BIO

LA-based jewelry designer Ariel Gordon Maffei launched her eponymous collection in 2009. After graduating summa cum laude from UCLA with a BA in English and Italian, Ariel produced red carpets events in Hollywood as a publicist. She began designing jewelry as an escape from the hectic pace of the PR world. When she decided to pursue jewelry design professionally, Ariel moved to San Francisco to learn the craft of metalsmithing and stone setting at the renowned Revere Academy. At Revere, she learned to translate her conceptual designs into timeless and unique jewelry pieces. After returning to Los Angeles, she further honed her design skills with famed-jewelry designer Maya Brenner.

Ariel's vision is to create simple jewelry that appeals to a variety of women, with the goal of creating jewelry that can transition well and be wardrobe staples, like a favorite pair of jeans or a trusted handbag. In these economic times a woman requires more versatility from her jewelry - a necklace has to work both when she goes out on a date Friday night and when she's at the Farmers Market on Sunday morning. Ariel often finds herself wearing the same necklace for months at a time and she strives to design jewelry for people like her... girls who don't change their jewelry everyday or with every outfit.

She is inspired by travel, blue skies, bright colors, and the inherent beauty of her raw materials. Using sterling silver and gold with semi-precious stones and diamonds, Ariel creates pieces that are modern, versatile, and chic with a hint of sexy femininity and bold individuality. Her designs are born from a love of adornment. In 2009, Ariel Gordon Jewelry was named the winner of ShopStyle's Emerging Designer contest. Her celebrity following includes Selena Gomez, Eva Longoria, Drew Barrymore, Jessica Biel, Renee Zellweger, Emily Blunt, Sophia Bush, Lauren Conrad, Claire Danes, Jessica Capshaw, Camila Alves, Tina Fey, Queen Latifah, and Audrina Patridge to name a few. Her work has been featured in the pages of Lucky, InStyle, Marie Claire, Elle, People Style Watch, Real Simple, The Wall St. Journal, Us Weekly, Self and In Touch as well as all over the blogoshpere.

All of Ariel's jewelry is handcrafted in Los Angeles where she lives with her husband, Alex. She sources her materials from reputable vendors and is committed to using conflict free stones.


{photo of Ariel c/o Denise Crew}