While other children were playing with Etch-A-Sketch and Color Forms, drawing shapes and fiddling with naïve motifs, Susan Novogrodzki was expressing herself with gold wire and precious gems, pretending to make her own jewelry in her father's factory on 47th Street. "Jewelry is part of my heritage, I grew up surrounded by it. From a very early age, I loved spending my free time going to work with my father and watching him and his craftsman. I was constantly touching all of the metals and making shapes out of the wire," explains Susan whose collection Susan N Blake has garnered a successful and loyal following among retailers and consumers alike.

The philosophy behind the Susan N Blake jewelry collection combines Susan's background of old-world craftsmanship and her inherent artistic sensibility with her views on what today's women want to own. In describing her collection, Susan explains, "It's all about creating jewelry that women can wear at all times of the day and for the various facets of their lives. I strive for simplicity even when I'm working with different motifs so the pieces never look overly designed," she continues. "I also think that women today feel much more comfortable purchasing jewelry for themselves then ever before. And, I've worked specifically on developing a collection that's affordable for the independent woman."

The Susan N Blake collection is synonymous with streamlined yet sensual shapes that exude a nonchalant elegance and contemporary femininity. "For example, when I'm working with tribal shapes, I translate this concept into clean silhouettes with touches of diamonds that offer an original twist, yet are still versatile and extremely understandable and beautiful for work, play and evening occasions. I'm not into the trends of the moment. Although I do take current direction in fashion, culture and lifestyle into consideration, I want my customers to be able to wear the jewelry today as well as in five to ten years from now."

Susan's distinctive point of view about jewelry has been evolving ever since her youth. "My parents are from Argentina and came to New York approximately forty years ago. They moved to directly to Brooklyn without speaking a word of English. But my father was trained as a bench jeweler in his native country and after only two years, he not only learned English but also the language of jewelry that would appeal to a global audience. He came up with a concept for the internationally renowned jewelry house, Tiffany & Co. His sister brought it over to the New York headquarters; they loved it and it has been exclusive to them ever since. I am still carrying on the tradition and producing and selling to them today."

Prior to joining her father's company, Susan wanted to "earn her own way" and joined Joan Michilin Gallery when she was age nineteen through twenty-one. She traveled the country as a salesperson and did trunk shows gaining insight into what women related and responded to in different areas of the US.

"It was a great learning experience and when I'm designing for my own collection, this is always on my mind: how women perceive themselves and want to express themselves through jewelry," says Susan.

After two years, she left her position and she joined the family company, which provided her with an even deeper understanding and breadth of knowledge in every aspect of fine jewelry.

Six years ago, she teamed up with her brother Mario and launched Stefan Blake (Stephan being Susan's nephew's first name and Blake being her daughter's name). In January 2007, both Susan and Mario decided to venture out on their own. She launched the Susan N Blake collection, which is named after her and her daughter.

Susan has updated her family's factory where she produces the entire Susan N Blake collection. Her commitment and vision has already met with success. "My retailers remained loyal and immediately bought into my new collection and it's already witnessed a strong sell through with consumers."

Blake is eleven years old and loves to go to work with Susan. "She gives me ideas and doodles various motifs and shapes for me. She is also very clear about what she likes and what she doesn't," Susan affectionately explains. "She's already developing her own very specific tastes. Certain traits are inherited and passed down from one generation to the next. While I'm not sure if she will carry on the family tradition or join me in the business, she definitely reminds me of myself when I was her age and is already showing signs of our heritage."