CollectionsApr 03, 2026
Taylor Swift’s ‘Elizabeth Taylor’ Video Puts Jewelry Front and CenterIconic pieces, like the Mike Todd Diamond Tiara, appear in the superstar’s new music video for her song inspired by the actress.
EditorsMay 25, 2017
Traveling 1,913 Virtual Miles to Vegas
The woman behind Jordan Alexander jewelry is covering the distance between Birmingham and the Wynn Las Vegas on her Peloton bike. Here’s what she’s learning.
The map that Theresa Harper Bruno, the designer behind Jordan Alexander, posted on her brand’s Instagram account the day she started her virtual bike ride from Alabama to Nevada.
It’s a journey of self-discovery that’s befitting of today’s virtual world--1,913 miles to a trade show without encountering a single pothole, storm or run-down motel along the way.
Theresa Harper Bruno, the designer behind Jordan Alexander jewelry, decided this past spring that she would log the miles between her home in suburban Birmingham, Alabama, and the Wynn Las Vegas on her Peloton exercise bike.
Here’s how the stationary fitness cycle works: Users pay $1,995 for the bike and, if they so choose, a monthly fee of $39 to do on-demand or live spinning classes streamed over the internet.
Bruno bought her Peloton in August 2016. As she continued to log miles on her new bike and Couture got closer, she started thinking about the how difficult it would be to ride a bike all the way from her home in Mountain Brook, Alabama, to Las Vegas, and how the difficulties of that journey parallel the challenges of assembling a collection for the show.
Both, Bruno decided, involve the same sort of discipline--doing it each day, even when you don’t feel like it, because you can’t risk the work piling up--and involve working toward a set time and place for completion, albeit one would be physical while the other is metaphorical.
Couture is “daunting to the spirit of a creative person. It’s definitely putting your heart out there … all the stores and editors come to see it. It requires such an opening up of your insides as a creative person.”
And, she added, “You are definitely creating to a finish line.”
Given the parallels, Bruno decided to embark on the 1,913-mile journey from eastern Alabama to Las Vegas on March 1, which meant that in order to make it to the Wynn by June 2, she would have to log 20 miles every day--a nearly two-hour commitment--adding miles when she misses a day.
“That’s where it really gets tough,” she said. 
As of May 25, she was 1,803 miles into her journey, virtually cruising past Kingman, Arizona.
What Bruno has learned on her now nearly complete “Journey for Discovery” is what so many people (including myself as an avid runner) have come to know about exercise--that it is a great time for working through your thoughts.
It’s
helped her to reflect on key questions, like, what do I want from this Couture? And, even better, what do I want to feel like by the end of the show?
Bruno is a not a trained bench jeweler; Los Angeles-based bench jeweler Murat Uguz makes her pieces.
But she is a Julliard-trained pianist who grew up with a love for jewelry thanks to a very fashionable grandmother, something to which I can relate. She buys the gemstones and sketches out the designs herself and, like almost every other designer at the show, feels very personally invested in her line, which is named for her two sons.
“You can go into Couture and … allow yourself to get hurt or down. It’s a crazy competitive business. Or, you can go into it with the spirit of, ‘I want to build everybody up around me.’”
“That time exercising is definitely a thoughtful time,” she said. “You just work your stuff out on that bike.”
Admittedly, Bruno did not start her virtual journey with much of a social media plan in mind, which many would consider a faux pas in this age of (over)sharing. She used a hashtag, #roadtocouture, on that first post, and that was about it.
Along the way, though, Bruno, who does not have a personal Facebook or Instagram page, seems to have shed some of her social shyness (which is also something to which I can relate).
She’s posted about the #roadtocouture multiple times, allowing her 11,000 Instagram followers to track her journey west.
“You get to places in life where you are willing to be more open. It’s just the right place, right time, and that’s what it was for me,” she explained.
“It’s very much an opening up, if you will.”
Jordan Alexander is exhibiting with brand development agency For Future Reference at Couture, Booth #601 in the Lafite Ballroom.
Bruno is a not a trained bench jeweler; Los Angeles-based bench jeweler Murat Uguz makes her pieces.
But she is a Julliard-trained pianist who grew up with a love for jewelry thanks to a very fashionable grandmother, something to which I can relate. She buys the gemstones and sketches out the designs herself and, like almost every other designer at the show, feels very personally invested in her line, which is named for her two sons.
“You can go into Couture and … allow yourself to get hurt or down. It’s a crazy competitive business. Or, you can go into it with the spirit of, ‘I want to build everybody up around me.’”
“That time exercising is definitely a thoughtful time,” she said. “You just work your stuff out on that bike.”
Admittedly, Bruno did not start her virtual journey with much of a social media plan in mind, which many would consider a faux pas in this age of (over)sharing. She used a hashtag, #roadtocouture, on that first post, and that was about it.
Along the way, though, Bruno, who does not have a personal Facebook or Instagram page, seems to have shed some of her social shyness (which is also something to which I can relate).
She’s posted about the #roadtocouture multiple times, allowing her 11,000 Instagram followers to track her journey west.
“You get to places in life where you are willing to be more open. It’s just the right place, right time, and that’s what it was for me,” she explained.
“It’s very much an opening up, if you will.”
Jordan Alexander is exhibiting with brand development agency For Future Reference at Couture, Booth #601 in the Lafite Ballroom.
More on Editors
The Latest
MajorsApr 03, 2026
Saks Global Says It Will Emerge From Bankruptcy This SummerThe luxury retailer, which went Chapter 11 in January, announced Thursday that it has secured $500 million in exit financing.
Events & AwardsApr 03, 2026
JCK Luxury, NouvelleBox Partner on New Designer BallroomThe NouvelleBox ballroom will feature independent jewelry designers, including Lene Vibe, Wyld Box Jewelry, and Kiaia Limited.
Brought to you by
Protect Your Customers and Your BusinessYou deserve to know what you are selling–to protect your customers as well as your business and your reputation.
CollectionsApr 03, 2026
Buddha Mama Brings Its ‘Moon’ Locket To DallasThe one-of-a-kind locket, our Piece of the Week, opens to reveal three hidden images to keep close to your heart.
Weekly QuizApr 02, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
MajorsApr 02, 2026
Pandora Opens New Canadian Distribution Center Amid Tariff ConcernsThe new facility was also designed to better serve its growing customer base in Canada.
TrendsApr 02, 2026
Michelle Yeoh Fronts New Mikimoto Campaign The campaign is a tribute to the year 1893, when Kokichi Mikimoto created the world’s first cultured pearl.
Brought to you by
Is This You? Every Jeweler Has This Problem; We Have the Solution.Every jeweler faces the same challenge: helping customers protect what they love. Here’s the solution designed for today’s jewelry business.
GradingApr 02, 2026
GIA Debuts New Campus in TaiwanIt is the only GIA school to offer the GIA Graduate Gemologist program in Chinese.
MajorsApr 02, 2026
DCA Launches ‘Second Spark’ Workforce InitiativeThe initiative connects veterans and parents returning to the workforce with careers in jewelry retail.
MajorsApr 02, 2026
Hoover & Strong Names New National Sales RepresentativeThe wholesale manufacturer and precious metals refiner has appointed Michael Angelo as its new national sales representative.
MajorsApr 01, 2026
Foundrae Sues Pandora for Allegedly Copying Its Medallion DesignsFoundrae also accused the jewelry giant of copying its mood board style of marketing.
AuctionsApr 01, 2026
John Jacob Astor IV’s Titanic Pocket Watch Heads to AuctionA Patek Philippe for Tiffany & Co. timepiece owned by the American businessman who died on the Titanic will be offered at Freeman's Chicago.
SurveysApr 01, 2026
Consumers’ Outlook Improves Again in MarchThe Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index edged up, with optimism about the present outweighing worries about the future.
IndependentsApr 01, 2026
Zachary’s Jewelers’ Constance Polamalu to Release Children’s BookThe retailer’s Zach Bear gift comes to life in “Zach Bear and the Window Necklace,” which centers on curiosity, bravery, and helping.
Events & AwardsApr 01, 2026
AGA Opens 2026 Gemological Scholarship, Research Grant ApplicationsApplications are open for the AGA Gemological Scholarship Program through May 15, and until June 2027 for the Gemological Research Grant.
ColumnistsMar 31, 2026
Q1 Clues That Reveal Where Your Jewelry Store’s Sales Are Heading These customer behavior patterns say a lot about how successful your jewelry store is going to be this year, Emmanuel Raheb writes.
CollectionsMar 31, 2026
Mejuri Adds Silver to ‘Puzzle’ CollectionMejuri’s popular collection of 18-karat yellow gold vermeil rings debuted in sterling silver alongside new “Puzzle” slider charms.
CollectionsMar 31, 2026
Buddha Mama, Ashley Longshore to Host Pop-Up in DallasThe Miami-based jewelry brand and the NYC-based artist will be in Dallas from April 9-11.
SourcingMar 31, 2026
NDC Designates April 8 as 'World Diamond Day'The initiative invites those in the industry to share stories on social media highlighting the meaning and impact of natural diamonds.
SourcingMar 31, 2026
GIA VP Jillian Wolk to Take Over at Tracr Wolk’s first day on the job as CEO of Tracr, De Beers Group’s blockchain platform, will be May 1.
TrendsMar 30, 2026
Oscar Heyman Debuts First Spring CatalogThe new catalog, which showcases 35 one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry, is a compliment to the company’s popular holiday catalog.
SourcingMar 30, 2026
Rio Tinto Hauls Last Load from DiavikProduction has ceased at the Canadian diamond mine, which has yielded more than 150 million carats of rough diamonds in its 23-year run.
MajorsMar 30, 2026
Tanishq Opens First New England LocationThe store opening marks the 10th United States location for the India-based jewelry retailer.
MajorsMar 27, 2026
Saks Global Has Changed Its Mind About Closing These 3 StoresTwo Saks Fifth Avenue locations, one in Florida and one in California, and one Neiman Marcus store are off the chopping block.
IndependentsMar 27, 2026
Jimmy West, Longtime LJG Executive Director, Dies at 72West, who started in the art department at the Leading Jewelers Guild in 1979, is remembered for his patience, kindness, and dedication.
CollectionsMar 27, 2026
Itä’s ‘Yarí Whirl’ Ring Tells Every Side of the StoryIn the “Tesoro” version of the ring, our Piece of the Week, each side of the gold hexagonal nugget has a unique colored gemstone design.
