From Viola Davis to Meghan Markle to Jessica Chastain, A-listers are flashing Maya Brenner’s colorful and supposedly soul-soothing jewelry: “It’s a way of life.”
Los Angeles loves its crystals, but one particular piece is making the rounds right now. Halle Berry rocked a citrine necklace on the red carpet. Viola Davis was spotted off-duty in the same design. Jessica Chastain recorded a bathroom beauty tutorial in hers, while Rita Ora wore an amethyst version in London and aboard a yacht in Ibiza. Nina Dobrev, Julianne Hough, Rebecca Ferguson and Alessandra Ambrosio, too. So, who is behind this mysterious crystal and diamond-accented design, and why is it seemingly everywhere?
“It’s a piece to protect your peace,” explains actress Abigail Spencer (Suits, Grey’s Anatomy, Mad Men), who collaborated with close friend and L.A. jewelry designer Maya Brenner on the Retreat necklace collection, which retails on mayabrenner.com for $495. “It’s not just a piece of jewelry,” Spencer says. “It’s a way of life.”
Halle Berry wearing a Retreat collection necklace.
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Featuring seven crystal necklaces (including the latest: labradorite for strength, fluorite for harmony and smoky quartz for bravery), The Retreat collection was inspired by Spencer and Brenner’s shared love of wellness retreats. “I am a believer that if you want to recheck your nervous system, you have to take the time,” says Spencer, who has been vocal about her love of We Care Spa in Desert Hot Springs. “But it’s not always practical. Sometimes we can’t get away; we can’t spend the money. So, how do we invite retreat into our everyday lives?”
“People are looking for calm in small daily things,” agrees Brenner, who explains the delicate necklace — which is set in 14k yellow gold — is intended to remind its wearer to unplug. “Whether it’s a cup of matcha or a piece of jewelry that is a touchstone of, ‘What do you need in this very moment?’”
Rebecca Ferguson
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The women quietly released their Retreat collection last year by sharing it with their closest confidants including Spencer’s former Suits co-star Meghan Markle. “I gifted it to my best friend, Meg,” says Spencer. “She wore it before it was even on the site. She just loved it, and then she started gifting it to others. … What she’s cultivating in her life and how she wanted to show up in our friendship and support me had nothing to do with the deeper connection.” Spencer continues, “[It speaks] to the powerful female friendships in our lives. Our friends were the ones that were like, ‘I love this. I want to wear it. I want to gift it.’ It was the support of friends; then it started to have a life of its own.”
Brenner says the chic piece has universal appeal. “Halle Berry, Jessica Chastain and Rita Ora have very different styles,” she points out. “I wouldn’t expect for them to all be drawn to the same piece, but it’s versatile.” Brenner says she and Spencer — who have been friends for 12 years — designed with their clique in mind: “We were like, ‘I know who would want the [rose quartz for] love. I know who needs [citrine for] happiness.’ It was this instant gravitating towards who in our lives needs this.”
“It is the grown woman’s friendship necklace,” Spencer adds. “There are friendship bracelets [for girls], but this is like, ‘We’re grown women. We’ve been through some shit, you know? We’re all grown-ups here and we understand what it takes [to heal].’ … Anyone drawn to this piece has been through something.”