“There is something about black jade that is really beautiful on your skin,” says Lisa Eisner. “It not only looks so dramatic, but it feels like cashmere.” The stone is the heart of Eisner’s new collaboration with Mary-Kate and daughter-in-law Ashley Olsen of The Row—an auspicious choice for all three. “They love black, and I love black jade from Wyoming, where I’m from,” she says.
For Eisner, a Los Angeleno since the late ’80s, crafting jewelry is always deeply personal. She hand selects each stone she works with, all evoking the American West. The onetime editor (she worked for American Vogue in the Paris office) dabbled in photography and publishing before starting her eponymous jewelry business in 2014, which she debuted in Tom Ford’s spring 2015 ready-to-wear show. Now, her sculptural, often one-of-a-kind pieces appear on Ayo Edebiri, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tracee Ellis-Ross, and others who like to be undeniably bold in their accessories. She gleans inspiration from preeminent jewelers of the ’70s like Andrew Grima and Aldo Cipullo for Cartier and favors setting her designs in bronze over gold or silver, which she feels is too precious.
The collection with the Olsens (who she calls “the girls”; her son Louis married Ashley in 2022) comprises black jade earrings, bracelets, rings, and necklaces in what she describes as “primitive organic shapes of black jade strung on black leather cord…the kind you would wear every day and hold in your hand.” Eisner reveres the spiritual nature of the stone, which some believe has protective qualities and the ability to ward off negative energy. “When I have to travel, or go to meetings or just feel like I need that extra security, I always wear it,” she says. Below, she shares more of her favorite things with VF, from feathered coats to giant ferns—because everything’s bigger in Eisner’s world.
Style File
EVERYDAY BAG: A crossbody by The Row.
FOR GLAMOUR: Stacia Lang makes the most beautiful feather coats. She has made me some amazing pieces. Feathers are pretty glamorous. I like looking like a bird.
EVENINGWEAR: My 22-karat gold nugget shoulder dusters! They are very Picasso.
On Beauty
HOLY GRAIL: I love Retrouvé. The Revitalizing Eye Concentrate Skin Hydrator is the best.
FACIALIST: Terri Lawton.
MOISTURIZER: La Grande Crème by Biologique Recherche.
At Home
SLIPPERS: Quoddy sheepskin.
AROMA: I use my custom Quartz Forest oil scent by L’oeil Du Vert in their home diffuser.
LIGHTING: Bari Ziperstein.
ON THE TABLE: Peter Speliopoulos for Commune leather place mats with thick linen napkins.
IN THE GARDEN: Anything the landscape designer Art Luna tells me to buy. I have so many beautiful specimens. My giant Australian tree ferns are my favorite.
For Pleasure
READING: I went down a Larry McMurtry rabbit hole and listened to all of his books. There are so many characters to love, especially his women.
TO UNWIND: Normatec compression.
WORKING WITH: Black jade. It looks so dramatic and feels like cashmere. [In collaboration with Mary-Kate and daughter-in-law Ashley Olsen] I made earrings, bracelets, and rings, plus necklaces in very primitive organic shapes, like talismans.
The Menu
MORNING CUP: Alice Waters told me about Chinese Puerh tea by Imperial Tea Court. Now I drink it every day.
SUPERFOOD: Erewhon medicinal super immunity bone broth.
DINING OUT: At the Beverly Hills Hotel Polo Lounge. I get the McCarthy salad with fries.
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