The M Jewelers Is Branching Out of NYC With Its First LA Store
It’s the second storefront for the popular nameplate jewelry brand.

Earlier this month, the New York City-headquartered brand opened the doors to its first retail store outside of the city, located in West Hollywood, California on Melrose Avenue.
“L.A. has been our second-biggest market for a few years now,” founder Mark Shami said. “We wanted to bring a piece of New York here and give our customers what we think is our best store experience yet.”
The M Jewelers’ first storefront was in New York City’s Diamond District for eight years, but in January 2022, it opened a more customer-friendly space downtown in the Nolita neighborhood.
The go-to brand for nameplates among millennial and Gen Z consumers mixes old school jewelry-making expertise with new school branding and marketing.
Shami was born into the jewelry business. His father operated a store in the Diamond District for more than 30 years.
“I spent a lot of my childhood and teenage years helping my father at his store on the weekends,” alongside his twin sister, he told National Jeweler.

He went on to work at the store full time, dreaming up his own company along the way.
“I built The M Jewelers on my laptop while working there. I learned a lot of the skills I still use to this day while working in the Diamond District.”
Shami’s father made nameplate necklace for decades.
“It was one of the first processes I learned and loved to make,” he said. “I would make them for a lot of friends.”
Nameplates have enjoyed moments of prominence as trends cycle in and out—think the “Carrie” necklace of the 1990s made famous on “Sex and The City,” or the style’s current ubiquity—but Shami insists the style is timeless.
“I look at them as heirlooms,” he said. “My twin sister has name jewelry that was passed down from my grandmother.”
Most of The M Jewelers’ products are crafted in sterling silver, with or without gold plating, but 14-karat gold pieces make up about 30 percent of the business.
Attainability is part of the company’s appeal, as are its partnerships.
Shami wears a diamond and 14-karat gold nameplate with his last name on it daily, plus a New York Yankees pendant that is part of a collaboration with Major League Baseball.

Other collaborations have included projects with Nike, Kith, and New York or Nowhere.
The brand’s DNA is quintessential New York, and even as it branches out, production will remain in New York City, with chains sourced from Italy.
“We’ve tried to preserve the process as much as possible. [Nameplates] take time and always will, but we’re always looking for ways to improve speed and quality, especially with a heavy-volume business.”
The M Jewelers West Hollywood store is open now.
The brand is looking even further afield with its next retail location, set to open in Tokyo in November.
The Latest

Lichtenberg partnered with luxury platform Mytheresa on two designs honoring the connection between mothers and daughters.

The miner announced plans to recommence open-pit mining at Kagem.

Michel Desalles allegedly murdered Omid Gholian inside World of Gold N Diamond using zip ties and then fled the country.

Gain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.

Associate Editor Lauren McLemore shares her favorite looks from a night of style inspired by Black dandyism.


Sponsored by Instappraise

CEO Beth Gerstein discussed the company’s bridal bestsellers, the potential impact of tariffs, and the rising price of gold.

Supplier Spotlight Sponsored by GIA

Cathy Marsh will lead the jewelry company’s efforts in the upper Midwest and western United States.

The company has multiple strategies for dealing with tariffs, though its CEO said moving manufacturing to the U.S. is not one of them.

Connecting with your customers throughout the year is key to a successful holiday marketing push.

Its commercial-quality emerald sale held last month totaled more than $16 million, up from about $11 million in September 2024.

National Jeweler Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff joined Michael Burpoe to talk tariffs, consumer confidence, and the sky-high price of gold.

Designer Lauren Harwell Godfrey made the piece as an homage to the 2025 gala’s theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”

Expanded this year to include suppliers, JA’s 2025 list honors 40 up-and-coming professionals in the jewelry industry.

Located in Fort Smith, it’s the Mid-South jeweler’s first store in Northwest Arkansas.

The episode about the family-owned jeweler will premiere May 17.

The Houston-based jeweler’s new 11,000-square-foot showroom will include a Rolex boutique.

The turquoise and diamond tiara hasn’t been on the market since it was purchased by Lord Astor in 1930.

“The Duke Diamond” is the largest diamond registered at the Arkansas park so far this year.

The childhood craft of making dried pasta necklaces for Mother’s Day is all grown up as the 14-karat gold “Forever Macaroni” necklace.

Set with May’s birthstone and featuring an earthworm, this ring is a perfect celebration of spring.

“Bridal 2025–2026” includes popular styles and a dedicated section for quick pricing references of lab-grown diamond bridal jewelry.

Though currently paused, high tariffs threaten many countries where gemstones are mined. Dealers are taking measures now to prepare.

Located in Miami’s Design District, the 4,000-square-foot store is an homage to David and Sybil Yurman’s artistic roots.

May babies are lucky indeed, born in a month awash with fresh colors and celebrated with one of the most coveted colored gemstones.

The deadline to apply for the Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship is June 12.