New York-based fashion and fine jewelry brand The M Jewelers – whose baubles have bespangled the likes of Bella Hadid, Anitta, Emily Ratajkowski, and Maluma – has opened its first West Coast store in L.A. as it plots global expansion. Previously, the label was exclusive to the Big Apple, and just a week ago it announced its first Tokyo store.
Though born in the heart of New York, The M Jewelers certainly knows how to make an Angeleno-approved entrance. Ahead of Thanksgiving weekend, the brand flaunted a fancy new billboard in which a model is wearing gold hoop earrings that spell "Hello Los Angeles" in script typeface.
"LA has been our second biggest market for a few years now. We wanted to bring a piece of New York here and give our customers what we think is our best store experience yet," says The M Jewelers founder Mark Shami. The store officially opened on Friday, October 8.
Nameplate necklaces are one of the brand's signature styles, offered in gold and silver in a variety of fonts and languages including English, Hebrew, Russian, and Arabic. Customers can design and visually render their own pieces on the brand's website, which has endless options for every palate and budget.
The M Jewelers' vintage-inspired varsity pendants, chunky year rings, and butterfly pendants are sure to satisfy the Y2K enthusiast's nostalgia. Dainty layering chains make the minimalist's job of dressing their décolletage a dreamy ritual. Sparkle lovers will swoon over iced-out link rings and the like. Sports fans can parade their passion for the N.Y. Yankees or L.A. Dodgers via earrings, rings, and necklaces. Religious designs also abound, including pendants and lockets featuring a cross, Jesus, Gia Guadalupe, St. Michael, and more.
Shami had been learning the ropes long before founding the brand in 2013. His father owned a jewelry store in N.Y.'s Diamond District and his uncles worked in the jewelry sections of department stores, exposing Shami to every aspect of the business from wholesaling to retailing to sourcing and producing.
In 2014, Shami's website was up and running with a collection of 25 pieces, but sales plummeted a week post-launch. In true millennial fashion (in 2019, Shami was named one of Forbes magazine's 30 Under 30), he started gauging people's interest in custom nameplate necklaces via Instagram. Responses poured in, prompting him to put all his eggs into the basket of custom gifts. Two years later, Shami used an investment from his best friend to purchase Instagram Ads, a relatively new form of marketing at the time. You know the rest.
Today, the brand has notable collaborations under its belt, including with the MLB, Nike, KITH, and New York or Nowhere. In addition, Nordstrom, Net-a-Porter, Revolve, and Urban Outfitters stock the jeweler's designs.
Have a thing for bling? Head to The M Jewelers' new L.A. store to meet your new favorite jewelry brand IRL.
The M Jewelers; 8445 Melrose Ave., WeHo, 90069; (212) 302-1785
