Journal

Notes from our bench in Los Angeles. What the charms mean, and how to wear them.

A woman in a black tuxedo jacket wearing Ilene Joy earrings and rings on a New York street at night The Atelier

Ilene Joy and Sex and the City

A question on the street put Ilene's jewelry on Sex and the City for its last three seasons. Here is how WWD told it, and what came after.By the Ilene Joy Atelier

The Atelier

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A woman in a white off-the-shoulder top wearing an Ilene Joy gold clover necklace and rings

Who is Ilene Joy

The designer behind the jewelry for Sex and the City's last three seasons, and the Atelier she now runs with her daughter in Los Angeles. Black and white photograph of a woman in a black sleeveless dress wearing long Ilene Joy necklaces and stacked rings

Ilene Joy in the press

From a TriBeCa party in February 2019 to a Miami Beach pop-up in 2021, here is what Vogue, WWD, Grazia and others wrote, with links. A woman in a black sleeveless dress wearing layered Ilene Joy necklaces and rings beside a marble column

Who wears Ilene Joy

From the 2019 relaunch to Grazia's list of A-listers, the people who have worn Ilene Joy, and where each name comes from. The open back of a woman in black with a long fine gold chain falling down her spine, and an ear climber

A brand that lasts

Age alone proves little. Here are the signs of a jewelry house built to last, and how Ilene Joy, founded in 1996, measures up.

Design your own

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A woman in a champagne silk camisole wearing the Libertine Multi Medallion Necklace in gold

See it on before you buy

Three ways to see a custom necklace worn before it is made. A fine gold chain at the neck with a crescent, a pavé hamsa and an eye charm

Design your own, step by step

A walk through our necklace builder as it stood on 19 October 2026: the chain, the charms, the placing, the view on a model, the price. Paperclip chain bracelet in solid yellow gold

Build your own charm bracelet

Six chains, four wrist sizes and the charms you choose. Box chain necklace in solid yellow gold with a diamond centre ring

How many charms to wear

How many, how far apart, and how to mix sizes.

What it means

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Classic Hamsa Medallion in yellow gold with pavé diamonds

The hamsa

An open hand, worn for protection for three thousand years. Protective Eye Medallion in yellow gold with pavé diamonds and a sapphire

The protective eye

The oldest amulet, and why people still wear it. Serpent Medallion in yellow gold with a pavé diamond snake

The serpent

The snake sheds its skin and keeps going. Bee Medallion in yellow gold with pavé diamonds

The bee

How one small insect became gold's emblem of devotion.

Gifts

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A woman in a white off-the-shoulder top wearing an Ilene Joy pearl necklace and gold rings

Charm gifts by moment

Birthdays, new mothers, graduations, anniversaries and bridal parties: which solid gold charm suits each, and how to have it made in time. A woman in a champagne silk camisole wearing the Libertine Jumbo Clover Necklace in gold

Gifts under $2,000 and $5,000

Solid gold gifts, with every price shown. A woman in a cream silk camisole wearing a long lariat necklace over fine layered gold chains, with bracelets

Meaningful gifts in gold

How to choose a solid gold gift that feels personal, for her, for your mother or for a birthday that ends in a zero. A woman in a white silk camisole wearing the Chain Reaction Cluster Necklace in gold

The considered gift

For an anniversary or an arrival: gold that says what you mean.

Buying well

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A woman in a black double-breasted blazer wearing a fine Ilene Joy gold necklace

Solid gold, vermeil or plated

What each term means, and what you are paying for. A woman in a black velvet blazer wearing the Black Butter Clover Necklace

Fine or fashion jewelry

Metal, karat mark, weight and stones: how to tell. A woman in a black blazer wearing the Libertine Medallion Bracelet in gold

Buying fine jewelry online

Ten checks before you pay, and what happens after delivery. A woman in a cream silk camisole and black trousers wearing stacked bracelets and rings, a leather jacket in her hand

How to choose a jeweler

No ranking can tell you which American jeweler to trust. Seven plain checks can, and we have run every one of them on ourselves.

Care & glossary

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Guardian Symbols Medallion in yellow gold with a hamsa, eye, heart and elephant

A glossary of charm jewelry

Bail, jump ring, pitch, karat, pavé and more. Jumbo box chain necklace in solid yellow gold

14k or 18k

Purity, color, hardness and weight, compared. Guardian Scarab Charm in yellow gold covered in pavé diamonds

Pavé diamonds, graded

What E-F color and VS clarity mean on a small charm. Rolo chain necklace in solid rose gold with a diamond centre ring

Yellow, rose and white gold together

The one-main-gold rule, and three combinations.