Our Founder + Designer
I’m Vanessa Louise Marie Arthur, the founder and designer of VLM Jewelry.
I created my brand for modern women who find beauty in simplicity and value timeless, thoughtful design. My creative work is more than just jewelry... I conceptualize meaningful adornments with the intention of helping you feel polished and unique in your self-expression.
- Slow Fashion - This means intentionally producing less by slowing down. Respecting the process of artistic creation promotes quality design and caters to a less is more lifestyle. I also happen to love tools and I've been making things by hand from a young age!
- Inspiring Others - Using my talents to design and share my creativity with you is a gift and ultimately makes life more fulfilling. My business exists to support and inspire (my family and the community we all live in). Together we're able to multiply that spirit through charitable giving that makes a positive impact.
- Sustainability - Respecting Mother Earth is no longer negotiable. My commitment to small-batch, local production and using recycled metals from day one minimizes our ecological foot print. Wherever possible I seek out green solutions in every area of business from raw materials to packaging.
"There is a timeless elegance about California modernism; from bold architecture and pragmatic interior design to sculptural fashions that heavily inspire my body of work. As a jewelry artist, I contemplate the relationship between a modern lifestyle and timeless design. Exploring how this relates to the elements of a confident personal style, I aim to create elegant jewelry with a modern edge that seamlessly complements the wardrobe of well-traveled, sophisticated women." - Vanessa Louise Marie Arthur
I was born and raised in Upstate New York and graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor's degree in Fashion Design. I was lucky enough to spend my entire junior year living and working for an up-and-coming fashion designer in London while studying abroad at the prestigious London College of Fashion. Moving back to small town USA was pretty dismal after exploring Europe, but necessary for graduation and developing my award-winning senior catwalk collection. My thirst for travel continued after graduation and called me out west to California via a three week road trip (taking in as many sights as possible along the way) before I had to fly back to Manhattan to start my design internship at Ralph Lauren. It was just too expected to immediately start working in NYC so I left my summer internship early to move to Los Angeles. That crazy adventure lead me to a decade spent exploring, living and working in several different neighborhoods throughout San Francisco and Los Angeles before settling in Pasadena with my husband, Noel, in 2011. We relocated to Ventura with our two boys in late 2019 to raise our family and work in wide open spaces close to the Pacific Ocean.
I took a three year hiatus from my jewelry business to focus on family and re-launched my fully re-branded business in 2022. I design each piece from my home studio in Ventura and everything is handmade by me and a handful of master artisans located in Los Angeles, California.
Before launching VLM Jewelry originally in late 2015 I was a one-time violinist, singer, and a fashion designer for over 18 years. Throughout my fashion career I have worked as a women's wear designer for some of LA's most recognizable fashion brands including American Rag, BCBG, Trina Turk, Rachel Zoe and Robert Rodriguez. I've had the honor to dress celebrities in my designs including Cindy Crawford, Viola Davis, Carrie Fisher, Mindy Kaling, Arden Myrin, Jessica Pare and musicians Mary J. Blige, Sharon Jones and Noelle Scaggs to name a few.
Hollywood celebrities Lauren Lapkus, Arden Myrin and Noelle Scaggs were early adopters of my brand and costume designers for television shows like Jane the Virgin and Insatiable have styled their stars in VLM Jewelry. I'm especially honored that Tessa Thompson wore our best selling Harp Ring in the film CREED II thanks to the film’s incredibly talented costume designer Lizz Wolf.
I'm on a mission to spread gratitude with my work as an artist, designer and jeweler through charitable giving to organizations who provide vital support and services to underserved communities. VLM Jewelry commits to donating 5% of our proceeds every year to non-profit 501c organizations that make a difference in people's lives. By supporting causes bigger than ourselves, I believe we have the power to make a difference and bring mankind together. I think we can all agree that togetherness is an important theme now more than ever. Thank you for reading this far, I appreciate your support and I hope my work continues to inspire you to follow our creative voyage!
