above: Kimberlin Brown in her NYC studio
Greenwich native Kimberlin Brown crafts fine jewelry inspired by nature— and beloved by stars like Walton Goggins, Susan Sarandon and Adele
Fans of White Lotus are lured in as much by the resort style and lush scenery as the characters and salacious storylines. And one of the hit show’s leading men, Walton Goggins (Rick in Season three), reveals his personal style and love of art by wearing jewelry designed by Kimberlin Brown, who grew up in Greenwich. Kimberlin creates all of her jewelry in her New York City studio, and her eye-catching pieces first captured Goggins’s attention at a SoHo boutique called Love Adorned. He purchased a significant opal ring for his wife, writer and director Nadia Conners, and the couple have since become big admirers of her work.
Walton wore a piece designed by Kimberlin, a large, custom-cut faceted Labradorite stone set in 18K gold with two bright Zambian emeralds on the sides, during his appearance on Saturday Night Live last spring, and in a photo shoot with costar Aimee Lou Wood. “When he tried it on, he said, ‘This is art,’ ” Kimberlin recalls of the moment she first showed him the piece. He loves to wear Brown’s jewelry to special events and was also seen donning one of her rings at a gala at the Guggenheim.
Goggins is certainly not the first star to be captivated by Kimberlin’s destined-to-become-heirloom jewelry. Adele, Naomi Watts, Katie Lee and Rachael Ray have all adorned themselves with her creations. Susan Sarandon purchased an opal ring, and Whoopi Goldberg had a pussy willow bracelet customized with added pearls. Each piece in Kimberlin’s collections is thoughtfully crafted using only 18K gold as well as rose-cut diamonds, which she says have a quality that’s “like the sun shimmering on water.”
Kimberlin’s love of art and nature began while she was growing up in town. She took many art classes at Greenwich High School as well as the Bruce Museum and Greenwich Arts Society, and went on to receive her BFA in fine arts from the Art Institute of Chicago. Later she traveled to Copenhagen to attend a workshop in Georg Jensen’s studio. She also apprenticed with a master goldsmith in Tuscany.
During her years in Greenwich, she and her family were regulars at Tod’s Point. “I tell people it’s a beach town. I have pictures of myself as a kid going to the beach,” Kimberlin says, “I love the sea as a source of inspiration.” She took cues from the natural world when creating all of her collections, which include Sea Anemone and Celestial Shore, Woodland Walk and Galaxy.
Her designs are also created in a way that is helping to preserve and conserve nature as well. Kimberlin works as a coral conservation advocate with groups such as Sea Web and Oceana, promoting the concept that real coral should never be used in jewelry and donating pieces to raise funds and awareness. “It’s too precious of a living creature that is essential to ocean health,” she says about coral.
She works closely with family-run mines to acquire opals and an eco-conscious mine called Gemfields that gives back to local communities. “I like working directly with the purveyors of the stones, of the mines, and to make sure that with the beautiful pieces there’s beauty in how the materials were obtained, too.”
Kimberlin is now working on a capsule collection for the new ABC Carpet and Home on Greenwich Avenue, and her jewelry is available at boutiques such as Toujours Midi in Nantucket, Forty Five Ten in Dallas and Madlords in Paris and St. Tropez.
Still feeling a close connection to Greenwich, she is offering the magazine’s readers a discount on jewelry purchased from her site. Enter code Greenwich15 now through January 1 to receive 15 percent off kimberlinbrownjewelry.com