Baguette cuts are a personal favorite of mine (and of many others), so when I saw Suzanne Kalan’s latest line at the 2013 Couture show, I nearly lost my jewelry-loving mind: She had baguettes. And not just any baguettes—champagne diamond baguettes, which are such an uncommon and acquired taste. (Long, skinny, Deco-esque, rarely seen sparkling cocoa stones? Yes, please!) I immediately fell head over heels for the looks.

The Northridge, Calif.–based Kalan, who’s represented by Fragments in New York City, currently has 14 SKUs available for order; more are in production. Retailers loved the line as much as I did; about seven merchants (one of them a new customer) ordered pieces from the Baguette collection at the show. The biggest order placed at the show was for 20 pieces, and a certain luxury retailer with stores nationwide hopes to add one of the styles to a preholiday catalog.

“I always loved baguettes, but hated way they were lined up and so uniform—the shapes don’t show when the stones are lined up next to each other—in older styles,” Kalan told JCK this week. “We made a very small band a couple of years ago in white, and always wanted to expand the look—but into something more affordable for the public. So we got into the champagne to make it more affordable. As for the uneven and scattered settings…we do those anyway, setting prongs are little higher, lower, or a little sideways.… We’ve done that for so many years. I just really love this line and am passionate about it. I can’t wait to have everything that’s in my mind made.”

Pieces are made in 18k gold and start at $4,000 retail, though lower-priced items—as well as colorless diamond numbers—are planned. “My goal is to hit the $2,500 retail mark,” she explained. Styles to date incorporate Swiss blue topaz, white topaz, chalcedony, amethyst, Rose de France, and gray diamond slices (“These were all one-offs that sold already during the show,” she says), plus the slender brown stone accents. She also added baguettes to her popular Vitrine collection of looks with stones set underneath other gems, and is working on removable ear charms with baguettes for Vitrine.

Ring in 18k gold with 20 ct. Swiss blue topaz and 3.75 cts. t.w. brown diamond baguettes, $11,000

Pendant necklace in 18k gold with 33 ct. blue chalcedony and 3.75 cts. t.w. brown diamonds, $12,000

Earrings in 18k gold with 23.75 cts. t.w. aquamarine and 5.35 cts. t.w. brown diamond baguettes, $22,000

JCK