DESIGNER PROFILE - Sandra Müller

September 2008


Raised in Europe and based in Los Angeles, Sandra Müller is a jewelry jet-setter

Sandra Müller was weaned on fine jewelry. Born in Chile, she grew up in Switzerland, where her parents were hosts to a steady stream of society, including celebrities like Oscar de la Renta, Elizabeth Taylor and the Fiat heiress Marella Agnelli, whom she recalled as wearing “beads of emerald down her back with jeans and cashmere sweaters.” Such early exposure to exquisite jewels instilled in Müller a passion for gemstones and a refined sense of taste. She graduated from the Gemological Institute of America at the age of 19, married a wealthy Chilean and split her time between South America and Marbella, Spain, where she drove around in a white Porsche. “But I wanted to be a jeweler, not a rich girl,” she said. Her marriage did not survive her ambitions. When it ended 17 years ago, Müller was drawn to Los Angeles. Since then, she has cultivated a private clientele based around her eye for rare, baroque stones – such as a pair of Trapiche emeralds from Colombia, which she has set in “lemon peel” yellow gold earrings sprinkled with yellow diamond pavé. A series of intricate gold and diamond seahorse cuff bracelets is typical of her aesthetic, which favors symbolic, gem-intense jewels that require weeks if not months of painstaking craftsmanship.

The first piece of jewelry I ever made: It was at goldsmithing school in 1981. I made a gold necklace with two birds of paradise interlacing their long, exotic feathers. I still wear it. The kind of customer request I’ll never tire of: A ‘carte blanche’ sculpture from an extravagant client who will challenge me to do the impossible. My favorite gemstone: Black and red large free form Australian opal of the finest quality. My favorite design era: Art Nouveau Falize and Lalique work. My favorite living designers: Joel Arthur Rosenthal (JAR) and my friend Suzanne Syz. One unusual detail about my design process: I am a better carver and model maker than sketcher, because I am dyslexic. Between one pigeon’s blood Burmese ruby or half a dozen D-flawlesses, I would rather have: A pigeon’s blood natural red diamond! The craziest thing I’ve ever done for a client: A mini-coffin for a beloved canary. When I create a new collection: I live, breathe, sleep and dream of it. I confess it becomes my obsession. If I were a city, I would be: A coral reef. The jewelry-related job I would least like to have is: The money controller of my manufacturing and gem acquisitions. While designing, my mind usually wanders to: A ‘fleur de peau’ kind of emotional state — pure heaven!

Rock star Sandra Müller’s 18-karat gold Sea Horse cuff bracelet with rose cut diamonds, full cut diamonds and brown diamond beads totaling 19 carats and Life Rocks!™ 18-karat gold and diamond guitar pendants with onyx and turquoise.