Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LOS ANGELES -- Jewelry maker Jennifer Meyer draws inspiration from nature, and gets support from a certain spider. Well, more like a Spider-Man -- aka fiance and father of her baby-to-be, Tobey Maguire.
"He has the best taste of anyone I know," says the expectant 29-year-old. "I try to run everything by him."
Maguire returns the admiration. "I'm so happy for Jen. It's been a really exciting year watching her creative process come to life," he says.
In next summer's Spider-Man 3, the first in Meyer's line of new gold heart-shaped lockets will be worn by Kirsten Dunst, a gift to Dunst's Mary Jane from Peter Parker (Maguire). "She has a very cute picture of Mary Jane and Peter Parker inside the locket," says Meyer, whose jewelry appears thanks to costume designers Nina and Clare Hallworth, who styled Dunst and also worked on The Break-Up with Jennifer Aniston.
The daughter of Universal Studios president and COO Ron Meyer learned how to make enamel jewelry when she was just 6 from her grandmother, Edith Meyer.
After studying child and family psychology at Syracuse University, Meyer began her fashion career in public relations for Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren. Jennifer Meyer Jewelry's 18-karat gold line (jennifermeyer jewelry.com) got a boost from being included in The Break-Up. Aniston became such a fan that she added some to her personal collection.
"I just love how delicate it is," Aniston said during The Break-Up press junket.
Other stars who wear Meyer's gold wishbones, acorns and leaves (in rose, white or yellow gold) are Kate Hudson, Demi Moore, Courteney Cox, Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Kidman. The collection is available at Barneys New York (New York and Los Angeles), Kaviar and Kind (L.A.) and Maxfield (Beverly Hills), and ranges from $125 for a gold band (with a small diamond, ruby, sapphire, turquoise or emerald stone) to $11,000 for large diamond and gold leaf earrings.
"I wanted people to feel like my jewelry could be incorporated with anything else that they wore," says Meyer, who is wearing 10 bracelets on her left wrist (six her own), along with a red Kabbalah string. ("I respect it more than I study it," she says of the faith popularized by Madonna and Moore. "Somebody put this on me as protection.")
In April, Maguire placed a diamond engagement ring on her left ring finger. "I didn't design this one," she says with a smile. "Tobey found it, and I love it, love it, love it!"
This day, she also wears rings she designed: a solid gold V-ring, a diamond and yellow gold "energy" ring and a thin gold band with a small diamond.
The tabloids have been focusing on another addition to Meyer's personal collection -- a baby due later this year. "Let's just say this is truly the best time of my life," says Meyer, who hasn't yet made wedding plans. "I'm walking on air. I'm getting married, starting a family and have an amazing company."
To see more of USAToday.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.usatoday.com
© Copyright 2006 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
