Charlie Dolly is the new fine jewelry line from actress Rebecca Romijn. It consists of dangling, laser-pierced diamonds connected to delicate gold chains.
New York—Rebecca Romijn’s professional career has spanned modeling, acting and television hosting, and now she has one more occupation to add to her LinkedIn profile: jewelry designer.
Charlie Dolly ear threaders. “I’m into the different cuts of the stones. I’m really into the marquise and the pear shapes,” Romijn said.
Earlier this year, Romijn launched Charlie Dolly, a delicate fine jewelry collection with laser-pierced diamonds “that dangle freely and capture the light differently than a set diamond would,” she told National Jeweler during an interview in her impeccably decorated New York City townhouse, the interiors of which she designed herself.
Romijn is a woman of many talents, but she’s no dilettante. She’s had the idea for a “floating diamond” line for decades.
“I became obsessed with fine jewelry in my 20s,” she said, “and I kept fantasizing about exactly this [concept]. I was like, ‘Well why can’t we have a loose stone without the setting?’
“I wanted to get away from the settings.”
At the time, laser-piercing technology wasn’t advanced enough to achieve the result Romijn dreamed of, but her floating diamond vision stuck with her through the years.
Born into a family of creatives in Berkeley, California, art and design is a way of life for Romijn.
“I come from a family of artists, she explained. “My husband [actor Jerry O’Connell] comes from a family of artists. My daughters are artists.”
Whether it’s designing her Manhattan townhouse or her home in Los Angeles, creating avant-garde sculptures, quilting, needlepointing or sewing, “I have to make something every single day,” she said.
“I really feel like [Charlie Dolly] is comfortable, updated tennis jewelry. You can wear it and not take it off,” said Romijn.
Charlie Dolly, named for her 11-year-old twin daughters with O’Connell, is Romijn’s first commercial endeavor related to her creations.
Two and a half years ago, Romijn began designing the collection in earnest, as the result of a confluence of circumstance.
Her daughters were old enough to “support and encourage” Charlie Dolly, oftentimes sketching designs alongside their mother, and Romijn connected with manufacturers in Los Angeles who were able to produce pieces just the way she had always imagined.
The result is a 24-item assortment of delicate, second-skin jewels with diamonds that lay against the body and shimmer and sparkle as they move.
Charlie Dolly is feminine, but not fussy. Romijn envisions the line being
worn casually, as at home in Los Angeles as it would be in down-to-earth Berkeley.
Romijn’s first Charlie Dolly piece was a bracelet she still wears daily, more than two years after creating it.“I really feel like it’s comfortable, updated tennis jewelry,” she said. “You can wear it and not take it off, sleep in it, put your headphones in over it and go to the gym.”
Romijn has worn one of the floating diamond bracelets, the line’s very first prototype, since she created it more than two years ago, and you won’t find her without a diamond station necklace and lariat, whether she’s hiking with her five rescue dogs or attending an event.
You’re also apt to find her in a few dangling “threader” earrings.
At the moment, she’s particularly enamored with a threader earring that connects with a chain to a diamond ear cuff.
Other than her hoops, she sells her earrings as singles so they can be mixed and matched to the wearer’s liking.
“I’m hoping it’s kind of a causal look, sort of bohemian, layer-able that mixes with the rest of your earring rotation.”
Charlie Dolly is entirely made in Los Angeles and has launched made-to-order on its website, though Romijn would love to land in brick-and-mortar stores too, since that’s her preferred mode of jewelry shopping.
Charlie Dolly is full of earrings sold as singles, like these fashion-forward ear threaders and cuffs.The line features lots of fancy diamonds cuts, like pear-shaped, marquise and tapered baguette diamonds, pierced with a platinum connector to 18- or 14-karat yellow, rose or white gold chains.
Price-wise, “I’m trying to keep it somewhat accessible,” she said, with a good amount of the first collection retailing for under $1,000.
Up next, she’s looking forward to pop-ups and trunk shows on the retail front and, from a design angle, has expanded into sapphires.
Now that Charlie and Dolly is up and running, she’s also anticipating special commissions with private clients.
“Specifically, I’m excited to work with people on recycling their diamonds. If people have the engagement ring that went wrong and they want to send it to us, we’re happy to work with them,” she laughed.
Ashley Davisis the senior editor, fashion at National Jeweler, covering all things related to design, style and trends.
