Like many designers, Palisades businesswoman Laura Geller started out creating jewelry for herself, having gained ample practice making baubles for her beloved Barbie dolls. Then after becoming a mother, she found herself working from home, filling orders for friends who admired her designs. In 1989 she turned her hobby into a business when she rented 100 sq. ft. inside the original Whispers, a high-end women’s boutique on Swarthmore (where BOCA is now located). ”’There, I sold my first lines from a single display case,’ Geller recalled. ”Within a year, the fledgling designer opened her own store a block away at 15310 Antioch, where she leased 800 sq. ft. of Colvey’s, replacing the men’s suit department. She shared the space with a partner who sold gifts and accessories, and then with Jane De Lys, who left last July to open her own store in Brentwood. ”’When we first opened up on Antioch, we didn’t want a jewelry store where you had to press the buzzer to get in,’ said Laura’s husband, Mark Geller, an attorney, who at the time worked as an investment banker and now runs the family business full time. ”’We wanted the store to be a place where people would feel free to walk in and browse. That’s why we were happy to share the space. Then when Jane left we decided it was a good time to take over the whole store.’ ”Five years after opening the Palisades store, the Gellers opened a second store on trendy Robertson Boulevard (since closed), then a third location in Malibu’s Country Mart in 1998. In 2004, the couple added a by-appointment-only boutique (Atelier Prive) and wholesale showroom in Beverly Hills. Last year the company celebrated its 15th anniversary with the national launch of its jewelry line, which included a woven wrist cuff made of 18-carat gold. The soft mesh design is available in three colors, including black gold. ”Laura M. Fine Jewelry, which also does repairs, is known ‘for our ring settings,’ said Mark. ‘We set about a 100 rings a week, some for other jewelers and diamond merchants.’ ”Even though the Gellers work together, their roles are separate. While Laura does the designs, Mark works out the technical aspects of how the pieces will actually be put together. ”’Laura is known for her ethereal designs’jewels that are delicate, refined,’ Mark explained. ”The designer works in gold, platinum, diamonds, colored stones and Old World enameling. A portion of her business is devoted to custom pieces and the remodeling of vintage jewelry. Right now, she said her designs have ‘some Indian influence, as well as Southwest. But my real passion is working with diamonds.’ ”The company’s slogan is: ‘Nobody does dazzle like Laura M.’ Over the years, the designer has quietly developed a celebrity clientele. ‘We don’t loan for the Oscars, we just sell,’ Mark said. ‘Our jewelry is at a price point that sells well. The only way we can afford to charge the prices we do is because we do our own manufacturing. We do that in downtown L.A., which has the castings, moulds, waxes and chemicals needed. In fact, I believe we are the only family-owned and operated, fully integrated jewelry operation on the Westside.’ ”Asked to describe Laura M.’s style (the ‘M’ stands for Marie, his wife’s middle name), Mark said: ‘Soft, sparkly, very feminine. While we draw from nature and geometric forms, we don’t do contemporary designs or jewelry for men, other than custom work. However, we do some men’s cufflinks and, of course, wedding bands.’ ”Laura, 52, said she has designed ‘many’ wedding bands for herself, and three for Mark. ‘One is white gold, one is pink gold and the other yellow,’ she said. ‘He wears all three together.’ ”While Mark, 58, insists he’s not really ‘someone who wears jewelry,’ he has a large watch collection. He said his favorite is usually ‘the last watch I bought, which would be a Jaeger with a master compass and double time zones.’ Married 32 years, the couple met when Mark, who had just graduated from the University of Miami law school, was looking for a job. ”’The first law office I walked into, there she was,’ he said of Laura, who worked as a legal secretary. The Gellers lived for 20 years in the Palisades before moving to Westwood after their children, who attended local schools (Palisades Elementary, Paul Revere and Palisades High), left home. ”Damon, 35, sells precious metals, including platinum and gold; Michael, 30, oversees all Laura M. production and is manager of retail operations; and daughter Kathryn, 22, a senior at UC San Diego, is spending the year in France, where she is doing an internship in asset management with Societe Generale. ”The Gellers, who also own the Newsroom Cafes (one in Santa Monica, the other on Robertson), recently paid their daughter a visit. Mark said he found inspiration at the Monet Museum. The artist’s ‘use of light’ resonated with him as did Monet’s ‘use of nature in his paintings’flowers, teardrops’things that Laura often integrates into her designs.’ ”What does a husband give his wife, a jewelry designer, for their 25th wedding anniversary? ”’A 10-carat, natural, olive-green diamond,’ Laura said. ‘It took me a month to decide what to do with it.’ ”The result? The precious stone is surrounded by ‘three hundred and forty micro-pave diamonds [under 1/2 carat],’ Mark said. ‘You can’t see any of the prongs in the platinum setting, just the beauty of all the diamonds.’
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