Incomparable Artistry: The Legendary Story of Beverly Hills Jewellery Designer Martin Katz 

Martin Katz has a story to tell. Or should that be an archive of stories to tell? This formidable Californian jeweller has spent decades sourcing the finest coloured gemstones, creating one-of-a-kind jewels, and dressing famous celebrities. He has often found himself at the forefront of things, like purchasing Brazilian Paraiba tourmaline in the late 90s, dressing actresses on the cusp of superstardom and partnering with international brand names. Now, he’s doubling down on digital, collaborating with sculptors, and continuing to produce sensational pieces that put Colombian emeralds, fancy coloured diamonds and Paraiba tourmalines in the spotlight. Let me tell you more about an incomparable jewellery tour de force…

For more than three decades, Martin Katz has been recognised for his incredible artistry, passion for Art Deco, and his reputation in glamorous Hollywood circles. Prior to this year’s Couture show in Las Vegas, I made a short stop in Beverly Hills to visit the designer at his appointment-only Penthouse atelier in the iconic Fred Hayman Building. In years gone by, Martin Katz had a magnificent boutique on Brighton Way, but all this changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. After spending 2 months in the hospital, he decided to change direction, let go of the boutique and open something more experiential, very private and one-to-one for his loyal customers, many of whom have been collecting his jewels for decades.

His signature style is all about subtle Art Deco influences and refined simplicity, both of which can be found in the Penthouse. Personally, I was blown away by the luxe-lounge experience that Martin and his team have created, which feels very rooted in the sophisticated ‘Golden Age’ of Hollywood. In fact, Martin is deeply inspired by vintage jewellery, as well as architecture, contemporary art, and his global travels when designing, which is something we spoke about during my visit. What I especially admire about Martin’s jewellery is his attention to detail and the little nuances that elevate a great piece into an exceptional one. Apparently, he has been described as designing “contemporary jewellery with an old soul”, which feels very apt, even during my short visit.

Another great thing about meeting someone with such a long and illustrious career in jewellery is the stories. Martin has lots of anecdotes about sourcing stones, meeting celebrities and partnering with iconic brands like Victoria’s Secret, Ray-Ban and Estée Lauder. Over the last 30 years, Martin has worked with more than 500 celebrity clients, but none were more influential than Sharon Stone.

Imagine it’s the early 1990s, and the Hollywood red carpet scene is dominated by big Parisian houses and American giants like Harry Winston. Martin is, quite by chance, introduced to leading lady Sharon Stone, who at the time was filming one of the biggest movies of her career, Basic Instinct. Although she was not well-known at this point, Sharon loved the Martin Katz aesthetic and picked out a bracelet and a pair of earrings that she asked to wear to the film’s premiere. At the time, Martin was disappointed to miss a potential sale and felt that there was no benefit to loaning his jewellery, especially considering the risk of accidental damage in the process.

“Half an hour later, the president of Paramount Pictures called me,” Martin recalls. “He said, “Martin, you have to loan Sharon this jewellery,” and I explained to him why that doesn’t work for me. He said it was going to be the biggest movie, and she’s going to be the biggest star in decades, so I can’t tell her no!” At this point, the president of Paramount asked to loan the jewellery as a personal favour, and Martin agreed, but with some savvy conditions. He requested that the Martin Katz byline be added to every appearance of his jewels in magazines, photoshoots and press junkets. In just a few short months, the Martin Katz name was EVERYWHERE!

Among his clients were the likes of Sandra Bullock, Sofia Richie, Nicole Kidman, Gillian Anderson, Joey King, Jessica Biel, Salma Hayek, Kylie Minogue, Angela Bassett, Christina Ricci, and Kate Winslet, who he recalls meeting when she was just 19 at the start of her acting career. Now, though, times have changed, and many famous faces are offered huge sums to wear jewellery by specific brands at events like the Academy Awards and Golden Globes. What’s great about speaking with Martin is his incredible honesty about the trials and tribulations of working with the Hollywood elite… It’s a lot more cut-throat than you might think! Fortunately, Martin has always had his strong principles and timeless, beautifully crafted jewels to fall back on.

Some of his stories are more humorous, though. Spare a thought for actress Minnie Driver, who once accidentally broke an eight-row strand of Burmese ruby beads, complete with a giant cabochon emerald set into a diamond plaque. The beads scattered across the floor, so she ended up on her hands and knees (with famed director James Cameron, no less), picking up each individual bead and placing them into a bag to return to Martin, who took the whole incident in his stride.

These celebrity connections are only part of the Martin Katz story. There’s so much more to share about his role in sourcing and buying gemstones, designing with a strong sense of brand DNA, and finding inspiration in unexpected places. Firstly, Martin believes that a beautiful stone is just that until it is brought to life in the right way. He explains: “If you have money, you can buy a stupendous stone, but what do you do with it? Remember, a house is not a home until you decorate it. How do you give something personality, how do you create something relatable, and how do you make something chic and sophisticated?”

Part of Martin’s design philosophy is simplicity (something he describes as “the hardest thing”) and creating jewellery that doesn’t require a black-tie affair to make it out of the house. His focus is on ‘fit and finish’, giving his customers comfortable, perfectly realised and executed pieces that they can wear for whatever occasions are relatable to them, whether that’s an anniversary party, dinner with friends, or a museum gala.

And why shouldn’t dinner with friends involve Paraiba tourmalines, no-oil emeralds, D-Flawless diamonds and Burmese rubies? These are just some of the gems that Martin works with, in addition to fancy colour diamonds and sparkling surfaces of pavé diamonds. During my visit, Martin recalled his first introduction to Paraiba tourmalines at a trade show more than 25  years ago. He remembers a booth standing out due to the throng of people crowded around it. As he got closer, he saw four or five magnificent faceted Paraibas in large sizes, although he had never heard of this stone before.

The dealer was looking for $12,000 per carat, which was quite unheard of at the time, even for such clean and unusual material. Martin returned to make offers, but the dealer wouldn’t budge, so eventually, he relented and purchased a stone for a little under $100,000. Two years later, he sold the same stone for $250,000 and three years after that, he bought it back for $500,000! I am told the final piece that contained this gemstone sold for a remarkable $2.8 million, demonstrating just how in-demand these neon beauties are.

Stories like this highlight how Martin is in no rush to achieve perfection. In fact, he often saves gemstones, such as no-oil emeralds, for years until the right jolt of inspiration hits. For example, he told me about a matching set of pear-shaped Burmese rubies that he purchased 10 years ago, which he only started working with 10 months ago. Sometimes, inspiration arrives in a split second, often in the most innocuous scenarios, like noticing the fluid lines of shredded paperwork while talking on the phone. This idea of thin strips of shredded paper turned into the perfect idea for a Diamond Bow pin. 

Before my visit to Beverly Hills came to an end, there was still time to talk about Martin’s latest projects, especially a collaboration with Italian sculptor Andrea Roggi. Together, they created the Energia della Vita – an artwork featuring a jewelled ‘Mother Earth’ sphere set with more than 2,000 precious gemstones – which was exhibited at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris earlier this year. A smaller, limited edition series is set to launch in October 2025 during Paris Art Basel, set with blue sapphires, Paraiba tourmalines, tsavorite garnets and white diamonds.

Finally, we spoke about the new Martin Katz website and social media presence, which really showcases the unique jewellery world that Martin has created. It has been developed like a ‘digital canvas’ with beautiful images and insights into Martin’s artistry, legacy and, of course, his connection to the famous faces we all know and love. It’s also a great place to see the tagline that so perfectly encapsulates all that this incomparable designer has achieved: “Martin Katz. Jewels. Like No Other”.