Suzanne Kalan: The Fine Jeweler Who Transforms Diamonds into Flurries of Fireworks
Truly iconic jewels are rare, but when LA-based designer SUZANNE KALAN first launched her Fireworks collection, a contemporary classic was born
The ultimate goal for any jeweler is to create an icon of jewelry design – a signature style, immediately identifiable and universally lusted after. Some make their mark with extraordinarily large and rare gemstones, others through deft manipulation of precious metals; but for Suzanne Kalan, a simple, somewhat humble element of a jeweler’s arsenal was her keystone: the baguette-cut diamond. Often used as the supporting stones set either side of a principal diamond or colored gem, the baguette-cut diamond became Kalan’s protagonist, changing the jewelry world’s perception of them entirely. Kalan experimented with symmetry and asymmetry, setting scintillating streams of baguette cuts into haphazard arrangements, seemingly scattering them upon the skin. Kalan named this maison signature the Firework collection – reminiscent of dynamic and dazzling bursts of bright light upon a night sky.
“The controlled chaos of Kalan’s designs allows each one to feel simultaneously precious yet casual, free of any prescribed notion of who should wear them or how they should be worn
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Kalan founded her eponymous brand in 1988, inspired to create elegant, everyday diamond jewelry following the birth of her daughter Patile, who now co-runs the business. Before long, Kalan found that her Firework designs had a cult following – worn by the likes of Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Aniston, to name just a few. The classic diamond bracelet, necklace or eternity band suddenly had a new look, injected with contemporary charm and energetic pizazz. The controlled chaos of Kalan’s designs allows each one to feel simultaneously precious yet casual, free of any prescribed notion of who should wear them or how they should be worn – the perfect pieces to wear from dawn until dusk, by young or old, and equally impactful when worn alone or when stacked into lustrous layers. Kalan’s Firework designs have, in fact, been a keystone of the layering trend that has prevailed over the past few years: wrists have been stacked with glittering bangles, the décolletage adorned with layered up petite pendants, and the trend for multiple piercings has allowed Kalan’s diamonds to ascend the ear – a tiny burst of fireworks upon each stud.
While Kalan first focused on diamond-set designs, she now employs a broad range of precious metals and gemstones: 18-karat white, rose and yellow gold are embellished with vibrant rubies, emeralds, and myriad-hued sapphires. Many of Kalan’s designs now showcase larger center stones, but they are always embraced by her signature baguettes – her glittering calling card for more than 30 years. The Rainbow Fireworks collection was a natural progression from the original bright-white designs and sets scattered explosions of richly hued gemstones upon rings, earrings, bangles, pendants and bracelets, accented with round and baguette-cut diamonds. These are perhaps the jewels most reminiscent of their namesake – a riot of color that burns equally brightly against a simple white T-shirt or a little black dress.
Audaciously experimenting with her design DNA, Kalan went on to also launch the Bold Fireworks collection, featuring striking pieces that showcase perfectly matched color blocks of baguette-cut rubies, emeralds and sapphires – the perfect gift for those who have a penchant for one particular color or gemstone. Perhaps the boldest of Kalan’s creations, however, is her black-sapphire designs, which feature blacker-than-black sapphires jauntily set into gleaming yellow gold. At the other end of her kaleidoscopic spectrum, Kalan’s Pastel Fireworks collection heroes a fantastical flurry of saccharine rainbow sapphires, inspired by Kalan’s own penchant for baby-blue gems. The breadth and depth of Kalan’s designs, while still anchored to her unmistakeable sparkling signature, is testament to her talent and skill – a designer who managed to reinvent the notion of a classic diamond bracelet entirely, by adding just a little extra sparkle.