California-born-and-bred Lauren Harwell Godfrey began her design career in the world of advertising, logging 15 years as an award-winning art and creative director in NYC and San Francisco masterminding campaigns for clients including Adidas, Levi’s, and Ray-Ban. After a serendipitous trip to the Tucson Gem Fair, Lauren set her sights on building a brand of her own, teaching herself to craft one-of-a-kind hand-tooled leather and raw stone accessories. This ignited the spark that evolved into her fine jewelry collection, which debuted in 2018 at Paris Fashion Week.
With aesthetic roots in the ancient textiles and patterns of the African Diaspora, Harwell Godfrey fine jewelry is handcrafted in 18-karat gold with precious gemstones, colorful inlay, and ethically-sourced diamonds. Designed with healing energy in mind, each gemstone is thoughtfully selected to enhance the wearer’s experience. Incorporating figurative references to block printing and weaving from cultures long ago, the collection brings a sense of history to modern day precious heirlooms.
A deep commitment to social causes led Lauren to create her Charity Heart series in 2020, donating 100% of proceeds to organizations including NAACP, World Central Kitchen, Futures Without Violence, Human Rights Campaign, Every Mother Counts and Everytown, raising over $260,000 and counting. The brand has received international placements in Vogue, Town & Country, Elle and WWD and is owned by luminaries including Kamala Harris, Blake Lively, Cynthia Erivo, Julianne Moore and Rihanna.
A 2022 nominee for CFDA American Emerging Designer of the Year and 2022 CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Finalist, Lauren is part of Brilliant & Black, a groundbreaking exhibition at Sotheby’s featuring work from the world’s leading Black jewelry designers. She was also recently recognized by her peers, taking home the 2022 Gem Award for Jewelry Design.
