I’ve often enjoyed writing about personalized jewelry—initials, engravables, and the sort. It’s a pleasure to experience such a wide variety of options—though that variety is perhaps somewhat of a hurdle when it comes to actually shopping for one yourself.

That’s not so much a complaint (it’s a wonderful thing to have choices) as it is a—well, okay, it’s a complaint. But keep the options coming, seriously! I’ve recently come across this dilemma as I’ve been on the hunt for a new initial charm to add to my necklace. I wear an E for my daughter, in addition to a small diamond (her birthstone). With a new baby girl on the way this summer, I’ve been searching for what I feel is the perfect initial to represent her.

I toyed with the idea of purchasing the same disc charm that I already wear, as a match would work beautifully. But variety is the spice, as they say, and when you have the opportunity to meet and write about all sorts of different designers, I’d prefer my jewelry to mirror that diversity. I looked and looked.

The perfect initial pendant doesn’t exi—

Oh, but it does.

I found exactly what I was looking for from Marlo Laz. An initial charm with just the right amount of flair, without being too over-the-top (I worried about another pendant overpowering my E). The font, with the slightest bit of curl that’s like a cross between a book of Brothers Grimm stories and a graffiti artist, is inspired by La Belle Époque, the lavish, fairy-tale-esque era of art nouveau. And, since welcoming a new member to our family feels a bit like a fairy tale, the pendant represents more than simply a name.

Finding this perfect pendant brought to mind other questions. I’ve seen so many initial pendants, many with a differing perspective; others, not so much. Finding just the right font to represent a designer aesthetic can’t be easy, or perhaps it comes as naturally as talent? When I was working for a content agency, creating imagery alongside graphic artists was always a challenge. When the inevitable “What font should we use?” question came up, I always found myself at a loss. I mean, up until I graduated high school, I used to type letters on the computer in comic sans—unironically! Thank goodness for the professionals.

So I asked Marlo Laz designer Jesse Lazowski about her ability to focus on finding just the right style for her letters. “The Marlo Laz font is a bespoke font that I designed when I launched the collection in 2014,” she says. “Our bespoke font encapsulates the soulful spirit of Marlo Laz, inspired by La Belle Époque and art nouveau era meets the 1960s and 1970s. The font evokes free-spiritedness, creativity, activism, feminism, and funk.”

All those things crammed into one letter—no wonder it feels so special.

Top: Initial charm in 14k yellow gold with diamonds, $600; Marlo Laz

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