These Designers and Retailers Are Raising Money for LA Wildfire Relief
Several jewelry designers are lending a helping hand to charities in Los Angeles amid the raging wildfires.
Emily P. Wheeler is donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these amethyst and enamel heart-shaped stud earrings to the California Community Foundation. She is one of a number of jewelry designers, retailers, brands and companies raising money to help the businesses and people impacted by the L.A. wildfires.
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 rage across Southern California, burning more than 23,000 acres.
It is one of several fires raging in California as of press time, along with the Eaton and Hurst fires.
Twenty-four people have been confirmed dead, as per an NBC report, and nearly 200,000 L.A. residents are under evacuation orders or in evacuation warning zones.
The city also has been experiencing high winds, making firefighting conditions even more difficult.
As the tragedy continues to unfold, jewelry brands, designers, and companies, many of which are based in L.A., are stepping up to help.
New York retailer Greenwich St. Jewelers is raffling off a “Monet” diamond pendant necklace from L.A.-based brand Single Stone with all proceeds, including a dollar-for-dollar match by the retailer, going to the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund.
The necklace features French-cut diamonds set in 18-karat gold. The raffle closes at 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 16, and the winner will be announced Jan. 17 on Instagram and via email. Get more details and enter the raffle on the retailer’s website.
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 Los Angeles Fire Department 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.
Also donating to the LAFD Foundation are designer Jade Ruzzo, who is pledging sales of her small cymbal pendant to the fire department this 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.
Los Angeles-based brand Jacquie Aiche created the “Tribe Together” tote bag, which it is selling on its website for $50.
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.
