The New Hollywood Heirlooms: Inside LA’s Jewelry Renaissance
How LA’s Jewelry Renaissance Turned Into a Technicolor Movement in Modern Fine Jewelry
Image courtesy of Emily P. Wheeler, www.emilypwheeler.com
Los Angeles is rewriting the rules of fine jewelry.
For years, the city orbited around the big French houses. Everyone knew the language, the hierarchy, the expected markers of taste.
Then something shifted.
The new appetite in LA isn’t about legacy logos anymore. It’s about collectibility — pieces made in small numbers, shaped by designers who work instinctively, often by hand, and think in color rather than categories. Jewelry that feels discovered, not distributed. Pieces that don’t announce themselves so much as belong to the person wearing them.
It’s a different kind of luxury.
Not the kind backed by resale charts or heritage campaigns, but the kind that lives in the details — stone choices, unexpected palettes, shapes with a point of view. If you know, you know. And in LA, more people know than ever.
That shift has pushed a new set of designers to the forefront — creators who treat 18 karat gold like a medium, not a material, and see color as a signature rather than decoration. They’re shaping the moment in ways the big brands can’t mimic. Their pieces feel personal. Distinct. Recognizable from across a room.
Suzanne Kalan
Suzanne Kalan built her reputation on controlled disorder — those signature “firework” baguettes arranged in a way that looks spontaneous but is anything but. In person, the effect is sharper, brighter, and far more deliberate than photographs ever capture. Her pieces feel alive, almost kinetic, especially when she leans into color.
www.suzannekalan.com
The brand’s palette has become its own fingerprint. Rainbow sapphire stacks that shift in small, satisfying gradients. Emerald cuts sitting next to stones they technically shouldn’t complement, yet somehow do. Goldwork that never tries to overpower the gemstones but still holds its own.
One of a Kind Emerald-Cut White Diamond & Elongated Opal Doublet Mini Drop Earrings
$14,900
Kalan’s pieces are the ones people in LA tend to reach for without overthinking. They’re recognizably hers, unmistakably luxe, and built to be worn hard — the kind of jewelry that moves seamlessly from a morning coffee in Brentwood to a dinner in Beverly Hills without feeling out of place.
Kalan’s pieces tend to find their way to people who genuinely care about jewelry — the ones who notice color choices, who appreciate a sharp baguette line, who like pieces with a bit of attitude built into the gold. Her work doesn’t rely on a moment or a trend. It holds its own because it has a point of view. And in LA right now, that’s exactly what people are collecting.
Spinelli Kilcollin
Spinelli Kilcollin is one of the rare brands that introduced a design so distinctive it became a signature almost instantly. The multi-band ring — separate bands linked by small gold connectors — felt new the moment it appeared. Not experimental. Not eccentric. Just new in a way the industry immediately recognized.
www.spinellikilcollin.com
That silhouette is now part of the modern jewelry vocabulary. You see it and you know exactly who made it.
Chloe Vert
$19,900
What keeps people drawn to the brand is how refined the design actually is. The weight of the gold, the way the bands settle against each other, the balance of structure and ease — it all comes together with a kind of unforced precision. The colorwork only heightens it. Sapphire gradients that seem to shift with the hand. Diamond patterns that read crisp without ever feeling rigid.
These are pieces chosen by people who appreciate design that isn’t trying to perform. Rings with real presence, built in a way that settles naturally into someone’s personal style. You can spot a Spinelli piece across a room, but it never feels like it’s asking for attention. It just holds its ground.
Jacquie Aiche
Jacquie Aiche has a way of designing pieces that feel unmistakably hers. The shapes are original, the settings are slightly unexpected, and her use of color is confident without being overwhelming. She chooses gemstones that look alive — turquoise with real depth, tourmaline in rich greens and pinks, diamonds that add just enough light.
www.jacquieaiche.com
What makes her work stand out is how naturally it sits on the body. The pieces look luxurious, but they never feel formal or delicate in the fussy sense. They have an ease to them, the kind of comfort that usually comes only with pieces someone has owned for years. Hers feel like that from day one.
Oval Apatite Sophia Bezel Necklace
$6,075
It’s this combination — distinctive design, saturated color, and an effortless feel — that gives her jewelry its pull. People choose her pieces because they’re beautiful, but they keep wearing them because they fit into their life without any adjustment. It’s luxury that behaves like a second skin.
SHAY Jewelry
Shay Jewelry has a very clear design identity. Their pieces lean strong — solid gold, defined silhouettes, and gemstones chosen for depth and tone. It’s the kind of jewelry that stands out without feeling showy. You see one of their rings and you know exactly what it is.
www.shayjewelry.com
Color is a major part of their language. Their emeralds have that deep, almost cool intensity. Their sapphires hold their saturation even in softer light. The stones aren’t added for decoration; they’re the center of the composition, and the gold is built around them.
Pink Sapphire Pave Baguette Drop Earrings
$6,500
What makes Shay interesting in the LA landscape is how naturally the pieces hold their place in a look. One ring or bracelet is enough. Everything feels intentional, but not precious in a way that limits how or when you wear it. The designs have presence, shape, and a certain directness that always photographs well.
Emily P. Wheeler
Emily P. Wheeler approaches color like it’s a language she’s always spoken. Her pairings feel intuitive — vivid stones placed next to softer tones, unexpected palettes that somehow fall perfectly into place. The choices never read as experimental; they read as confident, refined, and unmistakably hers.
www.emilypwheeler.com
Her design work is striking because it’s so clearly guided by instinct. The shapes feel sculpted, the proportions deliberate, and the overall composition carries a polished sort of originality. You can see the thought behind every line, but nothing about it feels overworked.
The Emerald Kiss Ring with a signature ombré pave diamond twist shank by Emily P. Wheeler
What draws people to her pieces is the sense of individuality they hold. Each design feels like a singular idea — something you recognize the moment you see it. They don’t echo anything else in the market, and they don’t lean on trend cycles for relevance. They simply stand out.
Tri Tubogas Bracelet
$16,000
There’s a very particular charm in wearing her work. You put it on and it feels distinct, like a piece that exists in its own category. Color, shape, and character — all working together in a way that feels intentional and truly one-of-a-kind.
Jenna Blake
Jenna Blake designs have a very particular charm — bold without being loud, colorful without tipping into novelty. Her pieces are instantly recognizable because she treats gemstones with a sense of purpose. Every stone feels chosen for its character, not just its hue, and the combinations she builds often look like they were meant to sit together from the start.
www.jennablake.com
Her silhouettes are part of what makes her work so memorable. Rounded edges, polished curves, and settings that give the gems room to hold their own. There’s a sculptural quality to the way she assembles color, almost like she’s arranging objects rather than traditional stones. The result is jewelry that feels fresh, polished, and unmistakably hers.
Pear Shaped Everything Huggies
$12,800
Collectors gravitate toward her pieces because they have personality. They’re the kind of designs you put on and immediately understand — strong color, thoughtful construction, and a playful sensibility that still feels grounded in fine craftsmanship. You notice the details, but you also notice how the whole piece comes together.
Her work has that rare quality where each piece feels singular. Not “statement” for the sake of impact, but genuinely distinctive. The kind of jewelry people reach for when they want something bright, refined, and entirely their own.
What links these designers isn’t a shared aesthetic — it’s the caliber of what they create. Their pieces feel singular from the moment you see them. Strong color. Thoughtful construction. Gemstones selected for character as much as brilliance. Gold shaped with a clear hand, not a template. They aren’t producing accessories; they’re producing objects with identity.
This is the direction fine jewelry is moving toward right now. Not toward trend cycles or familiar status symbols, but toward pieces that hold their own as personal artifacts — the kind you reach for because they express something about you, not about the market.
And that’s what makes their work so compelling. These designs aren’t meant to blend into a collection. They’re meant to be kept, passed on, remembered. They have presence. They hold their shape in memory as much as on the body.
Call them future heirlooms if you want, but they already carry that energy:
one-of-a-kind pieces built with remarkable materials and a distinct point of view — jewelry created by people who know exactly what they want to say through their work.
They’re the pieces that feel just as striking years from now as the day they were chosen.
