Rona confessed to me that having worked as a film and television agent for most of her career, she had no background in jewelry design, which comes as a complete surprise since all of her luxe creations are handcrafted by her. Rona explains that she first got the itch to start designing after watching her six-year-old daughter make keychains out of beads from a craft store. “I thought to myself, if a little girl can do this, so can I.”
She decided to get in on the creative process and ended up producing a few ornate pieces that landed at Barneys. Soon enough, celebrity clients started asking Rona for custom-designed jewelry for personal and red carpet events. Today, Rona is seen as one of Hollywood’s top luxury jewelry designers, having made pieces for Jessica Capshaw, Ginnifer Goodwin, and most recently collaborated with costume designer Colleen Atwood as the exclusive jewelry designer for Dark Shadows, Tim Burton’s new film starring Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer, due out in May. Almost all of the ornate jewelry that Michelle Pfeiffer (Rona’s sister-in-law) wears in the film is Rona’s. Rona tells me that working with Colleen was a huge turn of inspiration for her line, and really influenced her work.
While Rona Pfeiffer’s exquisite pieces are opulent and beautiful, there is a vintage quality that is also a bit dark and semi-gothic. “Edgy” is how Rona likes to describe her work, which figures into her future plans of collaborating with fashion designers. Rona tells me that she would love to work with Margiela, Ann Demeulemeester, or Rick Owens as she feels that her line is perfectly in sync with their edgier fashion.
In New York, Rona Pfeiffer is sold exclusively at Elizabeth Charles. In California, Rona Pfeiffer is currently sold at Elizabeth Charles in San Francisco and Newport Beach, Fred Segal Couture in Santa Monica, and in the Palo Alto store. Jewelry prices start at $400 (certain bracelets) and the most expensive piece is a $29,000 necklace. You can purchase Rona Pfeiffer’s striking pieces online at Elizabeth Charles.
Rona’s favorite pieces.
