<\/p>\n
Cher\u00e9 Coen<\/p>\n
Erica Courtney doesn\u2019t design jewelry. She creates works of art.<\/p>\n
The Lafayette native who now designs necklaces, rings and earrings for the stars in Los Angeles, hand picks her gemstones, some one-of-a-kind, and creates unique jewelry that can also qualify as collector items.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I design conversational jewelry,\u201d Courtney said by phone from L.A. <\/p>\n
Her signature pieces, carried locally at Kiki\u2019s in River Ranch, feature countless diamonds, rare Tahitian pearls and gemstones set in 18k gold and platinum custom settings. She can set up to 300 diamonds in one ring, she said, that should be admired from all angles.<\/p>\n
Even though some of her pieces are repeated, different stones are used, making her line unique.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe never mass produce,\u201d Courtney said. \u201cWe look at every single stone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Which is why some of her clients include Christina Aguilera, Drew Barrymore, Meg Ryan, Johnny Depp, Whoopie Goldberg, Jennifer Aniston, Evangeline Lilly, Kate Hudson, Madonna, Queen Latifah and Reese Witherspoon, among many other stars.
\nIt started with sunglasses<\/p>\n
Courtney wasn\u2019t planning a career in jewelry design. She came from an oilfield family and worked as a land man for a time. \u201cAnd that was the day when it wasn\u2019t that friendly for us girls,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
When she was living in Dallas in the 1980s, Courtney used Swarovski crystals from a broken necklace to adorn a pair of sunglasses. Wearing them out, friends remarked on the glasses and asked for a pair. Courtney\u2019s mother insisted she market them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018I am not a designer,\u2019\u201d Courtney explained with a laugh. Even when she approached the Dallas Market to sell them, she told the owner, \u201cI am not a designer.\u201d
\nHer glasses sold well, and she began working with Fossil watches, crystal earrings and bustier, among other mediums.<\/p>\n
\u201cBasically, I taught myself,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Courtney moved to Los Angeles and started working with silver, playing around with love notes as jewelry because she had found a new beau. Some friends loved the idea \u201cand we decided to do it,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
Silver led to gold and then to diamonds and platinum. Soon, Courtney became a success, selling her pieces to some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Her pieces now sell for thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a crazy business,\u201d Courtney said of Hollywood, \u201cand if you\u2019re here you have to be in the game or not in the game. If you\u2019re not in the game, it can drive you crazy.\u201d
\nCourtney says she plays the game well, including selling or lending her jewelry pieces to stars during awards ceremonies. She mostly deals with their stylists and looks at how the jewelry works with the actress or actor photographed and not necessarily as a complement to the outfit.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what they (Hollywood stars) are really getting dressed for \u2014 the picture in People magazine,\u201d Courtney explained.<\/p>\n
If readers scan the celebrity photos in magazines such as People, Us Weekly, Entertainment Weekly and Star, they will see Courtney\u2019s handiwork dangling from actress\u2019s ears or adorning their necks and fingers. Many times the articles will describe an actress\u2019s outfit in detail. Photos of Jessica Alba and her stunning Versace gown, for instance, were all over the fan mags after the 2008 Oscars, and so was Courtney\u2019s exquisite 18k yellow gold and green beryl with peach topaz earrings.
\nYou don\u2019t have to be a star to appreciate her intricate designs and gorgeous pearls and gemstones. In fact, Courtney\u2019s jewelry is the No. 1 seller among Kiki\u2019s jewelry lines.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople really collect it,\u201d said owner Kiki Frayard.<\/p>\n
Even though the price tag may put Courtney\u2019s pieces in the \u201cjewelry that doesn\u2019t sell every day\u201d category, Frayard said, it\u2019s a hit among her customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody loves it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Frayard admires Courtney for her business style as well. She believes Courtney has worked hard branding her jewelry and taking it to a higher level. Frayard said one of her customers wore a Courtney necklace to a masked Carnival ball and someone recognized it.
\nMissing home<\/p>\n
Courtney said she loves L.A., her neighborhood, her friendly neighbors who get together for dinner and her business. Her industry friends are \u201clike family\u201d and her staff gives \u201c110 percent,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe economy could be better,\u201d she added, although sales have remained fairly constant. \u201cTypically, I never have a bad year. But I\u2019ve never seen anything like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
She comes home two to three times a year, where most of her family still lives, and Kiki\u2019s offers a trunk show of Courtney\u2019s jewelry every Christmas.<\/p>\n
\u201cLafayette is always home,\u201d she said. \u201cI miss it terribly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Courtney added that she would make it home for weekends if Lafayette didn\u2019t have such a small airport.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m waiting for a direct flight,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Source: www.theadvertiser.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cher\u00e9 Coen Erica Courtney doesn\u2019t design jewelry. She creates works of art. The Lafayette native who now designs necklaces, rings and earrings for the stars in Los Angeles, hand picks her gemstones, some one-of-a-kind, and creates unique jewelry that can also qualify as collector items. \u201cI feel like I design conversational jewelry,\u201d Courtney said by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[411],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n