Legendary designer Maria Canale partners with Newport’s Traditional Jewelers to present a curated jewelry line that is perfect for any occasion.
By Ashley Ryan
From diamond-encrusted rings to gold chandelier earrings, jewelry designer Maria Canale has a knack for creating timeless pieces with their own unique style. Having created iconic collections for famous luxury jewelry retailers like Mikimoto, Tiffany & Co. and Harry Winston, she has now turned her attention to Newport Beach-based Traditional Jewelers.
This eponymous new line, which was curated by Canale from her signature collections, will debut Nov. 14 at the Fashion Island boutique. The designer will be on hand from 1-5 p.m. as shoppers peruse items from the floral Aster collection, the vintage-inspired Flapper collection and other specially selected pieces. Keeping Newport Beach shoppers in mind, Canale says she selected pieces that are a blend of elegance, comfort and meaning.
“My inspiration is deeply driven by nature and also architecture, as my greatest influence is the world around me,” she explains. “Daily walks in my neighborhood filled with inspiring architecture as well as the beaches and meadows, farms and harbors near my beach home in Rhode Island [are an] … endless source of inspiration and beauty.”
Though the new collection contains many of her classic designs, Canale says that she has also incorporated jewelry that is essential to local shoppers’ lifestyles. This includes a versatile, adjustable gold necklace as well as pear-shaped hoop earrings that she describes as “slim … [and] feminine, with diamonds that really sparkle.”
While this is her first time working with Traditional Jewelers, she has spent 25 years designing fine jewelry and even longer studying the craft. First apprenticing in a shop opened by a local Armenian jeweler when she was 13 years old, Canale says that she loved it from the start and decided to major in metalsmithing and jewelry design when she was in college.
“I feel that starting at the bench has given me tremendous knowledge and appreciation as to how a piece is made—an invaluable part of designing,” she notes.
And, although many of her iconic collections have received international awards and honors over the years, she maintains that the part of her career that means the most to her is seeing a woman enjoy wearing one of her designs, adding, “To bring a fresh take … [on] the classics to a jeweler such as Traditional Jewelers, and see their clients embrace the designs, is truly a highlight.”
