Several jewelry stores are among the 2,000 structures reported to have been destroyed by the unchecked Los Angeles area wildfires, which have killed at least five people and caused thousands of others to evacuate.
In Pacific Palisades, Jaimie Geller Jewelry’s boutique, fashion and jewelry retailer Elyse Walker, and J.J. Martin’s yet-to-open store all burned to the ground.
“The store is gone,” says Geller, who has evacuated to a hotel and at press time didn’t know if her home was still standing.
In a statement posted on Instagram, Walker mourned the “incredible loss” of her flagship location, off Sunset Boulevard, and the overall devastation in Pacific Palisades, where she has worked, lived, and raised a family for the past 25 years. “I am thankful that our staff is safe and remains unharmed,” Walker wrote, adding that the status of the Elyse Walker store in the Palisades Village shopping center of Pacific Palisades “is still unknown” and that her “Calabasas location is closed until further notice.
“I also want to share my gratitude to the firefighters and law enforcement for all their incredible efforts,” Walker’s post said. “Together we will mourn, heal, and eventually rise up.”
Martin reported on Instagram that her Milan-based brand La DoubleJ’s first U.S. store, which had been set to open in six weeks, burned down.
“We are unfathomably heartbroken. And at the same time our bleeding hearts go out to every human, every family, parent, and child who just host their home in the ravaged Palisades,” Martin wrote. “It has been excruciating watching the homes on Enchanted Way, where I grew up, burn to the ground.”
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has reported over 13,900 emergency responses and estimated that more than 29,000 acres have burned so far in Pacific Palisades as well as nearby areas including Altadena, Sylmar, Acton, and Hollywood Hills.
State officials and media reports attributed the wildfires’ severity to a lack of rain in recent months and strong Santa Ana winds of up to 100 miles per hour—the speed of a Category 2 hurricane, noted The Wall Street Journal.
A number of Los Angeles area jewelry stores and design studios. including Lili Claspe, Catbird, and Single Stone, said they would temporarily close out of caution and concern for their employees.
Other jewelers took to social media to share their whereabouts and express hope for the community as the wildfires raged. “Thank you for checking in,” Irene Neuwirth wrote on Instagram. “We are safe but incredibly devastated by the destruction to the city I grew up in and love. Sending prayers and love to the families and friends who have lost their homes.”
The International Gemological Institute (IGI), which has closed its L.A. location at least one day this week, posted on Instagram: “The fires raging across Los Angeles are impacting our clients, our industry, our colleagues, friends, and families. IGI’s thoughts are with the entire L.A. community. We are grateful to all first responders, and we are praying for everyone’s safety.”
The Women’s Jewelry Association encouraged people to donate to “organizations providing critical support”: the California Fire Foundation, the American Red Cross, and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation. “Let’s stand together and lend a helping hand,” WJA posted.
Top: On Instagram, the Women’s Jewelry Association appealed to its members and followers to help raise funds for those affected by the Southern California wildfires. (Photo courtesy of the Women’s Jewelry Association)
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