Los Angeles, Calif. (November 1, 2022) – Charm necklaces can be beautiful jewelry by themselves, yet many hold intimate meaning for the wearer. The initials of a family, symbols of a connection or spiritual belief. Celebrity jeweler Maya Brenner knows that charm necklaces can tell a story, and with the launch of her new collection, she’s captured the personal reflections of more than a dozen Los Angeles women who inspire her.
The new charms are anchored in 14k yellow, rose and white gold. Then there are the charms: Angel Wing, Cross, Hamsa, Moon, Ohm, Paw, Recovery, and Star of David. Single charm necklaces start at $265 and these charms can be added to previously purchased necklaces.
New collection debuts November 1st on mayabrenner.com before heading to retail.
Bringing these charms to life, a video and photo shoot took place on October 6th, 7th, and 11th with a diverse group of 20 Los Angeles-based women sharing their stories with Maya. The photos and videos can be seen on Maya Brenner’s social platforms – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest – as well as the company’s website.
The 20 L.A. women (and their Instagram handles) include:
- Ellen Bennett (@EllenMarieBennett) – Ellen went to culinary school in Mexico City at the age of 18 and came back to LA to cook in some of the city’s best kitchens. After noticing a hole in the market for quality aprons she started her company Hedley & Bennett. Maya and Dustin attended Ellen’s vibrant 2019 wedding in Mexico City. Her bridal party included Joy Cho, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Chef Daniela Soto-Innes. Ellen and husband Casey welcomed son Nico in 2021. Ellen owns a letter necklace already and is getting a Star of David.
- Justina Blakeney (@theJungalow) – Berkley born designer and the founder of the blog Jungalow. She’s collaborated with many retailers such as Anthropologie and Target to create lines of furniture and housewares that fly off the shelves. She has a daughter named Ida Sky with her husband Jason. She is getting an opal, I, J, Hamsa, Emerald necklace.
- Boni Bryant + Samantha Hanks (@BoniBryant) – Boni is a Los Angeles-based realtor who helped Maya find her Silver Lake sanctuary. Her daughter Samantha is married to actor and son of Tom Hanks, Colin Hanks. They have been wearing Maya’s designs for years but both are receiving their first letter necklace. Boni is getting an OC necklace to represent her grandchildren Olivia and Charlotte and Samantha will be getting her initials SBH with a diamond.
- Joy Cho (@OhJoy) – Joy is a blogger, designer and influencer. With over 11,000,000 followers, she has the #1 most-followed Pinterest account. She has two daughters, Ruby and Coco. Her husband Bobby is a pediatric doctor at Shriner’s Children’s hospital. She’s had our necklace for a long time and will be layering a new dog paw necklace in honor of her dog Sticky Rice. As a cat person, Joy was skeptical but fell in love shortly after getting the dog.
- Katie Duplass (@katieaseltonduplass) – Kathryn Aselton is an American actress, film director and producer. She has two children, Ora and Molly, with her husband, actor and director, Mark Duplass. She owns many MB pieces and she is getting a 3 birthstone necklace with the birthstones tanzanite (Ora’s birthday), diamond (Molly’s birthday) and turquoise (Mark’s birthday).
- Kira Groneveldt (@Kiragro) – Kira has been best friends with Maya since their childhood in Oakland. After suffering the loss of a child, Dahlia, she and her husband considered giving up on having a family. However, made a decision to foster a young girl, Evangeline, and quickly fell in love wither her. Shortly after they adopted her younger sister Lola. She is getting a D E L necklace to represent both of her living daughters and the one who passed away.
- Liz Hernandez + sister (@LizHernandez) – Liz is a former E! and Access Hollywood host. After leaving Access Hollywood, Liz recently started her own company, Wordaful, with the message that “words are powerful.” She posts videos on the Wordaful channel and hosts live events. She has a letter L that she never takes off and her sister who is joining her on the shoot has a letter A.
- Jaclyn Johnson (@Jaclynrjohnson) – Jaclyn Johnson created her career. A powerhouse entrepreneur, by the time she was 28, Johnson had sold her first business, (No Subject), invested in multiple female-owned startups and launched her second multi-million dollar company, Create & Cultivate. She will be getting a necklace with the name Noah spelled out in letters for her sweet pup who recently crossed the rainbow bridge.
- Joan Kimmel – Mother to late-night talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel and grandmother of 8. Joan met Maya in 2017 when she reached out to request a letter be added to her necklace for her grandson William who was born with a heart defect and required emergency surgery. Maya quickly did this on site as Joan felt like it would be a good omen to had him represented on her necklace. She will be adding a heart to her 8 letter necklace.
- Melissa Magsaysay (@melissamagsaysay) – Melissa spent a decade as a reporter and editor at the Los Angeles Times and Women’s Wear Daily and continues to contribute to The Los Angeles Times, Business of Fashion and The Hollywood Reporter. She is the founder of I am a Voter and serves on the Council of The Little Market. She is getting a three letter necklace with the letter M (Melissa) C (Cory her husband) and M (Miles her son).
- Catherine McCord (@weelicious) – Catherine McCord is a former model, actress, and television program hostess. She is the founder of Weelicious, One Potato and is the author of multiple cookbooks. She has 3 kids, Kenya, Chloe and Gemma, with her husband Jonathan. She and Maya have been friends for years and she owns tons of MB pieces. She is joined on the shoot by her Mother-in-Law who also wears MB always.
- Grasie Mercedes (@GrasieMercedes) – Grasie is an Afro-Latina actress, writer, filmmaker and podcast host from NYC currently residing in Los Angeles, CA. She began her career at MTV Networks as a producer. She is currently portraying the role of Fay in the NBC comedy Ground Crew. She is a getting a birthstone and cross necklace.
- Kelly Mindell (@StudioDiy) – Kelly is a Los Angeles based blogger and designer known for her colorful flair and DIY prowess. She has one son named Arlo whom she adopted with her photographer husband Jeff Mindell. She is an outspoken advocate for causes that she believes in.
- Laura ODell (@TheOdellsMama) – Laura ODell is a clothing designer and founder of the clothing line Porridge and The ODells. She has three children (Sean, Ian and Layla) with her husband and business partner Jason. She owns a 4 letter necklace already and is adding a dog paw for her pup Jolene.
- Khatira Rafiqzada (@LifeAndBread) – Khatira is an Afghan-American activist and mother. She is involved with Alliance of Moms and many more charities throughout Los Angeles. She is passionate about food, travel and hip hop. She has two children with actor husband Michael Ealy. She is getting a necklace with 4 birthstones to represent her family and a Recovery symbol in the center for her personal journey.
- Sophia Rossi (@Rivfifi) – Sophia started her career as a producer for MTV’s The Hills, The City, and then FOX’s Glee. When Sophia met Zooey Deschanel (HelloGiggles co-founder) they created a media company focused on a positive space for women. She is getting a Star of David, S, Heart, N necklace.
- Lindsay Sloane (@LindsaySloaneYup) – Lindsay is an actress known for playing Valerie Birkhead on Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Emily in The Odd Couple. She has also starred in films such as Bring It On. She has one daughter with her husband Dar Williams. She has tons of MB pieces that she wears daily.
- Julia Walck (@JuliaWalck) – Julia is a Los Angeles-based artist who worked with Maya on a Society6 collaboration. She was recently married to husband Jackson. She is getting a Moon, Pink Tourmaline, Aqua, Star and Citrine necklace.
- Constance Zimmer (@ConstanceZimmer) – Constance Alice Zimmer is an American actress. She rose to prominence for playing Dana Gordon in the television series Entourage and Claire Simms in the television series Boston Legal. She went on to appear in many television series, notably Love Bites and House of Cards. She has one daughter, Colette, with her husband Russ Lamoureux. She has worn Maya’s jewelry for years and is getting a garnet, opal and Hamsa.
“Jewelry can express so much, including meaningful personal stories, which is why I’m thrilled that these fabulous women have all shared theirs – from struggles to successes, significant moments to life milestones – helping us all reflect on our own stories,” said Brenner.