What's Your Fancy: Renna Brown-Taher's Must-Haves for a Bejeweled Summer

Renna Brown-Taher always adds a bit of whimsy to her jewelry designs—a habit that began with a visit to Salt Creek Beach in California when she was nine years old and her mother tasked her to find two coffee bean shells, which are notoriously difficult to find. They left the beach, much to their surprise, with the shells in hand.

"This is one of my strongest memories and it must have been for my mother too," Brown-Taher tells T&C. "Because when I graduated from college, she presented me with a golden bracelet made from molds of the shells we had found that day. She had been keeping the shells in her safety deposit box along with her most precious possessions. My mom taught me that what's most valuable in life isn't necessarily the most expensive— value is intangible and tied to meaning and memory."

Today, this fun, sentimental ethos is apparent in Brown-Taher's jewelry brand, Renna Jewels, which won the "Best in Colored Gemstones under $40,000" category at Couture in Las Vegas this year. She molds 18k gold into a seashell locket carrying a single pearl, etches octopi into rock crystal backed by mother-of-pearl surrounded by emeralds, and strings aquamarine and citrine to create an ombre effect.

"When I started my line, my first pieces were almost entirely an ode to these shells; it was incredible to see how these pieces resonated with people," she says. "The thesis was true: a jewel of value resonates more when it strikes a chord— my coffee bean shells brought up meaning for my clients and solidified a concept into a brand. Today, I consider these first pieces my north star."

Below, the jewelry designer shares her must-haves for a perfect, bejeweled summer.