You wouldn't necessarily expect to find an artsy loft, reminiscent of a site in New York's Soho or Paris' Le Marais, at 1033A Smith St. Parts of Smith Street are downright seedy, with corner drug deals going down and friendly drunks wrapped around light posts.

Walk up the narrow staircase on the makai side of Eternal Tattoo Parlor, with its Sweeney Todd-looking chair in the window, and you'll find the airy lair of three talented artists.

Coral Loft is the new studio housing jewelry designers Jennifer Binney and Jason Dow, and fashion designer Gina Davidson.

THE FRIENDSHIP

Binney and Davidson have been "friends forever" they said in unison — 13 years, to be exact. The two women have been close through numerous life passages, boyfriends, and now, happy marriages. They coached each other during the home births of their daughters (Rella Binney, age 1 1/2, and Marley Davidson, age 4 months) and now they baby-sit for each other.

As if those were not enough bonds, "Gina is my muse," said Binney, and it goes both ways.

The friendship often takes a practical turn. After Binney's daughter was born, Davidson learned why metal zippers are not a good idea for an infant or toddler's hoodie, as she designed for the children's clothing line, Coral & Polyp.

Meanwhile as Binney designs her Hinu Jewelry line, Davidson has "infinite ideas" for that.

It's not unusual for Binney and Davidson to finish each other's sentences — or even thoughts.

Now, Dow has become equally simpatico with his two loft partners. The jeweler, founder of Jason Dow Jewelry, even created custom wedding rings for both Binney and Davidson.

"I found the perfect guy that's not my husband," Binney said happily of Dow. And the way Dow handles two nursing mothers, their young and active daughters and even a little rascal of a dog is remarkable.

Although a bachelor, Dow has the understanding, empathy and compassion of a father/husband/best friend all in one.

No, the husbands are not jealous. In fact, they are both intimately involved with Coral Loft. They did all the demolition, construction and finishing of the loft, which needed a lot of work.

Binney's husband, Peter, hammers all of the personalized discs for her jewelry, while Davidson's husband, Craig, is Binney's shell diver.

"We thought, wouldn't it be fun if we worked in the same place and could just gush about each other's work and be creative together," Jennifer Binney said.

THE LOCATION

Once the three friends decided to "move in together," they decided the location had to be a loft in Chinatown.

Binney has lived in New York City, and she compared Chinatown's vibe to that of Soho or TriBeCa. "It opens up a different part of your brain," Gina Davidson said. "Things are happening here."

"Yeah, we need more creative people moving in to add to the mix," Dow said.

"We like the multigenerational feel in Chinatown; there's a mix of college students, senior citizens, artists and galleries, and now us," Binney said, with a broad gesture and big grin.

"No longer do you have to be in New York or L.A. to be fashionable. It's all here. And it's so great that everyone's starting to come back," Davidson said, referring to the recent influx of Hawai'i "kids" who went away to college or work and stayed away for five to 10 years, then decided to return home.

While the loft is unquestionably a working space for the three artists, they also hope to make it a place where emerging designers can come to show their collections. "We have a lot to contribute to other designers and artists," Binney said.

For example, last month they held a trunk show for Kealopiko Designs, a line of fashion-forward T-shirts with a spiritual or 'aina-related Hawaiian message.

"We want our place to be a feeding ground for other people," where they can bring their own creative products and share them with the world," said Binney. The triumvirate plans to offer emerging designers the loft space for trunk shows, art shows and runway shows.

HINU JEWELRY

Jennifer Binney first introduced her line of jewelry, called Hinu, (meaning "smooth and polished" or "lustrous"), about six years ago. At first, Hinu was made of "whatever I could afford," Binney said — mainly silver wire and shells. "I was always inspired by the ocean and wanderlust; I love just finding things and making them into something to wear."

Hinu has struck a chord with celebrities, and it was L.A. that really gave Binney her start. Hinu jewelry has been worn by models in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue for two years in a row and will be again this year, as well as in Elle and People magazines.

After a great deal of success with Hinu's whimsical, bohemian vibe (it's now sold in more than 350 boutiques around the world, including L.A., New York, Paris, London and Tokyo) Binney was ready to graduate to a more sophisticated, and higher-end, line of jewelry. She had "tons of ideas" for designs that required materials and skills beyond her budget and physical abilities.

Enter Dow and his computer-assisted design, with which he can build models and molds.

Binney calls the work Dow does on the CAD "a wax mold no human hand could carve."

A friend told her about Dow, and they met in a Starbucks. She gave him five designs to cast. "They were done in a week; I was so blown away," Binney said.

That was the beginning of a friendship, and the first inkling of a partnership.

Hinu, $100 to $2,000, is sold locally at Aloha Rag on Kapi'olani and Cupcake Boutique in Ward Centre.

JASON DOW JEWELRY

Dow did not set out to be a jewelry designer. The Colorado-bred man majored in biology and fine art (sculpture was his area of focus) at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa and went on to dental school in Colorado. "I decided pretty quickly that was not for me," Dow said. Instead, he attended the Gemological Institute of America in San Diego and became a graduate jeweler.

Dow returned to Hawai'i "because I loved everything about it," he said — especially surfing. He got a job at Maui Divers and "learned everything about manufacturing for three years," working his way up to senior designer and goldsmith. "It was ideal. I got a lot of practice. It's nice to practice on someone else's dollar."

Now on his own for a year, Dow is the first independent jewelry designer in Hawai'i to have a CAD system, enabling him to make 3-D prototypes. (Maui Divers and Na Hoku each have their own systems.) He does mainly custom work, creating models on his machines that enable clients to easily imagine their final pieces.

His Lotus 8 line has a sophisticated, delicate, subtle and elegant aesthetic incorporating gold and diamonds. It's the kind of jewelry a woman hopes to be surprised with on Valentine's Day.

While his passion is in personalized design, Dow anticipates his bread and butter will be helping other designers make molds of their designs.

Lotus 8, $300 to $8,000, is sold exclusively at Coral Loft.

CORAL & POLYP

Davidson and Binney are partners in Coral & Polyp, a line of children's clothing. Davidson has seven years in the L.A. fashion industry, all on "triple overtime," she said with a laugh. Her Lacy J T-shirts were a favorite with celebrities and socialites: Cameron Diaz bought them by the dozen, and Kelly Clarkson wore a Lacy J on a CD cover.

Davidson learned all there was to learn about the design and manufacture of fashion T-shirts, and that hard-earned knowledge is now being put to use in the cuddly children's clothing line.

"Everything we adore ourselves, we did for kids," Davidson said. The precious little T-shirts, hoodies and shorts are made of the softest 100 percent cotton. Style details include unfinished seams as well as sugar glitter, patina studs, foil, appliques and hand-stitched trims.

The line emphasizes positive messages for children: "Reduce. Reuse. Recycle," "Ocean Love," "Live, love, laugh" and "Sand, sea, surf."

Davidson also runs a thriving private label T-shirt company. Among her clients are 88 Tees and Kealopiko.

Coral & Polyp, $15 to $35 is sold in Cupcake Boutique in Ward Centre, Baby Shower in Kailua and Kahala Kids in Kahala Mall.

Reach Paula Rath at paularath@aol.com.

Make a difference. Donate to The Advertiser Christmas Fund.