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How Jewelry Designer Anita Ko Became the Queen of Cuts
Anita Ko brings cool confidence to mixed-cut diamond essentials.
Diamond Bracelets by Anita Ko
Anita Ko, jewelry designer to the stars and self-proclaimed diamond lover, has a breezy quality about her—an effervescence, if you will. She is poised and elegant but knows how to have a good time in good company. This elegant yet playful spirit is reflected in her jewelry. Ko’s creations are the epitome of style and sophistication, and when stacked, layered, and thoughtfully styled, they add a certain je ne sais quoi to any ensemble.
Meet the Author
- Jane Asher is a social media manager with a passion for pop culture.
- She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Washington University in St. Louis.
- As a journalist, her work has been featured in publications such as InStyle Magazine, Stylecaster, Martha Stewart Weddings and more
Ko has long been the go-to jeweler for the cool girl who knows a little bling can go a long way. “What is chicer than a t-shirt, jeans, and a great diamond necklace?” muses the designer. Ko has always been creating pieces for the cool girl, which makes sense given that they were her earliest inspiration. “A major inspiration for me was seeing all the cool Bel-Air ladies as a child, wearing all their incredible dynasty jewelry at the Bel-Air Hotel,” she recalls. With her mood board complete, Ko dreamed up jewelry that was bold yet wearable, which could be styled in statement-making layers or stand out on its own.
The Anita Ko Cool Girl
A Los Angeles native, Ko cites both the people and the lifestyle of the coastal city as her original muses. “I grew up by the beach, so just that element of wearing casual clothing that shows a little bit more skin,” she tells Only Natural Diamonds—a perfect pair with sparkling diamonds, of course. “In today’s day and age, we all have our basics, and it’s our accessories that really tell the story of who we are.”
From Hailey Bieber to Ariana Grande, Ko’s clientele certainly emulates that casual, cool confidence. “The Anita Ko customer loves jewelry,” Ko explains. “She’s someone who wants quality, luxurious pieces that she can wear every day and make part of her life.” Bieber is often spotted layering Anita Ko necklaces with a simple t-shirt and jeans. Like a second skin, Ko’s designs blend seamlessly into any wardrobe, from boho-casual to preppy button-downs. “I create high-end pieces that don’t necessarily have to be locked away in a safety deposit box,” she says. “That luxurious touch is always really important to me.”
Anita Ko’s Early Years
Ko began her career in jewelry design, creating pieces for herself and, eventually, for her peers. “My father would take me to his friend who had a jewelry manufacturing company so I could make my own things,” she recalls from her childhood. “When I got into it in my twenties, I just started making pieces that I wanted to make for myself,” she explains. Everywhere I went, friends, even strangers, would say, ‘I love that piece of jewelry, I love that necklace.’”’ It was that encouragement, along with the support of her family, that led her to consider jewelry design as a viable career path.
“At that time, there weren’t a lot of independent jewelry designers,” Ko says, “I was able to give that personal touch as a peer.” After all, who better to buy jewelry from than a fellow fashion girl, creating the pieces she wanted in her own collection? “I love when women tell me that they bought a piece to mark a milestone in their life and they wanted to remember it by,” she adds of her loyal customers. “It really helps me to connect with the client.”
Anita Ko’s Love Affair with Natural Diamonds
Ko understands the importance of investing in pieces that are not only luxurious and wearable but also hold their value over time, like natural diamonds. “I didn’t get into this business to make cheap things,” she says of the surge in popularity of synthetics and diamond alternatives. “There’s something about a natural stone that has its own story, its own personality.”
For Ko, much of the creative process is about the thrill of the chase—finding natural diamonds with life and personality that also fit her idea of perfection. “That’s kind of what drives me,” she shares, describing the excitement of sourcing diamonds. Take heart shapes, for example, one of her favorite cuts: “There are so many different variations with hearts. Some hearts are too fat; some hearts are too short. I’m always scouring for the ones that have perfect symmetry because so many of them don’t.” And when she does find the perfect one, magic happens.
Ko also names marquise shapes and baguettes as other favorites. “I love baguettes because they create a light reflection that’s like a prism, which is different from how other diamonds are cut for brilliance,” she muses. “I like to graduate a lot,” she adds of her design style. “I’m looking for great centerpieces and then smaller stones that can graduate.” At the heart of it all is making sure the final design is wearable, “with a t-shirt and jeans,” true to her L.A. cool-girl style.
Anita Ko’s Los Angeles Roots
Being a Los Angeles native is a significant part of Ko’s story, and earlier this year, she was deeply affected by the Los Angeles wildfires—losing everything after her Malibu home burned down. “I have to rebuild my life completely, but I’m determined to create something better than I had before, because I don’t really have a choice,” she shares, her voice filled with emotion. “I’m the child of immigrants and the grandchild and great-grandchild of people who lost everything in the wars and had to recreate their lives, so I will, too.”
Having to rebuild certainly put Ko in a bit of a rut, but often the best ideas are born from the need to re-set. “When you’re in a rut, you have to constantly be open and try to be open, which isn’t always easy,” she shares. “You never know when inspiration will strike, so you just have to be kind of looking all the time, traveling, reading books.”
For Ko, going back to the beginning is often the first step in rekindling that creative flame. “When you’re starting, you’re just completely open and filled with all these great ideas that you might draw up or take notes on, but you don’t actually produce,” she explains. “I like to go back to my archives and see where I started and trace the progression to where I am now, and that helps me find direction.”
Anita Ko On the Red Carpet
One of the proudest moments of Ko’s career came in the form of going back to basics and zhuzshing up an older design—by adding bigger diamonds, of course. “I loved seeing Scarlett Johansson at the Oscars wearing my Olivia earrings in a larger scale,” she shares. “I sell them in my everyday line with much smaller diamonds, but I got to see them in real life with huge, top-quality stones.” The earring features a line of four round, brilliant-cut diamonds hanging from a larger round diamond stud, accented with a pear-shaped drop at the bottom.
Johansson wore the earrings to the Academy Awards in 2020, just before COVID-19 lockdowns shut down the country. “Seeing it on her, walking the red carpet, and seeing the life and the movement of the stones, that really was a proud moment for me.”
