Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend

Designer Mimi So breaks the ice in Manhattan

Mimi So dazzles as much with her personality as her line of fine jewelry. With grace and flair, she personally tended to each client at a showing of her work at the San Francisco Neiman Marcus, selecting a sparkling diamond piece or a glittery precious or semi-precious ensemble to match the whims and lifestyle of each woman.

The designer’s newest Sesi collection features pavé diamonds set in the shape of seven-armed starfish, in 18-karat white gold. The large starfish spins like a pinwheel on a matching pavé bracelet cuff — for a breathtaking 70-carats — and can be converted into a brooch or clipped onto beaded necklaces made with precious and semi-precious stones such as aquamarines, rubies and blue sapphires. Small starfish can be moved along multi-strand beaded bracelets that evoke the little sea critters captured in netting.

Mimi So is as unique as her designs. She is the first — and still the only female — to break into the boys’ club of Manhattan’s jewelry district. In 1993, at the tender age of 24, So opened the doors of her 500-square-foot flagship store on 47th Street and Fifth Avenue. Last fall, she discarded the girlish deco hodgepodge look of her shop and opted for a cleaner, more streamlined look. She’s now the mother of an infant daughter, Coco-Mei, and an established businesswoman.

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