These Designers and Retailers Are Raising Money for LA Wildfire Relief
From raffles to auctions to donations, the industry is working to aid charities in Los Angeles amid the raging wildfires.
These 15 mm yellow gold and diamond hoops from Ophelia Eve jewelry were one of the pieces donated for the “Jewelers Unite for SoCal Fire Relief” online auction, which will benefit the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s SoCal Fire Fund.
Editor’s note: Originally published under the headline, “Harwell Godfrey, Stephanie Gottlieb Are Raising Money for LA Wildfire Relief,” this story is being updated on a rolling basis as new initiatives to aid the victims of the Los Angeles wildfires emerge.
Los Angeles—As Southern California faces raging wildfires, retailers, designers and other jewelry companies are stepping up to lend a helping hand.
The Palisades Fire broke out the morning of Jan. 7 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles and has continued to burn, destroying more than 23,000 acres.
It is one of several fires that have ravaged Southern California this month, killing at least 28 people.
As the tragedy continues to unfold, jewelry brands, designers, and companies, many of which are based in L.A., are stepping up to help.
Beth Yorn of Elisabeth Bell Jewelry, Kayla Rose of Roseark, and Brooke Borisoff of jewelry consultancy The Tray teamed up to gather donations of fine jewelry for an online charity auction, with 100 percent of the net proceeds going to the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s SoCal Fire Fund.
Called “Jewelers Unite for SoCal Fire Relief,” the auction will go live at 9 a.m. PST today and includes jewelry from more than 65 designers, including Brent Neale, Melissa Kaye, Established Jewelry, and Communion by Joy.
Jewels by Grace and Mia Moross Fine Jewelry have assembled about 100 pieces of jewelry from more than 40 dealers, designers, and wholesalers that will be put up for auction, starting today.
Over the course of a week (Jan. 24-31), the pieces will be posted to @jewelsbygrace and available to bid on for a 24-hour period.
The goal is to raise $250,000 to benefit the families rebuilding in Altadena, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Foundation, and the incarcerated firefighters, who are getting paid very little to put their lives on the line.
To see each piece and bid, visit @jewelsbygrace on Instagram.
Luxury lab-grown diamond brand Jean Dousett is raffling off an 11-carat “Olivia” tennis necklace in platinum (valued at more than $10,000) to benefit the California Fire Foundation.
Raffle tickets are available on the Jean Dousett website. They are $20 each and there is no limit to how many one person can purchase.
On Feb. 1, William Wood, a watch brand based in London, will auction off its “Fire Exit” watch in red and white (the colors of fire exit signs in the United States) to benefit the LAFD Foundation.
Brand founder Jonny Garrett said, “As a watchmaker that represents firefighters and was created in honor of my late grandfather, who was a firefighter for 25 years, we have a duty to give back to our brothers and sisters in Los Angeles who are suffering from these devastating fires.
“We hope to raise a commendable sum for those in need with our beautiful, one-of-a-kind watch made from upcycled firefighter equipment.”
New York-based retailer Stone and Strand announced via Instagram that it had assembled a $10,000 fund to help customers who lost jewelry in the fire replace their Stone and Strand pieces; customers are asked to fill out this form to get a replacement.
“Our thoughts are with you, and we are here to support you during this incredibly difficult time,” Stone and Strand founder Nadine Kahane wrote.
For every $25 given, the donator’s name will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win the brand’s Los Angeles large specialty medallion, with all the money raised going to benefit the schools. The winner will be chosen on Feb. 4.
The brand normally donates to ocean-related causes but this year, founder Baylee Zwart, who lives in Pacific Palisades and whose studio and team are L.A. based, said her brand will be shifting its focus to helping to rebuild the community.
Pamela Love is donating 15 percent of all online and in-store sales this month to relief efforts as well, with the designer writing on Instagram, “The energy and spirit of Los Angeles is unbreakable, but it needs our help.”
Muse and its “Have a Heart” initiative have partnered with Ten Thousand Things on two mini split-heart charms—one pink opal, the other ruby—with 100 percent of proceeds going to the LAFD Foundation.
Renna Jewels will be donating 30 percent of its sales this month to the LAFD Foundation as well.
The brand’s founder, Renna Brown-Taher, explained on Instagram that as a Pacific Palisades resident who lost her home in the blaze, she understands the fire department, which battles wildfires every year, is short on resources.
Others donating to the LAFD Foundation include designer Jade Ruzzo, who pledged sales of her small cymbal pendant to the fire department for a week, and Dallas retailer Ylang 23, which is donating sales of Retrouvai’s 14-karat yellow gold “A New Dawn A New Day” ring.
Ylang 23 announced via Instagram that it also will be donating 23 percent of online sales of select L.A. designers’ pieces to the LAFD Foundation.
Jewelers of America and the Diamond Council of America reopened the Jewelers Relief Fund, which originally was established in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, last week to aid jewelry businesses impacted by the wildfires.
Designer Jacquie Aiche created this “I Love LA” tote bag specifically to support wildfire relief efforts in her hometown.
The Los Angeles-based brand also introduced the gold and diamond pavé “Phoenix Rising” shaker necklace, which it describes as a symbol of strength and resilience. All proceeds from the sale of the $5,200 necklace will go to World Central Kitchen.
In addition, designer Ray Griffiths will be donating 20 percent of all online sales to World Central Kitchen, which is distributing free hot meals to families and first responders at multiple locations in Southern California.
L.A. resident Kirsty Stone, the designer behind Retrouvai, auctioned off her signature “Magna” bracelet in 14-karat yellow gold with 1.8 carats of white diamonds to benefit the LAFD Foundation. The bracelet retails for $11,550 and sold for $9,650, with 100 percent of the purchase price going to the foundation.
Similarly, California-based jewelry brand Harwell Godfrey raised more than $10,000 through an Instagram auction to support firefighters in the area.
Designer Lauren Harwell Godfrey, a California native, shared a post to Instagram offering a limited-edition pavé diamond heart pendant with a retail value of $11,500 as part of her “Charity Heart” series, in which proceeds from a jewelry piece go to different charities.
The bidding began at $7,500, with the closing bid totaling $11,000. All proceeds will go to the LAFD Emergency Fund.
In a follow-up post, Harwell Godfrey said the limited-edition hearts will be made available to order from now through Jan. 16 for $11,000, with all proceeds going to the LAFD.
Los Angeles-based jewelry brand Sydney Evan is raising funds for the LAFD Foundation, donating 100 percent of the proceeds from its “Eye Heart LA” charm and “California” charm while Los Angeles native Irene Neuwirth is pledging a portion of sales from her store on Melrose Place and online to the LAFD Foundation and the Red Cross.
Sydney Evan is donating 100 percent of the proceeds from its “Eye Heart LA” charm necklace ($925) and “California” charm necklace ($1,245) to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation.
New York jeweler Stephanie Gottlieb also gathered donations to send to the West Coast, donating proceeds from sales of the “I Am” bracelet ($390) to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
“Our hearts are heavy as we witness the devastating impact of the California wildfires,” Gottlieb said in an Instagram post. “Together, we can help provide vital aid to those in urgent need.”
While many are offering aid, more are in need of it.
Darya Khonsary and Arielle Chiara Khonsary, the couple behind Darius Jewels, started a GoFundMe page after losing their home in their fire.
Darya and Arielle, as well as Darya’s mom and their cats, are safe, but the home and everything in it is gone, which has taken both a financial and emotional toll on the couple.
“We felt rooted here, our hearts more connected than ever,” Darya wrote.
Arielle grew up in the house, and it was the house where they fell in love.
“Everything is gone, all burned up by the fire. Little notes we wrote to each other as teenagers, every precious gift we ever gave each other, the gold from Iran that my great-grandmother left for me, my mother's wedding jewelry, irreplaceable [mementos] from our travels, art and books collected over years,” wrote Darya.
“Our entire archive of incredible and irreplaceable vintage, antiques, collectors’ pieces we had built together for almost two decades.”
The couple set a goal of $100,000 to use for temporary housing.
