PaperCity Magazine

February 2014 - Houston

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FEBRUARY | PAGE 38 | 2014 JEWELRY DESIGNER PATRICIA PECKINPAUGH GRIFFITH HAS LONG BEEN ENAMORED WITH TRAVEL, ADVENTURE AND THE FINE ART OF THE FLEA-MARKET FIND. F R A N C I N E B A L L A R D S T O W S A W A Y. P H O T O G R A P H Y J A C K T H O M P S O N . P R O D U C E D B Y J E N N Y A N T I L L . H A I R B R Y A N N G U Y E N F O R C E R O N S A L O N . M A K E U P S E R G I O E S C A L O N A . Patricia Peckinpaugh Griffith wears a caftan by local designer Carla Christoph. The jewelry is her own. A passport stamped with visits to Argentina, Chile, Hungary (Budapest), Italy (Milan, Lake Como) and Monaco (Monte Carlo) this year alone might belong to Athina Onassis, one of the Casiraghi clan or any of Europe's jet set. Yet, in fact, it belongs to Houston jewelry designer Patricia Peckinpaugh Griffith. Just back from yet another sojourn, she admits, "Venice … my first time there." We convene over lattes to chat about her most recent layover: a retail space on Westheimer to showcase her eponymous jewelry collection and precious collectibles. Patricia Peckinpaugh Griffith began creating her beautifully handcrafted Old World-inspired jewelry cast in 18K gold and baño de oro (bronze bathed in 18K gold and sterling silver) mostly as a way to keep busy on month-long family vacations in San Miguel de Allende. She watched her fan base of Houston socials expand for more than a decade, via in-home trunk shows and small out-of-town boutiques, before finally embarking on a Houston command post. The Ethereal Room is more an elegant sitting room than a traditional retail environment and is shared with a friend, Minnie Baird, whose opulent, jewel-encrusted clutches and handbags perfectly complement Peckinpaugh Griffith's wares. A fifth-generation Texan with deep Houston roots, Peckinpaugh Griffith calls her travels far and wide to source treasures for her home and store a labor of love. Here, a peek inside her bella vida. WHAT SPARKED YOUR LIFELONG LOVE AFFAIR WITH MEXICO? Years after my father passed away, my mother was remarried, and we moved to Mexico City when I was 12. I loved it from the beginning and do to this day. Exploring my new city was like an incredible adventure. I now see why my mother was worried sick every time I left the house! My friends and I would leave early on a Saturday morning, take a cab to the amazing markets downtown and comb through them for hours. I am certain this is what sparked my love of unearthing unique treasures. We would end up in the Zona Rosa and buy wonderful silver jewelry and embroidered tops and not get home until dusk. I can't believe that at age 16, we were maneuvering around that vast city for hours and hours on end, and we never felt unsafe. We would sometimes go to San Miguel for the weekends. It was so mystical and beautiful. It was there that I took WANDERLUST

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