Alison Lou Made the Pasta-Themed Fine Jewelry Collection You Didn't Know You Wanted - Glamour
Pasta lovers, rejoice: New York-based fine jewelry brand Alison Lou designed the spaghetti-, lasagna-, and pappardelle-filled collection you never thought you needed (and will want to start saving up for immediately).
Alison Chemla, the mastermind behind Alison Lou, tells Glamour the lightbulb for her holiday collection—called "Mama Mia"—went off when she was vacationing in—where else!—Italy this summer. As she made her way all the pasta the country has to offer, "I thought the unique and classic shapes would make amazing earrings," she says. "I picked all of the classics, and, of course, my personal favorites" for this capsule. Though her jewelry is very much in the luxury end of the market (she specializes in precious stones and fine metals, with broches starting at $110 and prices climbing to upwards of $14,500 for earrings), Chemla has carved a space out for herself by incorporating playful iconography into her work—like emojis and Monopoly money. (The latter was through a collaboration with Hasbro.) "Like most of my jewelry, it takes a minute for people to recognize the irony," she explains of the Mama Mia collection. "But, I think that the lasagna hoops, cavatappapi, and spaghetti carbonara earrings all have smaller-scale references."
Some of the items in this capsule (which includes earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings fashioned out of 14K gold and accented with colored gemstones) are more subtle than others: While the bowtie and shell noodles are unmistakable, the spaghetti studs and lasagna hoops are a bit more subtle. "When I’m designing I try and stay true to the themes I choose and treat it as a blank canvas each time," says Chemla. "I always have myself and my customer in mind. And if I wouldn’t wear it, I won’t want to sell it!"Now, these fine jewelry pieces may last you much longer than a plate of fresh pasta, but it'll cost you many Italian dinners: Once the collection drops in December, prices are expected to start at $150 and cap out at $6,500. So, we may have to stick to macaroni jewelry for the time being—but we can still look, right?
Check out our favorite pieces from Alison Lou's Mama Mia collection, ahead.
