How I Wear It: Sylva Yepremian

Our new series highlighting how the most stylish international designers wear their jewels.

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She’s got enviable style, dressing in fluid monochromatic black or white, the perfect canvas for her signature jewels. And it’s just those—the layers of chic, symbolic necklaces and stacked diamond rings—that really tell the story of Los Angeles-based owner of Sylva & Cie, Sylva Yepremian.  Her casual elegance only has the rest of us wondering: what’s her styling secret?

Here, Sylva reveals how jewelry defines her look.

What comes first when you get dressed—the outfit or the jewelry?

SY: Always the jewelry!

What’s your go-to jewelry style?

SY: Necklaces have always been my thing. I dress very simply in monochromatic black, white or navy. Depending on my mood or neckline, I might wear one, two or three necklaces, and have them short, long or a mix of both.

Necklaces enhance my outfit more than any other accessory because they are visible, and they personalize the way I dress. I wear a mix of pendants—antique and new—on statement chains. Wearing pendant necklaces are a talisman for me, and they make me feel powerful.

What’s your ring style?

SY: I stack them. I have a four carat cushion-cut diamond wedding ring, which I stack with a six carat grayish-blue diamond ring. Right now, I’m wearing four rings stacked on my pinky.

I love rough cut diamonds, especially the ones that are a little salt and pepper. I’m crazy about old diamonds because they were hand-cut without high-tech tools and have a magical glow, and nothing else comes close to it.

What jewelry do you wear every day?

SY: I’m never without my pinky ring (it’s a classic signet ring with pavé

old European cut diamonds) and my evil eye bracelet with diamonds, turquoise, onyx and tiger’s eye. I’m Middle Eastern and since the day I was born, my mother hung an evil eye charm on my chest. It’s part of my culture to have a protective symbol on us all the time.

What’s your power piece?

SY: Right now, I’m wearing an amazing onyx pendant necklace engraved with fuck you. It’s been my statement for most of 2020 during this pandemic. It’s empowering. It reminds me of some graphic modern art that is strong and has a sense of whimsy and irreverence.

Do you believe stones are protective or have energy?

SY: I do believe there is a certain energy with some stones, and for me those stones are sapphires. They are my protective stone and feed my soul. It’s also my birthstone.  When I travel, I wear stacked sapphire bands because they are a source of comfort.

What’s your jewelry styling advice?

SY: Jewelry is such a personal thing. It’s like buying art, you have to watch people’s reaction to a piece and see if they are making a connection. It’s about finding jewelry pieces that make you feel confident instead of what is the fashion mandate this month.

Whose jewelry style do you most admire?

SY: Frida Kahlo was tiny, and Millicent Rogers was long and lanky, but they both piled jewelry on so beautifully. But nobody could beat the way Elizabeth Taylor wore her jewels and her love for beautiful stones. I love the images of her wearing jewels in the pool, and how she was irreverent with her jewelry. She wore that Krupp diamond—a whopping 33.19 carat stone—around like it was nothing. We need that sense of glamour today. And even though we are all wearing sweatpants right now, we should put on our diamond rings and earrings.

What’s on your jewelry wish list?

SY: I just purchased a gorgeous 15 carat type IIa emerald cut diamond that I will set into a ring—something minimal so the diamond appears floating. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime stone that I should sell, but I really want to keep this one.