Partyhopper

From In Style's Angela Salazar in Los Angeles: Fresh from a round of styling gigs with her famous client Gwen Stefani (whose album The Sweet Escape was recently released), Andrea Lieberman felt almost lucky she was able to make it to her own jewelry trunk show in Beverly Hills the other day. “I got on an airplane at 6:30 this morning from New York,” the stylist-to-the-stars told me. “I’ve been hitting it hard, and now I’m, like, 'Let me change my hats.'"

Estee Stanley, Nicole Richie and Andrea Lieberman
Photos by Mark Mainz/Getty

This day’s “hat,” of course, was her designer one—for the jewelry line Mouawad, which she started collaborating on a little over a year ago. Guests who showed up to admire the gold bangles, chain-link necklaces and earrings peppered with diamonds included a brunet Nicole Richie (with her new power-stylists Cristina Ehrlich and Estee Stanley, which explained the army of paparazzi outside) and pretty blonde actress Leslie Bibb (Will Ferrell’s wife in Talladega Nights).

Leslie Bibb and Andrea Lieberman

Lieberman, who is also a creative consultant for Stefani’s L.A.M.B. collection, describes her Mouawad jewelry line as organic and tribal-inspired, with a modern edge and an architectural slant.

Her designs are pricey (in the thousands), but she is proud of the fact that many of the stones she uses are unheated (heating changes the color and appearance of the stones) and that none of the gold has rhodium plating, allowing it to acquire a natural polish. Her philosophy is simple: She designs pieces she herself wants to wear.

Nicole Richie, Cristina Ehrlich and Andrea Lieberman

“I wanted to reinvent the classics for a new generation of women,” she explained. “For the girls that are empowered enough to go out and buy their own jewelry.” Look for her next collection—which she says will be a little more industrial, with a "punk rock meets Hermès" feeling—in stores such as Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus in late spring.

Nicole Richie

“I think there are a lot of different layers to the types of jewelry women wear,” Lieberman told me. "And I think it speaks volumes about the personality and spirit."

Hmm. I wonder what my vintage koi-fish ring says about me. Do you have any jewelry that you think makes a statement about you? If so, what is it—and what is the statement?

-- James Patrick Herman