Marlo Laz Founder Talks Creating Jewelry With Traceable Materials
A 2017 trip to the Tucson Gem Show led Jesse Marlo Lazowski, founder and creative director of Marlo Laz, to a unique American gemstone: Montana sapphires.
“I was honestly mystified to learn that sapphires are mined in Montana and even more so, completely mesmerized by the color palette of these gems,” Lazowski explained, adding that she made a mental note of the stone, planning to incorporate it one day. When she was in the beginning stages of developing her next collection, she couldn’t get the Montana sapphires out of her mind.
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“I also started asking literally everyone I encountered if they had heard of Montana sapphires, from jewelry insiders to friends and even strangers,” she said — most had “no clue.”
Based in New York City, Lazowski creates pieces in the U.S., highlighting different cultures, artists and destinations. Through her latest collection, she aims to show her appreciation for the American West and Southwest, she said — especially “the astounding nature, the history, the sunrises and sunsets, the artists, like Georgia O’Keeffe, who are so imbedded in the landscape of the area.
“To tell the story of this area through the Montana sapphires was a dream for me.”
Due to the scarcity of the stone, each piece she creates is one-of-a-kind, with the sapphires coming from the Potentate Mine, the largest miner of sapphires in North America. “This journey of learning about the mining process, ensuring the origins and path of the stones, gold, and other elements is incredibly important,” she said.
She partnered with Botswanamark for the diamonds, and Fairmined for the gold, “to ensure that all of the pieces in this jewelry puzzle were highlighting the most ethical sources I could find,” she said.
The pieces retail on her website with her signature Porte Bonheur coins in Montana sapphire, ranging from $1,900 for a mini charm, to $12,850 for a large coin on one of her Sardinia chains. The one-of-a-kind designs are $15,000 to $180,000.
“In this particular design scenario, the development process began with the actual stones — the cuts, sizes, and colors were the main drivers for me in regards to the designs, rather than the alternative, which is finding or cutting stones to fit into a pre-determined design,” she explained.
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