Grand Opening Party For Jewel Of Laguna Set For Saturday, July 17

LAGUNA BEACH, CA—A grand-opening party for Jewel of Laguna, a new design collective at 1294 S. Coast Highway, will take place Saturday, July 17, from 4 to 9 p.m. Expect live music, nibbles, beverages—including a jalapeno-tequila punch (wow!)—and a raffle. All weekend, jewelry will be discounted by 10 percent.

The retail location has been an art gallery for numerous incarnations, and the walls continue to offer original artwork for sale in addition to the jewelry. Expect a range of price points, starting at $50.

The handcrafted pieces inspire the oceanic vibe reflected in the shop’s window display and logo.

Seascapes and nature scenes are evoked with semi-precious stones, gold and silver of the handcrafted pieces. The designers’ inspiration hails from all over the globe, incorporating Japanese glass beads and nomadic knotting techniques.

Proprietor Misti Kessler Martin’s own line, Mystical Madness, is carried by museum shops and galleries worldwide. Until recently, she created the mixed-metal adornments with a geometric flow in an 1800-square-foot space in Santa Ana. But just as the pandemic ended, her landlord jacked up the rent so much she knew she’d have to relocate.

In contemplating her next move, Misti said she kept thinking of summer 2019 when she ran a pop-up in Aspen, Colorado. There, she curated a collection of artisan jewelers, all friends for decades, who met year after year at the annual Tucson Gem & Mineral Show.

Why not do the same in Laguna?

She has lived in town for about 15 years. And she spent much of her childhood in Laguna with her grandparents, who owned Navajo Trading in the 1970s. That shop was on Coast Highway, not far from the original European Optical location, and the shopkeepers were friends.

Things have come full circle, as Jewel of Laguna is adjacent to European Optical's new locale, and the current generation of shop runners/designers are friends, as well.

A sampling of the other jewelry makers includes Amber Beata, known for Baltic amber in 3D.

Designer Kirra Lien is influenced by traditional metal crafts of global cultures and by her jeweler grandmother.

Wolfgang Vaatz, Misti explains, sculpts silver and layers on gold to create subtle arboreal scenes.

Mariella Pilato's work is both edgy and elegant.

ITHIL, an Israeli who works in metals, creates rings that actually spin. Spinner rings must be animated by hand, which can be a meditative practice. Many people attribute the original inspiration for the spinners to Tibetan prayer wheels.

There is so much more to see. The party is a great time to check it out.