Known for her original hardware-inspired designs, Marla Aaron’s unique perspective on jewellery design has made her a singular force in the industry. She launched her New York-based brand in 2012 with a carabiner lock cast in precious metal, a piece that would redefine not just her career, but the very language of adornment. 

Her eponymous jewellery brand stands out thanks to its ability to create storytelling out of metal – a true engineering of emotion. The pieces are grounded by the use of a myriad fascinating closing mechanisms, which are then elevated through the addition of precious gems. 

Aaron also takes creative pleasure in working with an eclectic range of materials, from 18k gold to Dyneema – the world’s strongest fibre, known to outperform steel and used in military and medical applications. Whether it’s a pair of convertible earrings or her intertwined chain-links, every piece carries the same rebellious ethos she has always lived by – “Jewellery’s only job is to bring joy to as many people as possible.” 

Inclusivity lies at the heart of the brand. Whether you’re a first-time buyer seeking a Dyneema cord bracelet or a seasoned collector investing in a diamond-studded Rolling Spheres piece, Aaron wants everyone to feel part of her world. Her patented designs have captivated a remarkably wide audience, comprising not only jewellery fanatics but also those who claim no interest in jewellery at all, drawn in instead by the intelligence, wit, and sheer originality of the designer’s thinking. 

Perhaps the most iconic moment in her journey so far might have been when Queen Rania of Jordan booked an appointment under an alias and then left the showroom with a selection of pieces. Months later, the royal was photographed wearing one of the brand’s lock necklaces during a milestone moment in her life, when she held her newborn grandchild in the hospital. Today, Aaron has a photo of that moment framed as a keepsake. 

The very foundation of Aaron’s brand has been built on a similar refusal to conform. The story of the now-iconic carabiner lock that started it all, a utilitarian object reimagined in precious metal, originates in her childhood. “My mother used to find me carrying hardware around in my little purse,” she laughs. “Once, when I was no more than four, I went around the house and took all the plug adapters out of the walls. I was obsessed with these things.” 

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Years later, she reveals how her grandmother gave her a pearl necklace, but young Aaron thought it was missing something. Only after she clipped a carabiner from a hardware store onto it did it feel wearable. “That was really the kick-off point,” she recalls. “The more I made, the more ideas I had. That’s still the case today.”

Aaron’s creativity isn’t solitary or silent. “While many designers talk about going off to design and sitting quietly in a field, that’s not me at all,” she says with a grin. Instead, in her headquarters, her team has a weekly product development meeting in which every new idea is discussed. Everyone is encouraged to share their opinions in a highly collaborative – if chaotic – way. “Even people in fulfilment give feedback. Everyone has a voice,” the designer shares. 

These ideas are tracked and then put through rounds of prototyping. “The question is always, ‘We know we can make one thing once, but can we make it a hundred times?’” Aaron explains. Some ideas are refined. Others are abandoned. “If it starts to feel like we’re pushing too hard, we let it go.”

While Aaron didn’t set out to make “empowerment jewellery”, she’s well aware of the emotional and symbolic weight her designs carry. What fascinates her most is the strong following she’s gained among women in technical fields. 

“We have an inordinate number of aerospace engineers as clients. A lot of Apple and Google women, too,” she says. “I get embarrassed when they assume I’m an engineer, and I’m like, ‘No, I am just obsessive and relentless, but I’m no engineer.’” 

In closing, she recounts a moment with a woman who visited the showroom after spending a significant sum on her designs. “She was dressed exactly as you’d think an engineer would dress,” Aaron says. “She had no makeup on and a Patagonia backpack, and she said, ‘I don’t even wear jewellery. I don’t care about jewellery. But I’m obsessed with yours.’ I was so flattered. She had fallen in love with the mechanisms.”