Allison Priebe, owner of Queen Bee. Photo courtesy of Gloss and Harbour.
Accessorizing some of the most powerful women in Washington is no small feat. Allison Priebe, the designer behind Queen Bee Designs, wants every woman to feel her most beautiful. We talked to the Queen Bee herself about how she helps women create their own buzz.
What would you say you like most about designing jewelry?
Women in Washington dress very conservatively and they allow their personality to be expressed through their jewelry, particularly. I have a very true statement that a woman creates a buzz when she wears jewelry from Queen Bee.
Can you remember the first time you saw one of your pieces on a politician?
My favorite memory is watching a congresswoman take all her new jewelry to the House floor and showing all the other female congresswomen what she had just bought and seeing that on C-SPAN. Ann Romney, when she voted for her husband [Mitt Romney], she was wearing her Queen Bee necklace. So, seeing her vote in Massachusetts and take to the polls and be so heavily photographed in her necklace, that was very cool. And Mrs. [Hillary] Clinton has been extremely supportive as has Mrs. [Nancy] Pelosi.
What is your favorite piece so far?
I do a really bold necklace called the “Free Form” which is, you know, kind of an homage to how I live my life, in a really fun and organic style and allows for versatility. So, we have necklaces that, you know, really pack a punch so it’s my statement necklaces that I’m really known for all around. There’s so many that are my favorite.
Where can we find Queen Bee pieces?
I do trunk shows all over the East Coast and I have a studio at my home in Alexandria, where I meet clients, and then I do these trunk shows all over. I try to do a seasonal pop-up during the holidays. We’re in the process of developing our new website.
Will customers be able to order pieces from your website?
Hopefully. A lot of the pieces are one of a kind or are limited edition, but we will have a signature collection where people will be able to order pieces online. Obviously we like for people to see the jewelry in person, but the website will give them an idea of Queen Bee style and the Queen Bee look.
Some of Queen Bee’s unique pieces on display. Photo courtesy of Allison Priebe.
What is your biggest source of inspiration?
The stones I work with. I love looking at these beautiful stones and thinking about how gorgeous the women are going to look when they wear our jewelry.
Priebe emphasizes that she wants every woman to feel and look her best: “Even though the clientele is literally the most powerful women in the world, I make every woman feel like a queen and that’s done through this jewelry.
I want every woman at every price range level to feel her very most beautiful. My price point starts at about $20 and go up to about $200 and sometimes people can’t believe how great my pricing is, but that’s just because it’s my philosophy. Truly every woman can create her own buzz wearing a piece of our jewelry. I love my clients. I love helping them feel and look their most beautiful.”
Queen Bee Design’s current pop-up location is 3690 King St. Alexandria, Va.
