BY JENNIFER BODEN
HauteSHOPPING
HAUTE COSTUME JEWELRY AND BOHO FLAIR GEMS Two Bay Area Designers Share Their Passion GABY GHORBANI’S HANDCRAFTED LINE, LOVE YOU MORE, OFFERS BEAUTIFUL JEWELRY with a meaningful story behind it. Many of the pieces are crafted by small groups of Mexican women, empowering them and lending to unique jewelry styles. In addition, Love You More donates a portion of its profits to charity, including several in the Bay Area.
Wall Street investment banker turned jewelry connoisseur, Rosalina Lydster founded her couture line, Jewelry by Rosalina, in 2002. Most recently, she launched a more affordable haute couture costume jewelry line—Soleil by Rosalina. As a third-generation jeweler, she inherited her love of design from her mother, who dressed socialites and dignitaries in Saigon throughout the 1960s.
The Eternity Bracelet in gold
HAUTE LIVING X GABY GHORBANI
Gaby Ghorbani, jewelry designer
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Q&A
Tell me about Love You More. What initially sparked your passion and ambition to create this business? Love You More is a beautiful line of jewelry and accessories handcrafted by small groups of women from different parts of Mexico. Being born and raised in Mexico, I saw many children even younger than me at the time who were working or begging for food. I constantly tried to help in any way I could, even as a child. Once I had more resources, I was able to give more and devote more time and energy to making a greater impact. I feel inspired by our artisans in Mexico who wanted to learn different skills, be independent, and support their families. I believe that giving these talented women jobs would help empower them. That is the inspiration behind the original Love You More necklace—to simply love more. In fact, I have been saying this for years to my own kids, and I honestly believe that if humanity and society loved more, the world would be a much better place. I am beyond happy and grateful that I was able to find a way to give these women jobs and help spread more love in the world. I also wanted to find a way to financially support the organizations in my community, and my nonprofit, Pledge to Humanity, where we work with local youth to become compassionate, lifelong volunteers.