Dian Malouf

Dian Malouf is a Texas- and Santa Fe-based jewelry designer, photographer, and writer. A political and environmental activist, she often brings themes of social change or environmental responsibility into her jewelry. Many times, a portion of the proceeds from her pieces go to her favorite charities. She enjoys creating jewelry in series. For instance, her "Life, Love, and Liberty" line celebrates the fall of the Berlin Wall, and her "Food Chain" series uses the myriad textures in grain and food.

She has a distinguished following, including Elton John, Cher, and Linda Ronstadt. They are particularly drawn to her because she defies convention and creates pieces that are important to her. In fact, she entered the jewelry business because she couldn't find a silver ring that she liked. Instead of settling for something that was pretty, but didn't necessarily speak to her, Dian decided to design one for herself.

Her style is characterized particularly by large, chunky rings that are extremely elegant. They are able to be worn in stacks of two or three rings, or alone. She utilizes particularly beautiful textures around the entire square-shaped ring, rather than just on the top face that will be most visible to other people. Says Dian, "I don't know what drives me, but where there's something undone, I feel something pushes me to fill in the blanks."