Rock Star Couture Jewelry in Westlake Village lives up to its name. Not only does it have amazing “rocks,” such as diamonds and sapphires, but rocker jewelry as well. So, it’s not surprising that those from the music industry—think Tom Petty, Pat Benatar and Axl Rose—have been drawn to the store for cool pieces for themselves and unique gifts for others.
Jennefer Lawless, owner of Rock Star (formerly Malibu Rock Star), has worked in every aspect of the jewelry industry over the past 30 years and has a “what the customer wants, the customer gets” philosophy.
“Design to me is beautiful,” she says. “I’m not limited to a particular style or my own personal taste.”
The pieces on display at Rock Star are not exactly what you’d find in most jewelry stores.
“I don’t like having what every other store has,” says Jennefer. “I pick stones that aren’t commercial, but rather unique in color or just stunning in color.”
In addition to regular diamonds, the store carries what are called rustic, or icy, diamonds. They’re heavily occluded, so they’re not clear, but opaque. It offers lab-grown diamonds as well.
Besides the ready-made pieces you’ll see in the cases, she and her designers like to focus on custom-made jewelry.
“I’ve noticed in the last six or seven years people have been just seeking custom,” she says. “You can have everything and anything in the store, and you’ll still have to make something.”
Beyond designing from scratch, they can also take an old piece of jewelry and make it into something more modern.
“Another thing people like and don’t often think about is redoing a piece that is unused and old and just sitting in a drawer somewhere,” says Jennefer. “Yes, it may have been handed down, but just redo it and have it made into something that you’ll love and wear.”
Rock Star has some great selections for the holidays.
“I’ve been following the trends and what would make great gifts. I have a lot of beaded necklaces, and a carved Buddha made of mother-of-pearl and surrounded by diamonds. It’s set in silver, so you still have that bling, but it has more of a rocker gothic look.”
Rock Star also plans on bringing in some unique types of art. Dresden, an artist who creates metaphysical art, abstraction, surrealism and arcane symbolism on metal will be featured. And her future mother-in-law, Tracy Moore, is an artist who makes skull collages out of pictures of jewelry and gemstones that Jennefer says are really cool.
“Jewelry is great to give as a gift or to buy for yourself as a treat,” she says. “There’s something about putting on jewelry. You can be wearing a tee shirt and jeans and when you put it on, it doesn’t matter if it’s just a little gold charm or a big diamond, something about it makes you feel better. There’s a certain energy to it.”
Learn more at RockStarCoutureJewelry.com, where there’s “Rocks that make you see stars.”