Q & A: Jaimie Geller Says She Is Rebuilding After L.A. Fires

By Karen Dybis | March 27, 2025

Palisades jewelry store Jaimie Geller Jewelry and Los Angeles designer Lizzie Mandler have partnered on a new capsule collection that will support the Los Angeles Fire Department as the city starts to rebuild after a series of devastating fires.

The Pali Strong capsule collection includes Mandler’s Tag necklace engraved with a palm tree illustration ($1,760) and a Mini Nameplate bracelet on a Figaro chain ($3,995). Both pieces are in 18k gold, feature a single diamond in their design, and are engraved with the Palisades ZIP code of 90272.

Geller’s store and home in the Palisades were destroyed in a series of fires that struck Los Angeles and its surrounding areas in January. Geller and Mandler are longtime friends, and Mandler reached out to Geller to suggest they work together on commemorative pieces to honor the Palisades, Geller says.

Jaimie Geller Lizzie — *Lizzie Mandler made this Small Tag pendant ($1,760) on an 18k gold chain with a palm tree and 90272 ZIP code engraving exclusively for Jaimie Geller Jewelry.*

“Can I just say how grateful and honored I am to have this support of our jewelry community. And that I will never forget the love that has been shown to me and my family and our JGJ team,” Geller says.

JCK spoke to Geller about the collaboration, the aftermath of the fires for her personally and professionally, and what’s next. This is an edited transcript of that conversation.

First of all: How are you?

“How are you?” used to be a very simple and basic question. No matter what, my reply was always “I’m OK, how are you?” But since the fire, everything is different. And “How are you?” Is an impossible question. Because I am definitely not OK. Far from OK. I take the days hour by hour, which is a big step up from the 15-minute increments I was in for the first month or so. I can’t wait until I am taking the days day by day.

Can you update how the store and your employees are doing?

Our store burned along with most of the Palisades. What you may not know is that the store that my husband and I have owned since 2007, and his parents before us since the early ’90s, was in one of the older buildings that made up our beautiful small town in the middle of huge L.A. And we learned last week that our landlords will not be rebuilding. This may have been one of the most devastating pieces of news I have received—to know I will not be rebuilding in the place we have been for decades.

For now, we decided to build a private showroom in a neighboring town sort of on the border of Brentwood and Santa Monica. We wanted to be accessible for our loyal clients, but we just couldn’t imagine building a storefront/brick and mortar anywhere but the Palisades. We are in the process of making it a beautiful place to come and hang out, spend time together, and shop in a very private and intimate setting. We have no idea what our town will look like in the upcoming years or how long it will take to rebuild. But when we do open a retail store again, we will be back in the Palisades.

As far as our employees, we decided on day one that we were going to keep and pay our employees through this time. They have all been working remotely, as our website is still up and running even though all of our inventory burned. So, they have been able to facilitate special orders and help with some insurance things. I cannot wait to all be together in our new office soon. One of them also lost her childhood home, and every time we get on the phone we basically just cry and tell each other how much we love each other.

In regards to our home, it will take time. We have had our lot cleared, and we have selected an architect, designer, and builder. But we had just finished an extensive remodel that we poured our hearts into. We had our dream house. And I don’t want to rebuild a “ghost house,” but I also don’t feel like I have it in me to go again and design something different.

What have these last few months been like in terms of support?

The support we received is overwhelming in the best way. The day of the fire I had hundreds of texts and calls, and in the weeks after the fire the amount of outpouring of love was unimaginable. Calls, texts, emails, DMs, packages of clothes and kitchen stuff, and every single thing you can imagine as well as a GoFundMe set up by Kirsty Stone from Retrouvai one night while I was asleep. I would say 99% of anyone we have ever met in our life has reached out in some significant way. And I will also say our Instagram followers and community have become my own personal therapy, and I honestly don’t know what I would have done those early nights when sleep was impossible without those supportive messages to read.

Why are these relationships like you have with Lizzie so important?

Lizzie and I have a very special relationship. We both grew up in L.A., we both have lived in the Palisades for a significant amount of time in our lives, we both attended the same high school—very different years as I’m much older—and we had siblings in the same grade as each other. For that reason, I have always felt a closeness with Lizzie. After the fire, Lizzie reached out that she wanted to commemorate our beautiful hometown with two special pieces of jewelry that we could sell exclusively on our site. It was such a no-brainer, but being that I had just endured the biggest disaster of my life, I had nothing to give creatively. Lizzie stepped up and came up with two of the most perfect designs for “90272.” And the reason mine and Lizzie’s relationship is so important to me is that she was able to step up for our community of Palisades in a way I was unable, but she was able to include me in the process. And I will never forget it.

How are these jewelry pieces healing?

After the fire, I did notice people coming up with different ways to wear and commemorate “90272.” I had friends getting tattoos, people making hats and clothing, and even some very beautiful jewelry incorporating our ZIP code. But Lizzie’s designs hit a different way for me. For me, jewelry is a forever thing. Something I want to pass down to generations, and I’m honestly not sure how long my grandkids would want to wear a 90272 necklace. But these designs that we have collaborated on (95% Lizzie/ 5% me agreeing to her ideas) are something our grandkids will wear. The bracelet is made of the most beautiful handmade links, and the 90272 on the ID portion is understated, so that the owner/wearer of the piece knows it’s there but to the common eye you just see a beautiful chunky gold bracelet that will never go out of style. For me, this is the most healing way to wear jewelry—for yourself.

Generally speaking, I have never been the greatest fan of a dog tag style. It just never really resonated with me, and it wasn’t my “thing.” However, this dog tag represents something else to me. Historically, a dog tag was worn by soldiers during war so that if they didn’t make it, their body could be identified. But this fire, the result of this fire, the way my town looks, the way we have to fight for every single step to rebuild…I feel like I am a soldier, like I have to be brave, like I have to fight, and I am doing it every single day since January 7. And this dog tag represents the strength I need to have. And I am not demeaning the strength of a soldier because this fire was not physical combat, but it certainly has been a mental combat and some days that has taken a very physical toll on all of us. So, this dog tag makes me feel strong. And so this dog tag is extremely healing and an integral part of giving me the strength I need to get through this.

Top: Lizzie Mandler made this Mini nameplate bracelet ($3,995) on a Figaro chain with the 90272 ZIP code engraved on it exclusively for Jaimie Geller Jewelry (photos courtesy of Jaimie Geller Jewelry).