern sensibility, with a nod to the past. Today, he is focusing on bringing more color to the collections and adding more pieces to both collections with the same aesthetic, but perhaps a stackable for everyday style.

“Adding gold and diamonds makes the jewelry more precious, but let’s have a little bit more fun with your jewelry, right?”

And fun he’s having, living a beautiful life with his family and making the world of jewelry lovelier at the same time.