How to curate the perfect jewelry stack, with designer Marisa Mason
Plus: 5 things we're loving, 5 things we're craving
When I lived in Oakland, my favorite weekend activity was wandering into the Temescal Alley, a converted horse stable that now boasts a vegan ice cream shop, an upscale plant store, a sustainable clothing designer, and the eponymous jewelry store Marisa Mason. I’d window shop while waiting for a table at Pizzaiolo, fantasizing about redesigning my apartment, life, and wardrobe.
Mason’s designs are unusual and eye-catching: geometrically cut mother of pearl, bezel set sapphires, salt and pepper rose-cut diamonds. Her pieces feel substantial — not just jewelry for people who can afford a rock, but jewelry for people who have taste. I coveted her jewelry long before I could afford it.
As luck would have it, Marisa is (like me) a Santa Barbara native. Shortly before I moved back to town in 2022, she opened a store in Arlington Plaza. We spoke over lunch late last month about how she got started in the business, what goes into curating the perfect jewelry stack, and where to take a piece you’ve owned for years but never wear.
Zoë Schiffer: How did you get started as a designer?
Marisa Mason: I graduated college in 2004, moved to Mexico for a year, and then went to work in construction. I made jewelry on the side for fun, and people would always ask me what I was wearing and where I got it, so I started making pieces and selling them. I had a tiny, windowless studio in the back of a gym in Oakland that I rented for $100 a month, and I’d go there every night after work. After eight months, I moved to an 8-by-17 foot space in the Temescal Alley, which I used as a studio and a storefront. I had one employee who was making jewelry with me, and she’d work off of an ironing board. The space was so small that when a customer came in, she’d have to pick up the ironing board and move it so they could have a look around.
When did you know you were going to make it as a designer?
It was pretty immediate. I jumped right in and drove down the coast, popping into stores to show them what I was making. That first trip, I got 12 new accounts. The fact that I didn’t know anything — like how competitive the industry is, or even that walking into a store isn’t how you’re supposed to get accounts — ended up being advantageous.
You had a shop in Oakland for years before you opened one in Santa Barbara. What’s different about running a jewelry store here than in the Bay?
The clientele in Oakland is the nicest ever, and I was delighted to find that the people in Santa Barbara are similarly sweet and really positive. I would say that the small business community in Oakland is a bit more tight-knit, which happens when you’re in an area where you need to walk each other to your cars at night so you don’t get mugged.
Okay, let’s get to the jewelry. How do you go about curating a necklace stack?
This exercise is funny because I never really think about it — I feel like I get dressed like a little kid, like “I like all these things, I’ll wear them all today.”
If I had to break it down, the basics are: a big gold moment, a happy pop of color, and something that has symbolic meaning. It’s nice to have one heavy gold item that feels very rooting and foundational, like a chunky gold chain. The color can be a station-style necklace. And then the pendant I usually wear is the ouroboros, which symbolizes regeneration, fertility, and rebirth.
If you’re layering a bunch of different chains, how do you make sure it feels like a stack, and not just like you’re wearing too many necklaces?
You want everything to be a slightly different length and different scale. So, something really delicate, with something medium, and something heavier. You also want different textures. So an open link chain with something that has a herring bone — a big shimmering slinky moment — and then something that has an organic vibe. Each chain should tell a different story.
How would you describe your personal jewelry aesthetic?
I tend to wear a lot of jewelry. One reason is that I’m a pretty understated dresser, so if I’m wearing a T-shirt and jeans, I’ll wear a lot of jewelry to feel more put together. I feel like that’s a very Santa Barbara thing because we all dress pretty casually, so jewelry can be a way to bring a fashion element back into it.
How do you feel about mixing silver and gold?
I personally don’t like mixing metals. I like to mix colors in terms of gemstones, but I think with metals it’s just adding one too many curveballs, especially when I’m mixing different styles and textures. I also just don’t love silver on my skin tone…
That said, you can definitely mix high and low, wearing a funky brass necklace with an heirloom gold piece.
How often do you take your jewelry off?
I don’t ever take jewelry off to do the dishes or garden or anything else. But I know I’m wearing jewelry that can handle that. We definitely carry jewelry in the store that you don’t want to wear while chopping down a cactus with a machete [laughs]. That’s actually become a problematically big part of my life right now, it’s taken over our property…
You have to do a bit of self-reflection. It’s not just about what looks good; it’s about how you want to be able to wear it. Because there’s plenty of jewelry you can wear all the time, it’s just not all jewelry. Are you responsible enough to have rings you need to take off and remember to put back on? Do you want to take your earrings off at night, or would you rather have small hoops you can leave in for years?
I do take off my rings at night because they’re really big, and I also take them off to go surfing.
If someone is considering starting a jewelry collection, where should they begin?
An everyday gold necklace is a great starter piece.
What if someone has a piece — a family heirloom or something — that they never wear, but want to keep for sentimental reasons?
I do a lot of reworking of people’s existing jewelry. A lot of the time they want something that’s more wearable — they have a platinum ring with a prong set diamond that sits up high, and they don’t wear it because it’s too flashy and snags on things.
With my engagement rings, there’s a big emphasis on being comfortable and wearable, a super hardy ring that’s not a huge liability, one that you can wear when your hands get wrinkly and sun-spotted.
5 Things We’re Loving
The Charlie XCX cover for New York Magazine. Things that are brat: French manicures, Aperol spritzes, and Lou Reed. Things that are not: self-care. I can barely understand this and yet it makes me laugh. — ZS
The Studio Nicholson fisherman sandals I copped from the Jake and Jones warehouse sale two weeks ago. I wore them home from the hospital! These Lauren Manoogians feel like the fall equivalent. — ZS
The Woon chili crisp I got from The Eddy to try and kick myself into labor. It didn’t work (more on that later) but it has become my favorite condiment. — ZS
Lemme Say This: the only podcast that can hold my attention right now. — ZS
Ruthlessly selling clothes I’m not wearing. Shout out to Noihsaf Bazaar. — ZS
5 Things We’re Craving
These Hereu Juliol woven mocs. I want them so bad! But they’re sold out in my size. — ZS
Not nursing tops, but tops that are possible to nurse in. I’m so ready to wear normal clothes again. Any recs? — ZS
A new show! Current contenders are The Perfect Couple and Three Women. — ZS
A 90-min massage from Amanda at Massage Touch of Heaven. She’ll get you right — but not without a little intensity. — CG
A bottle of chilled, natural wine — like the Santa Julia La Vaquita Natural claret, which you can find locally at Meritage Wine Market. — CG
Gimmmmmmie that serpent choker! Loved meeting Marisa, so happy she's here in SB and can't wait to do more together.
Beautiful article - jadore Rissy!!! Great tips.