When the Beverly Hills, Calif.–based jeweler Jacquie Aiche introduced her Sweet Leaf line of cannabis-inspired jewels and accessories in 2007, the same year her eponymous fine jewelry brand debuted, weed was still something even Californians enjoyed behind closed doors.
A few years later, however, as legalization efforts around the country gathered steam, the drug once maligned as the “devil’s lettuce” had become a bona fide fashion statement. Miley Cyrus and Rihanna were spotted wearing Aiche’s Sweet Leaf styles, “and the collection just took on a life of its own,” Aiche recalls. “Then it was everywhere. Over the years, others kind of crept in. And everybody’s expressed their love for the sweet leaf in their own way.”
She can say that again. Cannabis is now legal for adults (21 years old) in 15 states and Washington, D.C. A few weeks ago, New York became the latest state to legalize recreational marijuana, and the jewelry industry has seized the zeitgeist. Even Bulgari, a traditional European luxury house, joined the party two years ago, when it debuted a spectacular series of diamond- and gem-encrusted high jewels exalting the silhouette of the cannabis leaf.
“We like to take risks,” Lucia Silvestri, creative director of Bulgari, told The New York Times in 2019. “I thought, why not do something new in a contemporary way with these leaves that are so beautiful, now that it’s more legal and we can talk about this without any scandal.”
In honor of 4/20, we’re highlighting a spark-ling selection of jeweled homages to weed—because—say it with us—it’s high time someone did!
Top: Pearl ID Cannabis Leaf ring in white gold, $15,620; W. Rosado
Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazineFollow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine
