Jennifer with Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti – Photo by itgirl.mx
To say that Jennifer Creel leads a fascinating life is an understatement. The native New Yorker has played all roles, from actress (The Bold and the Beautiful, 1987, The Juice, 2008) to model, to fashion designer (12-year stint as womenswear designer at Ralph Lauren), and finally, jewelry designer.
Inspired by her mother and grandmother, Jennifer’s love and appreciation of jewelry blossomed early and flourished after studying gemology. Her customized jewelry is handmade, designed in NYC, and sold on Instagram @jenniferccreel and her website, jennifercreel.com. Prices start at around $650 and go all the way up to $25,000 for pieces adorned with diamonds, emeralds, and rubies.
“Every piece of jewelry you wear tells a story about your life, your hopes, your dreams, the things you value, the places you’ve been, the elements that attract you, and the things you hope to create… what will yours be?”
Jennifer Creel
Jennifer Creel’s Personalized Wooden Heart with Diamond Initials Bracelet, Photo courtesy jennifercreel.com
There are Byzantine-style cross pendants scattered with diamonds, strand gold chains looped with semi-precious stones, and pendants with a relief of the Madonna that reflect Creel’s love for history and tradition, but the bulk of Ms. Creel’s business is in personalized jewelry.
Classic Heart Pendants on a Bevel Chain – Photo courtesy jennifercreel.com
Jennifer weaves a client’s initials or family crest into her cuffs, pendants, belt buckles, and her distinctive charms: hearts, zodiac signs, daisies, and good luck clovers (couldn’t we use more?). We all had charm bracelets growing up in the 50s, but many of Ms. Creel’s charms (some of which are 2 inches or more) are like charms on steroids: statement pieces made to be seen. Everything is available in either 14 or 18k gold with your choice of color (white, rose, yellow).
Jennifer wears her Virgo Zodiac Pendant and Hexagon Scorpio Constellation Charms on a Creel Chain – Photo by Claire Blanchard
She loves to collaborate with clients to create complete bespoke designs. When Jennifer collaborates, a conversation is started to design exactly what the client wants. Multiple conversations, sketches, and prototypes make the perfect jewelry piece. Skilled craftsmen bring the creation to life.
Jennifer wears her Virgo Zodiac Pendant and Hexagon Scorpio Constellation Charms on a Creel Chain – Photo by Claire Blanchard
For Creel, who ranks high on New York’s best-dressed list, the best way to wear her jewelry is to layer the pieces, whether a stack of bracelets and cuffs or a mix of long and short chain necklaces. “It’s all about the layering of styles and lengths,” says Creel, who founded her jewelry company in 2008. Still, only recently did Jennifer have her “A-Ha! Moment.”
“Jennifer is rare. She has created a very distinctive line of jewelry; when people look at it, they know it’s Jennifer Creel. Like Cartier and Tiffany, Jennifer’s jewelry has her inimitable stamp on it,”
– Pamela Keough, editor & author of “AudreyStyle” & “JackieStyle”
Jennifer wearing Ulla Johnson accessorized with her 14K Gold MC Edged Clover with Diamond Letters – Photo by Claire Blanchard
I spoke with Jennifer after she returned to NY from a trip to Palm Beach over Easter weekend. While there, Jennifer stopped by Marissa, a luxury fashion boutique and fine jewelry retailer. “I looked around and realized there was not one person there like me,” states Jennifer. “It made me feel really good and that I had a niche. I never felt that until two days ago. It was a moment!”
Jennifer likes to compare herself to Suzanne Belperron. While Suzanne was perhaps the most important woman jeweler of the twentieth century, she remains relatively unknown today except to collectors.
Jennifer Creel Vote Pendant on a Locket Chain – Photo courtesy jennifercreel.com
Belperron never tried to promote herself, yet everyone knew about her elegant and audacious jewelry. Asked once why she never signed her work, Madame Belperron replied, “My style is my signature.”
Jennifer Creel Charm Necklace for sale at Karry Gallery, Paris.
Jennifer does not have a freestanding store, but if she did, it would ideally be an intimate boutique on the first floor of a building in the upper 70s in Manhattan. Among Jennifer’s A-list clients are Lauren Santo Domingo, Aerin Lauder, Gwyneth Paltrow, Brooke Shields, Beyonce and Princess Marie Chantal of Greece, a dear friend who helped design the MC Clover necklace.
Jennifer Creel wears her Good Luck Jeweled Clover on a Chain with Diamond Clasp – Photo by Claire Blanchard
Ms. Creel loves that her fine jewelry is fun, a conversation starter, and makes people happy. It’s also timeless and cross-generational. At a rangy 5’9″, Jennifer is her own best model. There is always an ease, lightness, and casual elegance in the way Jennifer wears her clothes and her jewelry.
Jennifer Creel wearing Veronica Beard accessorized with her clover necklace and charm bracelet – Photo by Claire Blanchard
“My parents are where my inspiration for fashion, travel, and the arts originated,” notes Jennifer, who gravitates to designs by Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, Giambattista Valli, Chanel, Dior, and Valentino, who always gave her guidance and motivation. “I loved Valentino growing up.”
Jennifer riding her beloved horse, Koala – Photo courtesy Claire Blanchard
Jennifer’s style is thoroughly American, aristocratic, and confident in a “Bouvier gal sort of way,” says Pamela Keough, editor and author of “AudreyStyle” and “JackieStyle.” It’s contradictory, classic, and thoroughbred, with a touch of boho, unapologetically feminine yet not dainty. Jennifer is very athletic. She ran the NYC Marathon and loves being outside with her beloved horse, Koala, in Bedford, NY.
Jennifer Creel with Alexandra Lind at the 2021 NYBG Conservatory Ball – Photo by Marilyn Kirschner
Sports and philanthropy play a large part in Jennifer’s life. Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Save Venice, The Museum of the City of New York, The Museum of Natural History, The New York Botanical Gardens, American Ballet Theater, and the New York City Ballet are all close to Jennifer’s heart.
“Travel inspires me. I must look at different things and go to different places to be creative. I’m an outdoor person. Sitting inside all day is not for me,” opines Jennifer, who looks forward to traveling to Tokyo with her daughter. She also hopes to go to Brazil, where many women have great personal style.
Jennifer Creel in the Hamptons – Photo courtesy Jennifercreel.com
Jennifer summers in the Hamptons but plans to travel to Aspen for a trunk show. Her journeys routinely take her to England, Switzerland, Paris, L.A., and Napa Valley, where her jewelry is sold in select boutiques. The Midwest is a new market that excites her, and she is currently working on a “hush-hush” project involving something she has never done before.
Jennifer never seems to sit still and is loving every minute of it.
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